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. Amendment to the MN Public Employees Insurance Program Summary of Benefits Medical Data Privacy Introduction Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services adopted regulations governing the Minnesota Public Employees Insurance Program's (the "Plan's") use and disclosure of your health information. The regulations arose from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HlPAA"). While the Plan has always taken care to protect the privacy of your health information, the new regulations require the Plan to adopt more formal procedures and to tell you about these procedures in this document. The information below discusses ways in which the Plan uses and discloses your healfu information. . Under HlPAA, the Plan is required by law to take reasonable steps to ensure the privacy of your personally identifiable health information and to tell you about: 1. The Plan's uses and disclosures of Protected Health Information ("PHI"); 2. Your privacy rights with respect to your PHl; 3. The Plan's duties with respect to your PHl; 4. Your right to file a complaint with the Plan and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and 5. The person or office to contact for further information about the Plan's privacy practices. A. The Plan's Use and Disclosure of PHI The Plan will use Protected Health Information ("PHl") to the extent of and according to the uses and disclosures allowed by the Medical Data Privacy Regulations ("Privacy Regulations") adopted under HlPAA, including for purposes related to Health Care Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations. The Plan will enter into agreements with other entities known as "Business Associates" to perform some of these functions on behalf of the Plan. Each Business Associate will be allowed to use and disclose only the minimum arilount of PHI needed to perform the Business Associate's duties on behalf of the Plan. The Plan's agreements with its Business Associates will also meet the other requirements of the Privacy Regnlations. Use of PHI for Treatment Purposes Treatment includes the activities relating to providing, coordinating or managing health care and related services. It also includes but is not limited to consultations and referrals between one or more of your providers. As a health plan, the Plan is generally not involved in treatment situations but may, from time-to-time, release PHl to assist providers in your treatment. I