| THE CAMPBELL GROUP HIPAA PRIVACY
POLICY
Introduction
The Campbell Group and/or certain of its affiliates
(collectively, the "Company") sponsors a group
health plan (the "Plan"). Members of the
Company's workforce may have access to the individually
identifiable health information of Plan participants on
behalf of the Plan itself or on behalf of the Company,
for administrative functions. Members of the Company's
workforce may also have access to the individually
identifiable health information of customers or others
with whom the Company transacts business.
It is the Company's policy to comply fully with the
Privacy Rule requirements of the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
("HIPAA"). To that end, all members of the
Company's workforce who have access to any private
health information ("PHI") must comply with
this Privacy Policy.
Responsibilities as Covered Entity
- Privacy Officer and Contact Person
Nancy Atman will be the Privacy Officer for the
Company. The Privacy Of ficer will be responsible for
the development and implementation of policies and
procedures relating to privacy, including but not
limited to this Privacy Policy and the Company's more
detailed use and disclosure procedures. The Privacy
Officer will also serve as the contact person for
those who have questions, concerns or complaints about
the privacy of their PHI.
Workforce Training
The Company's policy is to train those employees who
have access to PHI on its privacy policies and
procedures. The Privacy Officer will develop training
schedules and programs so that all workforce members
receive the training necessary and appropriate to permit
them to carry out their functions which may involve PHI.
Technical and Physical Safeguards
The Company will establish appropriate technical (if and
when PHI is stored electronically) and physical
safeguards to prevent PHI from intentionally or
unintentionally being used or disclosed in violation of
HIPAA's requirements. Technical safeguards include
limiting access to information by creating computer
firewalls if and when PHI is stored electronically.
Physical safeguards include locking doors or filing
cabinets where PHI is stored.
Privacy Notice
The Privacy Officer is responsible for developing and
maintaining a notice of the Company's privacy practices
that describes:
- the uses and disclosures of PHI that may be made
by the Company;
- the individual's rights; and
- the Company's legal duties with respect to the
PHI.
The privacy notice will inform Plan participants that
the Company will have access to PHI in connection with
its plan administrative functions. The policy will also
inform others that the Company may have access to PHI in
connection with its business functions. The privacy
notice will also provide a description of the Company's
complaint procedures, the name and telephone number of
the contact person for further information, and the date
of the notice.
The notice of privacy practices will be individually
delivered to all employees:
- no later than April 14, 2003; on an on-going
basis, at the time of an individual's employment by
the Company; and
- within 60 days after a material change to the
notice.
The notice of privacy practices will be made
available to others upon written request.
In the event that any group health benefits are
provided under a policy of insurance, the insurance
company will develop and distribute a Notice of Privacy
Policies describing how the insurance company will use
and disclose medical and personal health information.
Such notice prepared by the insurance company will
govern the uses and disclosures and medical and personal
health information by the insurance company and not this
Policy.
Complaints
The Privacy Officer, Nancy Atman, at extension 320, will
be the Company's contact person for receiving
complaints. The Privacy Officer is responsible for
creating a process for individuals to lodge complaints
about the Company's privacy procedures and for creating
a system for handling such complaints. A copy of the
complaint procedure shall be provided to any employee or
other individual upon request.
Sanctions for Violations of Privacy Policy>
Sanctions for Violations of Privacy Policy Sanctions for
using or disclosing PHI in violation of this HIPAA
Privacy Policy will be imposed in accordance with the
Company's employment discipline policies and practices,
up to and including termination.
Mitigation of Inadvertent Disclosures of Protected
Health Information
The Company shall mitigate, to the extent possible, any
harmful effects that become known to it of a use or
disclosure of an individual's PHI in violation of the
policies and procedures set forth in this Policy. As a
result, if an employee or anyone else becomes aware of a
disclosure of PHI, either by an employee of the Company
o r an outside consultant/contractor that is not in
compliance with this Policy, that employee or anyone
else should immediately contact the Privacy Officer so
that the appropriate steps to mitigate harm can be
taken.
No Intimidating or Retaliatory Acts; No Waiver of
HIPAA Privacy
No employee may intimidate, threaten, coerce,
discriminate against, or take other retaliatory action
against individuals for exercising their rights, filing
a complaint, participating in an investigation, or
opposing any improper practice under HIPAA.
No individual shall be required to waive his or her
privacy rights under HIPAA as a condition of treatment,
payment, enrollment, or eligibility for any benefit or
any other product or service provided by the Company.
Documentation
The Plan's and the Company's privacy policies and
procedures shall be documented and maintained for at
least six years. Policies and procedures must be changed
as necessary or appropriate to comply with changes in
the law, standards, requirements, and implementation
specifications (including changes and modifications in
regulations). Any changes to policies or procedures must
be promptly documented.
