NOTICE OF  
PRIVACY  
PRACTICES
   Effective April 14, 2003




This notice describes how 
medical information about you 
may be used and disclosed, 
and how you can get access to 
this information.

Please review it carefully.

www.mass.gov/masshealth



Because you get health benefits from 
MassHealth, we have personal health          
information about you. Personal health 
information includes things such as the kinds  
of medical services you get or the dates you   
get the services.

By law, MassHealth must protect the  
privacy of your health information.  
This notice explains:

	when MassHealth may use and share your 
	health information; and

	what your rights are regarding your health 
	information.

MassHealth may use or share your health information:

	for payment activities, such as checking if you 
	are eligible for health benefits, and paying your 
	health-care providers for services you get;

	when the U.S. Department of Health and 
	Human Services needs it to make sure your 
	privacy is protected;

	when required by law;
	
	to operate its programs, such as evaluating 
	the quality of health-care services you get, 
	and performing studies to reduce health-care 
	costs; 
	
	with your health-care providers to coordinate 
	your treatment and the services you get;
	
	with health-oversight agencies (such as the 
	federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
	Services) for oversight activities authorized by 
	law, including fraud and abuse investigations;

	for research projects that meet privacy 
	requirements, and help us evaluate or 
	improve MassHealth programs;
	
	with other government agencies that give 
	you benefits or services;
	
	to prevent or respond to an immediate and serious health or safety emergency; and

	to tell you about new benefits and services, or health-care choices you have.

Except as described above, MassHealth cannot 
use or share your health information with 
anyone without your written permission. You 
may cancel your permission at any time, as long 
as you tell us in writing. Please Note: We 
cannot take back any health information we 
used or shared when we had your permission.

You have the right:

	to see and get a copy of your health  
	information. You must ask for this in writing. 
	MassHealth may charge you to cover certain 
	costs, such as copying and postage;
	
	to ask MassHealth to change your health 
	information if you think it is wrong or 
	incomplete. You must tell us in writing 
	which health information you want us to 
	change, and why;
	
	to ask MassHealth to limit its use or sharing of 
	your health information. You must ask for 
	this in writing. MassHealth may not be able 
	to grant this request;
	
	to ask MassHealth to get in touch with you in 
	some other way, if contacting you at the 
	address or telephone number we have on file 
	for you would put you in danger. You must 
	tell us in writing that you are in danger, and 
	exactly where and how MassHealth should 
	contact you; 
	
	to get a list of when and with whom 
	MassHealth has shared your health         
	information, with certain exceptions. You  
	must ask for this in writing; and
	
	to get a paper copy of this notice at any time.

These rights may not apply in certain situations.

By law, MassHealth must give you this  
notice explaining that we protect your health 
information, and that we must follow the 
terms of this notice.

MassHealth can change how we use and share 
your health information. If MassHealth does 
make important changes, we will send you a 
new notice. That new notice will apply to all of 
the health information that MassHealth has 
about you.

MassHealth takes your privacy very seriously. 
If you would like to exercise any of the rights 
we describe in this notice, or if you feel that  
MassHealth has violated your privacy rights, 
contact the MassHealth Privacy Office in 
writing at the following address.

Privacy Office 
600 Washington Street 
Boston, MA 02111

Filing a complaint or exercising your rights will 
not affect your benefits. You may also file a 
complaint with the U.S. Secretary of Health and 
Human Services.

For more information, or if you need help 
understanding this notice, call 1-800-841-2900 
(TTY: 1-800-497-4648 for people with partial or 
total hearing loss) Monday through Friday,  
8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

MassHealth
Commonwealth Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services

NPP (Rev. 11/10)