There are many benefits to accessing and sharing health data through an app.

Some apps allow you to create a complete record of your interactions with different doctors and hospitals. You can even combine that information with data from wearable devices like glucose meters, pedometers, or heart rate monitors. Some other common apps include:

• Prescription drug management apps
• Chronic disease management apps
• Nutrition tracking apps
• Care coordination apps

Data sharing gives you the power to own, see, and manage your health data in a way that can improve both your health and the quality of your health care.

This App Gallery provides a sampling of the third-party apps that are being developed to help you use this information.

To find apps that have been reviewed by 1upHealth and found to be qualified and secure apps for our members, follow this link: 1up.health/health-apps/for/health-insurance.

Your health app should have a way to add health records from health organizations:

1. Look for an option to “Add Health Records.” (It might be in “Settings” or “Options.”)
2. You should be able to find VNS Health in a list or by typing it into a search box.* When you see the VNS Health logo, as pictured below, select it. 
3. You will be sent to the 1upHealth authorization page outside of the app and asked to enter your email address. Be sure to use the same email address each time you want to provide your plan’s health data to an app.
   1. If this is your first time trying to access your plan’s health data with any app, you will be asked to register. You need to register only once to access your plan’s health data with any other health apps.
   2. On registration, be ready to share your name, date of birth, zip code, and member ID number.
   3. You can find your member ID number on your member ID card. It’s the number with the letter “V” in the first place. If you can’t find it, call your Care Team. MLTC members, call 1-888-867-6555 (TTY: 711). EasyCare, EasyCare Plus, and Total members, call 1-866-783-1444 (TTY: 711).
4. Once you’ve registered, you will be sent a code to the email address you registered with.
5. Go to your inbox, and open the new email from [email protected]. You will see a code with random numbers and letters that looks something like this: 3e90d6. (You’ll have 10 minutes — if you forget the code or time runs out, just ask for another one.)
6. Go back to the authorization page, enter or paste the code from the email into the box, and click “Confirm Code.”
7. You will then see information about what you are about to share with the app. If you are satisfied that that is the health data you want to share, click “Approve Data Share.”

*If you do not see VNS Health among the organizations available for adding records, the app may not have been approved.

If you want more information about sharing data with any app, or if you are having trouble registering or authorizing an app, contact your Care Team. MLTC members call 1-888-867-6555 (TTY: 711). EasyCare, EasyCare Plus, and Total members, call 1-866-783-1444 (TTY: 711).

Contact your Care Team. MLTC members, call 1-888-867-6555 (TTY: 711). EasyCare, EasyCare Plus, and Total members, call 1-866-783-1444 (TTY: 711).

We take your privacy and the security of your health information seriously.

It is important to understand, however, that once your data is provided to a third-party app, we are no longer responsible for the security of that data. This is why you must read the privacy and security policies for any app you choose to share your data with, to ensure that you understand how it is protected and used by that app. Be careful to choose apps with strong privacy and security standards to protect your data.

Here are some questions to consider when reading an app’s privacy policies:

• What health data will this app collect? Will this app collect nonhealth data from my device, such as my location?
• Will my data be stored in a way that will disguise my identity?
• 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 an app, or if I no longer want the 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?
• How does this app inform users of changes that could affect its privacy practices?

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

To find apps that have been reviewed by 1upHealth and found to be qualified and secure apps for our members, follow this link: 1up.health/health-apps/for/health-insurance.

The US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights enforces the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, and the Patient Safety Act and Rule. You can find more information about your rights under HIPAA and who is obligated to follow HIPAA here: www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html.

See HIPAA FAQs for Individuals here: www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/faq/index.html.

Most third-party apps are not covered by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Instead, they are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. 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 going to ReportFraud.ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-382-4357.

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

Please report any suspected privacy violations or misuses of your plan’s health data to [email protected].