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Protecting the Confidentiality of Your Sensitive Medical Information

Balance by CCHP takes protecting your health and medical information seriously.

Balance by CCHP does not require anyone else’s permission for you to receive health care services or information in confidence. You may request confidential communication regarding the disclosure of your sensitive medical services and information at any time and they will be implemented within 7 days of receipt of your electronic or telephonic request or within 14 days of receipt by first-class mail. Your request will be valid until you decide otherwise. This will not affect your coverage.

Read about how to direct your confidential communications.

To request confidential communication, contact Member Service for further instructions.

Privacy Protection of Data

Balance by CCHP are required to comply with various State and Federal laws to protect, secure, retain, and maintain the confidentiality of your sensitive and personal information. These laws include, but are not limited to, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Act (HITECH), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Balance has implemented policies and procedures to ensure that access to or use of your personal information is secure.

Policies and processes include standards on how Balance manages access to and the utilization of identified race, ethnicity, preferred language, gender identity, and sexual orientation information collected for current or prospective health plan members. Balance discloses its procedures for managing access to and the use of collected race, ethnicity, preferred language, gender identity, and sexual information at a minimum, at the time of data collection and on Balance’s website Compliance Privacy page. For questions on these policies, please call the Balance Complaint Hotline at 415-955-8810 or email the Compliance Department.

  1. Balance has controls for building security on properties that limit physical access to protect employees, patients, visitors, property, records, and data. Balance’s detailed security procedures describe how to minimize the risk of impermissible access to sensitive information.
  2. Balance has controls for electronic access that limit access to computer systems, records, and data to authorized users with approved applications and levels of access. Balance’s detailed security procedures describe how to minimize the risk of impermissible access to sensitive information.
  3. Balance also maintains compliance with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules; all aspects of HIPAA adherence are documented in the respective Compliance Privacy and Security Policies and Procedures.
  4. Balance considers the “Permissible Use” of race, ethnicity, preferred language, gender identity and sexual orientation data to include the following:
    • Assess health care disparities within our member populations.
    • Design intervention programs to address the needs of our member populations.
    • Develop and direct outreach material for members.
    • May be utilized by health care practitioners or providers to help address individual member language needs.
    • May be utilized to maintain a network that can service diverse needs and preferences.
    • May be utilized to involve members in the evaluation of CCHP’s Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Program.
  5. Balance considers the “Impermissible Use” of race, ethnicity, preferred language, gender identity, and sexual orientation data to include the following:
    • Disclosure of collected information to unauthorized users.
    • When evaluating an application for health insurance coverage determine whether to offer coverage, set rates or apply exclusions or limits to benefit determinations (e.g., underwriting).
    • Denial of coverage or benefits.
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