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Frequently Asked Questions What is my Personal Health Record?
What is my Personal Health Record? Your Personal Health Record (PHR) is a history of your health information. It is stored on a private and secure online site and includes information from two sources – you and your health plan carrier. You can enter information yourself if you choose to. For example, you can include information about your allergies, over-the-counter medications, childhood immunizations, and family history. Your health plan carrier also submits information – such as medical and prescription data, lab values, and screening results – directly from your medical claims. Your Personal Health Record is organized in a way that makes sense, so it’s easy to use. Your information remains private and will remain secure on the Web site hosted and maintained by Aetna, the provider of the PHR. Why should I use a Personal Health Record? It can be difficult to keep track of health information. It can become scattered and hard to find when you need it. You might even lose your records completely in a fire or a natural disaster such as a tornado or flood. Your Personal Health Record keeps your health information safe and all in one spot – electronically. This makes it easy for you to keep track of your health history and the history of your covered family members. It also makes it easier to share your health information with your doctors. Plus, based on your answers to the Walk-Me-Through tour questions, the computerized system may send you an email letting you know that a message is waiting for you in your secure Personal Health Record. Your PHR may contain timely alerts and reminders of actions you can take to keep your health the best it can be. You may also be given information about discussions you might consider having with your doctor. Once you choose your personal and confidential user name and password, your Personal Health Record is available any time, from any place you have online computer access. That can be very valuable in an emergency, while you are traveling or simply during a regular visit to your doctor. All this makes it easier for you to take an active role in improving your health and wellness. Do I need to fill out a lot of information? No. Information from your medical, prescription, and lab claims, as well as from your Health Assessment, shows up automatically. You’ll see information about your doctor visits, hospital stays or prescriptions you have filled. And you can enter other details on your own – as you choose. Keep track of your family history, list your allergies or add the vitamins and over-the-counter medicines you take. You can also add any prescriptions you have chosen to purchase out of pocket from retailers offering deep discounts. Your doctors can use this information to help treat you and to keep you safe. You can use it, along with the alerts and reminders, to make improvements in your overall health. The more information you add, the more useful it will be. How can I use my Personal Health Record? How do I get to my Personal Health Record? You can connect to this valuable tool on the provider’s secure Web site, by clicking here. You will be asked to log on or create a user name and password. If you already have an account with Aetna Navigator or with Simple Steps, you can use that user name and password. Remember, you can use the PHR regardless of who your health plan administrator is. What is the Walk-Me-Through tour? It’s a built-in tour to your Personal Health Record that guides you in choosing which information you want to add. And it leads you to the right spot. Use it the first time you visit and any time you like. Exploring on your own is easy too. Just open the tabs at the top of the page to add information directly to each section. You’ll find that the way the tour works is similar to some popular income tax software. Can I print my Personal Health Record? Yes. You can print your Health Summary or print individual pages of your PHR. Just use the print button on each page. You can show your Health Summary to your doctors and talk about ways to stay healthy. Or print and save a copy to keep with you in case of an emergency. What is the Health Summary page? Your Health Summary is your “home page.” It’s a short version of your health history that you can quickly read through or print and take with you. Bring this page along when you go to a new doctor, a hospital or other health center. The Health Summary can make it easier to fill out medical forms. How can I make changes to my Health Summary? Simply go to the tab for the area you want to update, and enter or change information. You can’t make changes to information automatically entered by the PHR tool, but you can hide information you don’t want displayed or printed on your Health Summary page.* And you can add notes and comments giving the details of doctor visits, reasons for taking particular medications, or any other useful information you might want to remember in the future. Remember, some information you might consider hiding could be vitally important to your ongoing care and health outcomes. And you can always erase any information you have entered. You are in control.