If a change in law impacts the privacy notice, the
privacy policy must promptly be revised and made
available. Such change is effective only with respect to
PHI created or received after the effective date of the
notice. The Plan and the Company shall document certain
events and actions (including authorizations, requests
for information, sanctions, and complaints) relating to
an individual's privacy rights. The documentation of any
policies and procedures, actions, activities, and
designations may be maintained in either written or
electronic form.
Policies on Use and Disclosure of
PHI
- Use and Disclosure Defined
The Company and the Plan will use and disclose PHI
only as permitted under HIPAA. The terms
"use" and "disclosure" are defined
as follows:
- Use. The sharing, employment,
application, utilization, examination, or analysis
of individually identifiable health information by
any person working for or within the Human
Resources department of the Company, or by a
Business Associate (defined below) of the Plan as
to Plan participants, and the sharing, employment,
application, utilization, examination or analysis
of individually identifiable health information by
any employee gained in connection with transacting
the Company's business as to all others.
- Disclosure. For information that is
protected health information, disclosure means any
release, transfer, provision of access to, or
divulging in any other manner of individually
identifiable health information to persons not
employed by or working within the Human Resources
department of the Company as to Plan participants,
and any release, transfer, provision of access to,
or divulging in any other manner of individually
identifiable health information concerning all
others to persons not strictly necessary for the
transaction of the Company's business.
- Access to PHI is Limited to Certain Employees
The following employees ("employees with
access") have access to all PHI of Company Plan
participants:
- President
- CFO
- COO
- The Vice President of Campbell Insurance Agency
of Florida, Inc. concerning the PHI of Plan
participants from its operations
- Vice President of IT and Project Management
- Secretary
- HR Manager
- HR Assistants and Associates
- Privacy Officer
These employees may use and disclose PHI for Plan
administrative functions, and they may disclose PHI to
other employees with access f or Plan administrative
functions (but the PHI disclosed must be limited to
the minimum amount necessary to perform the Plan
administrative function). Concerning all PHI of
individuals who are not Plan participants, these
employees, and their designees, may use and disclose
PHI for the proper transacting of the Company's
business. Employees with access may not disclose PHI
to employees (other than employees with access) unless
an authorization is in place or the disclosure
otherwise is in compliance with t his Policy.
Employees who have access to PHI must comply with this
Policy.
Access to PHI which is not associated with Plan
participant, and which is gathered in the ordinary
course of the Company's business shall be granted to,
but also limited to, only those individuals with a
need to utilize such information for the conducting of
the Company's business.
- Permitted Uses and Disclosures
PHI may be disclosed for the Company's own payment or
health care operation s. PHI may be disclosed to
another covered entity for the payment purposes of
that covered entity, or for purposes of the other
covered entity's quality assessment and improvement,
case management, or health care fraud and abuse
detection programs, if the other covered entity has
(or had) a relationship with the employee and the PHI
requested pertains to that relationship.
Payment. Payment includes activities
undertaken to obtain Plan contributions or to
determine or fulfill the Plan's responsibility for
provision of benefits under the Plan, or to obtain or
provide reimbursement for health care. Payment also
includes:
- eligibility and coverage determinations
including coordination of benefits and
adjudication or subrogation of health benefit
claims;
- risk adjusting based on enrollee status and
demographic characteristics; and
- billing, claims management, collection
activities, obtaining payment under a contract for
reinsurance (including stop-loss insurance and
excess loss insurance), and related health care
data processing.
Health Care Operations. Health care
operations means any of the following activities to
the extent that they are related to Plan
administration, including but not limited to:
- conducting quality assessment and improvement
activities;
- reviewing health plan performance;
- underwriting and premium rating;
- conducting or arranging for medical review,
legal services and auditing functions;
- business planning and development; and
- business management and general administrative
activities.
PHI of individuals who are not Plan participants
may be disclosed for all proper purposes in
transacting Company business which are consistent with
HIPAA and this Policy.
- No Disclosure of PHI for Non-Health Plan Purposes
PHI of Plan participants may no t be used or disclosed
for the payment or operations of the Company's
"non-health" benefits, unless the Plan
participant has provided an authorization for such use
or disclosure (as discussed below in "Disclosures
Pursuant to an Authorization") or such use or
disclosure is required by applicable state law and
particular requirements under HIPAA are met.
- Mandatory Disclosures of PHI: to Individual and
DHHS
A Plan participant's PHI must be disclosed as required
by HIPAA in two situations:
- the disclosure is to the individual who is the
subject of the information; and
- the disclosure is made to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services for purposes of
enforcing of HIPAA.
