Federal law requires that you receive a privacy notice if you are an employee of Bethel University and are enrolled in one or more of the following Plans:
HealthPartners Health Plan
Flexible Healthcare Spending Account
This notice is distributed to you at the time of enrollment in one or more of the Plans and annually each year thereafter. The Plans are committed to protecting the confidentiality of any health information we collect about you.
Protected Health Information (PHI) is any of the following:
- Any information about you created or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer or health care clearinghouse that relates to your past, present or future physical or mental health or condition, or provision of or payment for health care.
- Information that identifies the individual or may reasonably be used to identify the individual.
The Plans are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to:
- Maintain the privacy of your "protected health information" (PHI), and
- Provide you with a Privacy Notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI, and
- Follow the terms of the Privacy Policy, as communicated in the Privacy Notice, which is currently in effect.
Bethel employees who administer and manage these Plans may use or disclose your PHI only for appropriate plan purposes (such as for payment or health care operations) and for other uses and disclosures permitted under the law (such as for a court order or to public health authorities). This PHI will not be used for purposes of other benefits not provided by these Plans (Retirement, FMLA, etc.), and not for employment-related purposes (job placement, etc.). These employees must comply with the same requirements that apply to the Plans to protect the confidentiality of PHI.
Questions about uses or disclosures of your PHI and your rights under HIPAA can be directed to the Office of People and Culture.