Accessing your health information

Some healthcare decisions are easy, like getting a cast if you break your arm. But other situations are more complicated. Does your medical history mean surgery might be risky? Can your caregiver share your complete health history with a new doctor? Having access to your information can help you make more informed decisions about your healthcare. 

By accessing your health information through a convenient app, you can:

  • Get control over your health information
  • Make it easy to share your health information with doctors, caregivers or anyone you choose
  • Get help managing and improving your health through a wide range of apps and other computer-based services

How to access your health information

The process is similar to loading other applications to your device from an app store like the Apple App Store, Microsoft Store, Google Play, and others.

  1. Find the app you want to use in this list of approved applications.
  2. Download the app.
  3. Complete the registration process.
  4. Use the app's menus and prompts to connect the app to your health plan.
  5. Provide your consent to share your health information with the app.
  6. Verify the process for contacting the application development team for any issues that may
    arise.

To view documentation for third-party applications to utilize the patient access API, visit the 1upHealth Help Center.

Frequently asked questions

Health information is very sensitive information, and you should be careful to choose apps with strong privacy and security standards to protect it. We take your privacy and the security of your health information as seriously as you do. That's why your data will never be shared without your express permission. WellSense safeguards your data carefully. However, once your data is shared with an application, we can no longer be responsible for the security of that data. Any application you decide to share your health information with should have an easy-to-read privacy policy that clearly explains how the app will use your data. If an app does not have a privacy policy, do not use the app. 

When deciding whether to share your health information with an app, consider the following:

  • What health data will this app collect? Will this app collect non-health data from my device, such as my location?
  • Will my data be stored in a de-identified or anonymized form?
  • How will this app use my data?
  • Will this app disclose my data to third parties?
  • Will this app sell my data for any reason, such as advertising or research?
  • Will this app share my data for any reason? If so, with whom? For what purpose?
  • How can I limit this app’s use and disclosure of my data?
  • What security measures does this app use to protect my data?
  • What impact could sharing my data with this app have on others, such as my family members?
  • How can I access my data and correct inaccuracies in data retrieved by this app?
  • Does this app have a process for collecting and responding to user complaints?
  • If I no longer want to use this app, or if I no longer want this app to have access to my health information, how do I terminate the app’s access to my data?
  • What is the app’s policy for deleting my data once I terminate access? Do I have to do more than just delete the app from my device?

If the app’s privacy policy does not clearly answer these questions, you should reconsider using the app to access your health information. 

The first time you choose to share your data with an application, you log into the WellSense member portal. If you don’t have a member portal login, you must set up an account. You will need your name, date of birth and member ID (listed on your member ID card) to sign up.

Once you have authorized one application to see your health plan data, you only have to authenticate using your email address and corresponding code to allow a second application to see the data. You must use the unique email address that you initially used to authorize and allow access to your data. An authorization code will be sent to the email address, and you will be required to enter it into the Health Plan application. 

If you have authenticated and authorized successfully but don't see any data, or missing data, contact the application developer via the support mechanism that they have provided on the application. The application developer will try to resolve the issue and if they are unable to, they will contact our IT vendor, 1upHealth to troubleshoot together until the issue is resolved. Your application developer will contact you once resolved.

If you are a personal representative for another member (parent of a child, legal power of attorney, etc), contact WellSense Member Services  to find out what is required to obtain access to the dependent member's data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, and the Patient Safety Act and Rule. You can find more information about patient rights under HIPAA and who is obligated to follow HIPAA here, and HIPPA FAQs here.

Most third-party apps will not be covered by HIPAA. Most third-party apps will instead fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the protections provided by the FTC Act. The FTC Act, among other things, protects against deceptive acts (e.g., if an app shares personal data without permission, despite having a privacy policy that says it will not do so). 

The FTC provides information about mobile app privacy and security for consumers here.

If you believe an application that you've shared your data with is misusing that information in violation of their stated privacy policy, contact the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the matter by visiting ReportFraud.ftc.gov or calling 877-382-4357.

If you believe the privacy of your healthcare data has been violated, contact the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints.

If you have additional questions, please contact us.