- Permissive Disclosures of PHI: for Legal and
Public Policy Purposes
PHI may be disclosed in certain circumstances,
including the following circumstances without prior
authorization, when specific requirements are
satisfied, including prior approval of the Company's
Privacy Officer. Permitted disclosures are:
- about victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic
violence, if:
- the individual agrees with the disclosure;
or
- the disclosure is expressly authorized by
statute or regulation and the disclosure
prevents harm to the individual (or other
victim) or the individual is incapacitated and
unable to agree and information will not be
used against the individual and is necessary
for an imminent enforcement activity. In this
case, the individual must be promptly informed
of the disclosure unless this would place the
individual at risk or if the informing would
involve a personal representative who is
believed to be responsible for the abuse,
neglect, or violence.
- for judicial and administrative proceedings in
response to:
- an order of a court or administrative
tribunal (disclosure must be limited to PHI
expressly authorized by the order); and
- a subpoena, discovery request, or other
lawful process, not accompanied by a court
order or administrative tribunal, upon receipt
of assurances that the individual has been
given notice of the request, or that the party
seeking the information has made reasonable
efforts to receive a qualified protective
order.
- for law enforcement purposes, if:
- pursuant to a process and as otherwise
required by law, but only if the information
sought is relevant and material, the request
is specific and limited to amounts reasonably
necessary, and it is not possible to use de -
identified information;
- information requested is limited information
to identify or locate a suspect, fugitive,
material witness, or missing person;
- information about a suspected victim of a
crime (1) if the individual agrees to
disclosure, or (2) without agreement from the
individual, if the information is not to be
used against the victim, if need for
information is urgent, and if disclosure is in
the best interest of the individual;
- information about a deceased individual upon
suspicion that the individual's death resulted
from criminal conduct; or
- information that constitutes evidence of
criminal conduct that occurred on the
Company's premises.
- to a coroner or medical examiner about
decedents, for the purpose of identifying a
deceased person, determining the cause of death,
or other duties as authorized by law;
- that relate to workers' compensation programs,
to the extent necessary to comply with laws
relating to workers' compensation or other similar
programs; and
- for other legal or public policy purposes
authorized by the HIPAA Privacy Regulations, 45
C.F.R. § 164.512.
- Complying With the "Minimum-Necessary"
Standard
Minimum Necessary When Disclosing and Requesting
PHI. For making disclosures or requests
for PHI to any party for any purpose, information must
be the minimum necessary to accomplish the purpose of
the disclosure.
The "minimum-necessary" standard does not
apply to any of the following:
- uses or disclosures made to the individual;
- uses or disclosures made pursuant to a valid
authorization;
- disclosures made to the Department of Labor;
- uses or disclosures required by law; and
- uses or disclosures required to comply with
HIPAA.
- Disclosures of PHI to Business Associates
Employees with access may disclose PHI to the
Company's business associates and allow the Company's
business associates to create or receive PHI on its
behalf. However, prior to doing so, the Company must
first obtain assurances from the business associate
that it will appropriately safeguard the information.
Before sharing PHI with outside consultants or
contractors who meet the definition of a
"business associate," employees with access
must contact the Privacy Officer and verify that a
business associate contract is in place.
Business Associate is an entity that:
- performs or assists in performing function or
activity involving the use and disclosure of
protected health information (including claims
processing or administration, data analysis,
underwriting, etc.); or
- provides legal, accounting, actuarial,
consulting, data aggregation, management,
accreditation, or financial services, where the
performance of such services involves giving the
service provider access to PHI.
- Disclosures of De-Identified Information
The Plan and the Company may freely use and disclose
de -identified information. De - identified
information is health information that does no t
identify an individual and with respect to which there
is no reasonable basis to believe that the information
can be used to identify an individual. There are two
ways a covered entity can determine that information
is de -identified: either by professional statistical
analysis, or by removing 18 specific identifiers
specified in 45 C.F.R. § 164.514.
- Requests for Disclosure of PHI From Spouses,
Family Members, and Friends
The Plan and the Company will not disclose PHI to
family and friends of any individual except as
required or permitted by HIPAA. Generally, an
authorization is required before another party,
including spouse, family member, or friend, will be
able to access PHI. The Plan may disclose without
prior authorization a limited amount of PHI (excluding
diagnosis) in an explanation of benefits as part of
the Plan's payment functions. Legal counsel should be
consulted before implementing this type of disclosure.
If the request for disclosure of an individual's
PHI is from a spouse, family member, or personal
friend of an individual, and the spouse, family
member, or personal friend is either (1) the parent of
the individual and the individual is a minor child; or
(2) the personal representative of the individual,
then the PHI may be released by following the
procedure below for "Verification of Identity of
Those Requesting Protected Health Information."
All other requests from spouses, family members,
and friends must be authorized by the individual whose
PHI is involved pursuant to the procedures for
"Disclosures Pursuant to Individual
Authorization."
