HIPAA

Information About Your Protected Health Information

HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law that is intended to protect the security and privacy of certain individually-identifiable health information. At Rice University, HIPAA regulations apply to information that Rice handles and processes in administering its group health plans. Rice will implement some new procedures and also conduct necessary staff training to comply with these new health privacy regulations.

Your rights under HIPAA are explained more fully in Rice’s “Notice of Privacy Practices: Rice University Group Health Plan.” That document explains your rights regarding personally identifiable health information. Rice encourages you to review that document.

In general, you should always feel that Rice and its benefit plans are treating your personally identifiable health information with appropriate confidentiality. If you believe that your privacy rights have not been properly observed, you may:

1. discuss your concerns with  Rice’s Director of Benefits,

2. file a complaint with the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, who is Rice’s designated official for receiving HIPAA complaints, or

3. file a complaint with the Department of Health & Human Services.

For other HIPAA-related transactions, you may visit the following web links:

• Request to Inspect Health Information

• Request for Amendment/Correction of Health Information

Also, please visit Rice's HIV/AIDS Workplace Guidelines regarding privacy and confidentiality of employee HIV/AIDS status.

If you have any other HIPAA-related questions, contact Rice’s Director of Benefits, Elaine Britt.