How can I stop information from appearing on my Health Summary? Just go to the page where the information you want to hide from view resides. Select the Update link, and answer no when you are asked if you want to include the information on your Health Summary. Although the information remains visible within the section tab, it no longer appears on the Health Summary page. What are alerts and reminders and how do they work? Alerts and reminders let you know about certain things that can be important for your health. They are based on your health history and your answers to questions about yourself. Some reminders are based on claims you file for certain illnesses or conditions, or just on general recommendations for preventive care. The computerized system examines your data and sends messages that are customized for you. For example, you might be reminded of tests or screenings you should have, based on such factors as your age or gender. Or you might receive an alert about something that could harm you; for example, taking two drugs that don’t mix together well. In some cases, your doctor will be alerted too. Be sure to check your UPS-administered plan’s Summary Plan Description (SPD) for covered benefit information before you schedule a doctor visit for suggested preventive care. Remember, even if your benefit plan doesn’t provide preventive care coverage, you and your doctor should consider whether the recommended care is needed. Why do you ask for my email address? If you provide your email address, you’ll receive an email each time you have an alert or reminder waiting for you in your secure online PHR. You won’t see details of the alerts or reminders in your email. You’ll be asked to log on to your PHR to read your message where it’s safe, protected and private. It’s up to you whether or not you provide it, but giving your email address can help get an important message to you faster. What measures are in place to protect my personal health information? As part of our existing commitment to information privacy, Aetna has extensive operational and technical protections in place. And it is continually improving and updating those protections. Your Personal Health Record is protected in compliance with UPS’s Health Plans Privacy Practices and also with state and federal laws. Who can see my private health information? You control your Personal Health Record, so you decide who can see the information in it. For example, you can choose to allow your doctor or a family member – who might have your medical Power of Attorney – to view your information if you print and share your Health Summary. For more information about the Personal Health Record Privacy Policy, click on the Web Privacy Statement and Privacy Notices, which you will find on every page of the Web site. For more information on UPS’s Health Plan Privacy Practices, you can review the UPS Notice of Health Plans Privacy Practices. Will the data in my Personal Health Record be available to my employer? Federal law protects against sharing health information with employers. This law is often referred to as HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA provides a national standard of privacy protection and is aimed at preventing the misuse of private health information. In particular, when it comes to employers, HIPAA is designed to make sure that your health information cannot be used in any type of personnel decision. HIPAA also prevents discrimination in determining eligibility and premiums based on an individual’s health factors. Your information may not be used for any employment purpose without your specific permission. That means UPS cannot see your identifiable health information or use it in any way to evaluate your employment or your fitness to perform your job. In addition, that same federal law prohibits UPS, as your employer and plan sponsor, from using that information to determine your eligibility for health care, or to limit, restrict, or change the cost of your health care benefits while you are employed by UPS or after you leave. UPS, in accordance with federal law, may identify certain employees as needing access to your information to administer the health plan, such as determining your eligibility for benefits. You can review the UPS Notice of Health Plans Privacy Practices for more information. Can my health carrier use my Personal Health Record to deny medical coverage or change my rates? No. Nothing you put in your PHR can affect your medical coverage. In fact, the purpose of the PHR is to help you take a more active role in managing your own health. It can reduce the number or severity of health issues that you encounter. The goal of the PHR is to make it easier for you to maintain and even improve your health. How much of my medical history is already included in my Personal Health Record? Up to two years of your medical claims information is already included in your record. You are encouraged to add more information about your medical history and any over-the-counter medications and supplements you may be taking, or any low-cost prescription medications you have chosen to pay for outside your current health plan. Do my dependents have Personal Health Records? Yes. Your covered family members have Personal Health Records, too. Your covered spouse and dependents age 18 and older will have separate access to their Personal Health Records, and only to their own records. Only you, as the subscriber, have access to the records of your children under age 18. Please reference the Access Guide, found on the Personal Health Record page of this site, for detailed instructions on how to register for your PHR. Aetna is not my health plan carrier, so why do I have access to the Aetna Personal Health Record? UPS has chosen Aetna to provide the secure online Personal Health Record to all UPSers and their covered dependents. The information in your PHR is based on your health care records during the time you have been covered under a UPS health plan, whether your health plan carrier is Aetna or not.* If there is any discrepancy between the summarized information provided in this publication and the official plan document(s), the plan document(s) will always govern. Detailed information regarding the plan can be found in the plan’s Summary Plan Description (SPD) or in the official plan document, which legally governs the plan’s operation. UPS reserves the right to terminate or change any benefit plan at any time.
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