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Health info permissions and privacy

How to share your health info with us

 

Use this helpful guide to learn about sharing your info with third-party apps.

 

Guide to access and share your health info

 

  • You can now access your health info through approved third-party apps, such as those used on a smartphone. With your consent, Aetna* can share your member health info* with the third-party app of your choice. Then you can share it with your care team. Your health info includes things like:

     

    • Your medical claims info
    • Your provider info (like who you see for care and where their office is)
    • Your clinical info (like your height, weight or blood pressure)

     

    To get started, go to payer-to-payer health info.

  • How to protect your health info:

     

    • Stay involved: It’s important to keep your health info safe.
    • Choose wisely: Your health info can be sensitive. And some apps might share your health info with others. Be sure to choose an app with good privacy and security practices.
    • Check privacy practices: Make sure the app has a clear privacy policy that shows how they use your info. If not, we suggest not using the app.
    • Read terms: Before asking us to share your health info, read the app’s terms and conditions to see how they’ll use and share your info.

     

    How we protect your privacy and security

    Before you ask us to share your health info with a third-party app, review our guide to access and share your health info, payer-to-payer health info and the Aetna privacy center. Also, be sure to review this health info permissions and privacy page.

  • What to consider when choosing a third-party health app: 

     

    • What health info does it collect? Will it collect other info too, like your location?
    • Anonymous storage: Will it store your info without your name?
    • Data use: How will it use your info?
    • Sharing: Will it share your info with others?
    • Selling: Will it sell your info for ads or research?
    • Sharing: Who else will see your info? 
    • Limits: Can you control what it does with your info?
    • Security: How does it keep your info safe?
    • Impact: How could sharing your info affect your family?
    • Access and correction: How can you see your info and fix mistakes?
    • Complaints: Does it handle user complaints well?
    • Stopping access: How do you stop the app from using your info if you don't want to use it anymore?
    • Deleted info: What happens to your info when you stop using the app? Do you need to do more than delete the app?
    • Updates: How will you know about changes to its privacy rules?

  • What is HIPAA?

    HIPAA is a federal law that helps protect your health info. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enforces HIPAA. These rules include privacy, security and what to do if there’s a data breach. Aetna complies with HIPAA.

     

    Find HIPAA FAQs for individuals

  • Here’s who needs to follow HIPAA:

     

    • Health plans: This includes health insurance companies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), company health plans, Medicare and Medicaid.
    • Health care providers: Such as doctors, clinics, hospitals, psychologists, nursing homes, pharmacies and dentists, that do business electronically.
    • Health care clearinghouses: Organizations that process health info.
    • Companies that provide services to covered entities: Such as billing companies, health care claims processors, companies that store or destroy medical records, and those that help manage health plans.

     

    Who doesn’t need to follow HIPAA?

    Life insurers, employers, workers' compensation carriers, plus many schools and school districts, state and law enforcement agencies and municipal offices.

     

    For more info about your rights under HIPAA, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Most third-party apps don’t have to follow HIPAA. Instead, they follow the rules of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

     

    The FTC Act protects you from deceptive acts. For example, if an app shares your info without permission even though its privacy policy says it won’t.

     

    Learn more about app privacy and security

  • If you think an app has violated your HIPAA privacy rights, you can:

     

    Call the Member Services number on your member ID card.

    Write to the Aetna HIPAA Member Rights Team:

     

    HIPAA Member Rights Team
    Aetna Inc.
    P.O. Box 14079
    Lexington, KY 40512-4079

     

    You can also write the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Learn about filing a complaint with HHS OCR under HIPAA. You can file a complaint with them using the OCR complaint portal.

  • You can file a complaint with the FTC using the FTC complaint assistant.

  • Managing third-party app access

    To check the apps that have access to your health info, go to the “Manage you who can view your data” section on the Aetna® member website. 

     

    To learn about risks and things to consider when sharing your health info with third-party apps, check our guide to access and share your health info. 

Legal notices

Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by one or more of the Aetna group of companies, including Aetna Life Insurance Company and its affiliates (Aetna).

Health benefits and health insurance plans contain exclusions and limitations.

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