Control Your Health Data When Using Third-Party Apps
Priority Partners wants to make sure that you can look at your health-related information whenever you need to. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now require us to provide this information through a “Patient Access API.” This API grants developers permission to create applications (apps) that allow you to access detailed information about your health history. You can download these apps on your computer and/or mobile devices. You can show this information to your providers and facilities that care for your health. When you can share your health record with everyone involved in your health care, it makes it easier for them to work with you, and work together, to keep you healthy.
Questions? Call our special Customer Service line at 844-253-4072.
Guard Your Data
The information you share with these apps includes data related to your interactions with your health care providers and data that Priority Partners collects when providing care management or other services for you. As such, information disclosed may reveal potentially sensitive data such as medical diagnoses, procedures, and medications, which may contain information related to reproductive health, substance use disorder, and more. If you enable an app to access any of your data, you enable access to all of your data.
Downloading and using an app for this information is completely voluntary. Please be aware: if you choose to use an app to access your health record, the app will have access to all of your information. HIPAA rules are designed to protect your personal health information which some of these apps are not required to follow. Each app will impose its own restrictions on how it will use, disclose and—in some cases—sell information about you. The apps should have a policy that outlines all of this.
Once you download an app and request your health record from Priority Partners, we are unable to monitor or control what the app does with your data. We strongly encourage you to review an app’s privacy policy before downloading and giving the app permission to receive your data. Make sure that you are comfortable with all aspects of what the app says it will and may do with your information.
When reviewing an app, find out if and how the app:
- Protects your data
- Uses your data
- Sells your data for any reason
- Discloses your data to others, including researchers and advertisers
- Allows you to limit what the app does with your data
- Allows you to stop sharing your information and how difficult the process is
- Notifies you of changes to its privacy policy
- Collects non-health data from your device, such as your location
- Could access information about your family members
- Allows you to correct information inside the app
- Collect and respond to complaints
Only download and use an app if you approve of these considerations. Learn more about mobile app privacy.
Provider Directory Application Programming Interface
Priority Partners has given permission for developers to create a tool that allows users to look up information about health care providers in our network. Developers of this tool will not have access to members’ health information.
Questions? Call our special Customer Service line at 844-253-4072.
HIPAA-Covered Entities
Priority Partners must follow HIPAA rules and policy to protect your information. Find out more about your rights and who is subject to HIPAA laws. If you want to file a HIPAA complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, visit Filing a Complaint.
Third-party apps may not be subject to HIPAA laws. Most apps will have a privacy notice, and they must follow the terms in the notice. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversees these apps. You can submit a complaint to the FTC if you believe an app violated its privacy policy.
Third-Party Apps
Explore this list of approved third-party applications available for accessing your health information.
Directions for App Developers
To receive our data, please register as a developer.