Policies on Individual Rights
- Access to Protected Health Information and
Requests for Amendment
HIPAA gives Plan participants the right to
access and obtain copies of their PHI that the Company
(or its business associates) maintains in designated
record sets. HIPAA also provides that Plan
participants may request to have their PHI amended.
The Company will provide access to PHI and it will
consider requests for amendment that are submitted in
writing by participants pursuant to the procedures
specified in the Plan's Privacy Notice. The Privacy
Officer may deny requests for documents that were
compiled for a legal proceeding or information
obtained under a promise of confidentiality.
Designated Record Set is a group of records
maintained by or for the Company that includes:
- the enrollment, payment, and claims adjudication
record of an individual maintained by or for the
Plan; or
- other PHI used, in whole or in part, by or for
the Plan to make coverage decisions about an
individual.
- Accounting
A Plan participant has the right to obtain an
accounting of certain disclosures of his or her own
PHI by submitting a written request to the Privacy
Officer. This right to an accounting extends to
disclosures made in the last six years, other than
disclosures:
- to carry out treatment, payment, or health care
options;
- to individuals about their own PHI;
- pursuant to an otherwise permitted use or
disclosure;
- pursuant to an authorization;
- for purposes of creation of a facility directory
or to persons involved in the patient's care or
other notification purposes;
- as part of a limited data set; or
- for other national security or law enforcement
purposes.
The Company shall respond to an accounting request
within 60 days. If the Company is unable to provide
the accounting within 60 days, it may extend the
period by 30 days, provided that it gives the
participant notice (including the reason for the delay
and the date the information will be provided) within
the original 60-day period.
The accounting must include the date of the
disclosure, the name of the receiving party, a brief
description of the information disclosed, and a brief
statement of the purpose of the disclosure (or a copy
of the written request for disclosure, if any).
The first accounting in any 12 -month period shall
be provided free of charge. The Privacy Officer may
impose reasonable production and mailing costs for
subsequent accountings.
- Requests for Alternative Communication Means or
Locations
Plan participants may request to receive
communications regarding their PHI by alternative
means or at alternative locations. For example, Plan
participants may ask to be called only at work rather
than at home. Such request s may be honored if, in the
sole discretion of the Company, the requests are
reasonable.
However, the Company shall accommodate such a
request if the Plan participant clearly provides
information that the disclosure of all or part of that
information could endanger the participant. The
Privacy Officer has the responsibility for
administering requests for confidential
communications.
- Requests for Restrictions on Uses and Disclosures
of Protected Health Information
A Plan participant may request restrictions on the use
and disclosure of the participant's PHI. It is the
Company's policy to attempt to honor such requests if,
in the sole discretion of the Company, the requests
are reasonable. The Privacy Officer is responsible for
administering requests for restrictions.
- Verification of Identity of Those Requesting
Protected Health Information
The identity of individuals who request access to PHI
will be verified. The authority of any person
requesting access to PHI will be verified if the
identity or authority of such person is not known.
Request Made by Individual. When a Plan
participant requests access to his or her own PHI, the
individual must present a valid driver's license,
passport, or other photo identification issued by a
government agency, which will be copied and filed with
the individual's designated record set.
Request Made by Parent Seeking PHI of Minor
Child. When a Plan participant parent requests
access to the PHI of the parent's minor child, the
person's relationship with the child will be verified
by confirming enrollment of the child in the parent's
plan as a dependent, and the same identification
procedure will be followed as for an individual
request.
Request Made by Personal Representative.
When a personal representative requests access to a
Plan participant's PHI, a valid power of attorney will
be copied and filed with the individual's designated
record set.
Request Made by Public Official. If a public
official requests access to PHI, and if the request is
for o ne of the purposes set forth above in
"Mandatory Disclosures of PHI," or
"Permissive Disclosures of PHI," the
following steps will be followed to verify the
official's identity and authority:
- An agency identification badge, other official
credentials, or other proof of government status
will be copied and filed with the individual's
designated record set.
- If the request is in writing, it will be
verified that the request is on the appropriate
government letterhead.
- If the request is by a person purporting to act
on behalf of a public official, a written
statement on appropriate government letterhead
will be requested stating that the person is
acting under the government's authority, or other
evidence or documentation of agency, such as a
contract for ser vices, memorandum of
understanding, or purchase order, that establishes
that the person is acting on behalf of the public
official.
- A written statement of the legal authority under
which the information is requested or, if a
written statement would be impracticable, an oral
statement of such legal authority will also be
required. If the individual's request is made
pursuant to legal process, warrant, subpoena,
order, or other legal process issued by a grand
jury or a judicial or administrative tribunal,
contact the Company's President.
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