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Terms of Use and Privacy Practices
When you visit and use the information on Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) website,
you are required to accept this agreement called Website Terms of Use and Privacy
Practices (Agreement). HPSM may change this Agreement at any time, and it will become
effective immediately after posting changes to the Agreement on the website. When
you accept this Agreement, you understand that you are responsible for reviewing
this Agreement periodically to stay informed of changes. You agree to accept changes
to this Agreement when you continue to access and use the website’s information.
If you do not want to accept this Agreement, do not visit or use this website.
HPSM Disclaimer
This disclaimer governs your use of our website. By using this website you accept
this disclaimer in full. When you use this website, you agree that HPSM is not responsible
for notifying you of changes to the website’s Terms of Use and Privacy Practices.
Information on our website may be changed, or updated, without notice. If you disagree
with this, do not use the HPSM website.
HPSM continually updates the information on its website in order to keep it current
and accurate as possible. However, it is possible that some information may be inaccurate
or have errors. HPSM does not guarantee that the information on this website is
accurate.
Links to other healthcare websites are only for your convenience in obtaining related
information. Links or referral to other websites does not imply HPSM’s endorsement
of their contents. HPSM does not control the contents of these websites and cannot
guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information.
Limitations of HPSM Liability
Under no circumstances, including negligence, shall HPSM be liable for any direct,
indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages that result from
the use of HPSM material. You recognize and agree that HPSM is not liable for any
defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of any user.
You agree that the use of this website and its contents, or any part of it, is at
your own risk.
You agree that HPSM and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and suppliers
are not responsible to you under any theory of liability, or indemnity, in connection
with your use of this website.
The services, software, and/or any information accessed through this website are
provided “as is” without warranty, express or implied.
If you are dissatisfied with any of the HPSM material, or with any of the
terms of use and conditions of this Agreement, your only solution is to discontinue
using this website.
Not a Substitute for Professional Health Care or Advice
The information provided in this website is presented only for the purpose of educating
our members on our health coverage programs and medically related topics. It is
not a substitute for a visit, call, consultation, or the advice of your doctor or
other qualified health care provider. The information is not intended to be used
for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be considered as complete or relied
on as a course of treatment. For specific health care needs, or for complete health
care information, please see a doctor or other health care provider. If you think
you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
Email Communication
HPSM welcomes your comments and questions. Phone numbers, mailing addresses, and
email addresses are provided on this website for you to contact us. However, you
should be aware that most email systems are not protected from third parties who
may be able to access your email without your permission. To help protect the privacy
of your health information, email messages and forms that you send to us directly
from our website are delivered through a secure link to HPSM.
Privacy Policy
We understand that health information about you is personal. We are committed to
protecting your health information. This privacy policy contains a summary of HPSM’s
privacy practices and your rights relating to health information. This notice only
covers HPSM’s privacy practices. Your doctor may have different policies or notices
regarding his or her use and disclosure of your health information created in the
doctor’s office.
We are required by law to:
- Make sure that health information that identifies you is kept private;
- Give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices about your health
information; and
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
How May HPSM Use or Share my Health Information?
The following are ways in which we may use your health information. The types of
uses and disclosures of information listed below are allowed by state and federal
law. Use refers to how we use information within HPSM. Disclosure means sharing
information with someone outside HPSM. Following is a description of each type of
use or disclosure and some examples.
The list below does not include every possible allowable use and disclosure, and
it is not intended to limit uses and disclosures that are permitted by law. However,
all of the ways we are allowed to use and disclose your health information will
fall within one or another of the following purposes:
For Payment. We use your health information to pay bills for the
health services you receive as an HPSM Member.
For Example: We may need to get information from your doctor about a treatment that
the doctor is considering for you. We will review the information to make a decision
about whether or not to approve payment for the treatment. Decisions are based on
medical need. We may need to let the doctor know if the treatment is a covered benefit
for you.
For Health Care Operations. We may use and disclose health information
about you to carry out HPSM’s operations. This is done in a confidential manner.
These uses and disclosures are necessary to run the health plan and perform many
of the services that you receive.
For Example: We may use health information about you in our review of the doctors
who provide your care. We check their performance to make sure you are receiving
quality care.
We may also use health information about you to compare the quality of our services
to that of other health plans. This will help us check if there are ways we can
improve the quality of care you receive.
For Treatment. We may use your health information in managing your
care. We may share your health information with a provider for use in treating you.
For Example: We may review your health information, including medications that you
are taking, to make sure that none of the treatments you receive will conflict.
Health-Related Benefits and Services. We may use and share health
information to tell you about HPSM’s health benefits or services that may be of
interest to you through HPSM’s Health Education Programs.
To Contractors. We may disclose your health information to our contractors
who assist us in our operations. Our contractors agree in writing to keep the health
information provided to them confidential and secure, and not to use it except to
assist us.
For example, we contract with a company known as a "Pharmacy Benefit Manager". This
company processes claims for pharmacy services. We provide information that we have
that is needed to pay the pharmacy claims for our Members. The Pharmacy Benefit
Manager agrees to keep this information confidential.
To Health Insurance Program Sponsors. Employers and other organizations
sponsor health insurance programs. These employers or sponsors contract with HPSM
to provide services to you and pay claims. We may notify the plan sponsor if you
are enrolled in, or disenrolled from the plan. We may also disclose your health
information so the plan sponsor can audit HPSM’s performance. The sponsor agrees
to keep your health information confidential and secure.
To Family Members or Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your
Care. We may release health information about you to a person who is responsible
for paying for your health care, as necessary to enable that person to make payment.
We may also disclose health information to family members and others who are involved
in your health care.
If you have questions about this information please contact a Health Plan of San
Mateo Member Services Representative at 800-750-4776
or 650-616-0050.