Privacy Statement

BeWell@Stanford Employee Incentive Program
The Stanford Health Improvement Program and the BeWell@Stanford program are committed to respecting the privacy and confidentiality of personally identifiable health information you provide to us (“BeWell/HIP data”). By using our site, you accept that such data will be gathered and stored in our databases. We will maintain appropriate safeguards to protect the security, integrity, and privacy of BeWell/HIP data.

Your personally identifiable BeWell/HIP data are accessible only by limited parties, such as the staff of the BeWell@Stanford program, the Stanford Health Improvement Program, their University-approved agents and vendors, and the IT personnel that maintain the data and websites.

• Participation in the BeWell Employee Incentive Program and qualification for the BeWell incentive will be shared with Stanford Benefits’ health plan administrator vendor for all benefits-eligible University employees and their participating spouse/registered domestic partner for the purpose of payment.

• Starting on January 1, 2012, the medical plans that contract with the University will be provided personally identifiable SHALA, screening data, and program participation data for benefits-eligible University employees and spouse/registered domestic partners participating in the program. The sharing of data will be coordinated by an external business-partner approved by Stanford’s Chief Information Security Officer.

• BeWell/HIP data will not be used as a means to limit or restrict healthcare.

• BeWell/HIP data provided by employees prior to January 1, 2012 will NOT be shared with the medical plans.

• Stanford will comply with applicable laws and policies that protect the confidentiality of your personal health and medical information. For example, your identifiable health information will NOT be shared directly with University Human Resources. BeWell/HIP data will be used and disclosed only as required or permitted by law.

• De-identified BeWell/HIP data may be used or shared for certain purposes, such as BeWell program evaluation and research.

Categories of Personal Information
Our site collects personal information when you create your account during the registration process. Stanford University employees are asked to provide certain information, including but not limited to the following: name, employee type, email address, health plan, University employee ID number, date of birth, department, job classification, physical location of their workplace, and whether or not they are a physician affiliated with Stanford or Lucile Packard Hospital and Clinics. Spouses/registered domestic partners are asked to provide certain information, including but not limited to the following: name, email address, University employee ID number of spouse, date of birth and relationship to employee.

Our online surveys and programs collect information regarding: age, gender, lifestyle behaviors, attitudes, contact phone number, and screening and health information. If you have your screening information measured as part of the BeWell@Stanford program, or if you choose to fax in your screening information that has been collected by your physician, then your information will be entered into our databases.

How We Use Your Information
BeWell/HIP data will be used primarily for the purpose of helping you take action to improve your health. BeWell advisors will review the information with you and may use your results to suggest appropriate health promotion resources, both on campus or with your medical plan. Your medical plan may use your information for the purpose of health promotion and/or disease management outreach.

Aggregate data will be used for program evaluation. Specifically, SHALA, screening, and participation data will be merged with medical claims data provided by the medical plans by an external business-partner approved by Stanford’s Chief Information Security Officer. This entity will give Stanford University access to a de-identified dataset that can be used to determine whether the Employee Incentive Program results in reduced medical costs. The medical plans will be given a personally identifiable dataset that will be used for health promotion of members, as well as for program evaluation and to inform decisions about plan design.

(a) Your registration information will be used to allow you to access the site and its health education materials. Your information is also used to allow you to register for, and to confirm eligibility for, the resources available to qualified participants as part of the Employee Incentive Program.

(b) We may use your email address to notify you of programs, classes, surveys, events, or research studies taking place at Stanford University and/or as part of the BeWell@Stanford program. We may also use your email address to solicit feedback about the BeWell@Stanford program. Information such as name, University employee ID, email address, and employment status will be used to issue monetary rewards and to track program participation as part of the BeWell Employee Incentive Program, including participation in classes offered by other departments. Name and University employee ID will be sent to Payroll and/or health plan administrator in order to issue your incentive.

(c) SHALA, screening, and program participation data, along with personal identifiers such as name, University employee ID, date of birth, gender, and relationship type, for benefits-eligible University employees and spouses/registered domestic partners will be sent to the external business-partner approved by Stanford’s Chief Information Security Officer. This entity will merge these pieces of information with claims data provided by the medical plans. Stanford University staff will be given access to a de-identified dataset based on these data. An identifiable dataset will be sent to the Stanford-contracted medical plans.

(d) Name, University employee ID and email address and other personal identifiers will also be used to combine online survey and program data with BeWell program participation data and data collected from other sources for the purpose of program evaluation; to examine the relationship between survey variables and program participation; and to plan future health promotion programming. Information regarding employee type, health plan, department, job classification, and physical location will be used to compare health behavior and risks of different groups and to identify what health promotion programming will be most effective for the different groups.

(e) Phone number will be used to allow BeWell staff to notify participants in the BeWell Employee Incentive Program of available health promotion programs and/or to ask about perceptions of the BeWell program.

(f) Name, employee ID, phone number, email address, and other registration information will be used as part of the registration process for HIP classes and to notify HIP participants about HIP classes.

(g) Authentication and tracking logs will be used to produce usage statistics and identify potential website improvements. This information does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Data collected from online surveys and in-person programs will be used as permitted or required by law, including for purposes such as the following:

(i) to evaluate your health and provide educational feedback;

(ii) to refer you to appropriate health promotion programming;

(iii) to evaluate the effectiveness and Return On Investment of behavior change and health promotion programs;

(iv) to provide norms against which sub-groups can be compared;

(v) to suggest recommendations for future health programming and benefits design within Stanford University;

(vi) to identify the health behaviors and risks of different groups and compare these risks and behaviors with each other and national data;

(vii) to apply for, and/or justify, funding for programs that will help promote health among individuals and families that participate in those programs;

(viii) to investigate the relationship among lifestyle behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, and mental and physical health and well-being;

(ix) for use in other IRB-approved research projects.

When used for purposes (iii) through (ix), your survey data will be combined with the data of other respondents, as well as your data collected from other sources, and subjected to aggregate data analysis and reporting both to groups and individuals within Stanford University and to outside groups (e.g., health plans) and for research, educational, and publication purposes. No personally identifying information will be included in such reports. Please read each of the above statements carefully before choosing to enter any personal data into our surveys.

Access to the de-identified dataset may be granted to qualified researchers within Stanford University. No identifiable information will be included in such datasets.

How BeWell Protects Your Personal Information
BeWell is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. Our current practices include, but are not limited to, the following:

(a) storing information we collect on computer systems with limited access, which are located in controlled facilities;

(b) protecting the transmission of highly confidential information over the Internet, through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol;

(c) using a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

How You Can Access, Change, or Delete Your Information
Please email bewell@stanford.edu or call the BeWell Office at 650-721-2984 in order to request a correction be made to your data, to request removal of records from our database or for any other questions or concerns. Do not include any personally identifiable health information in an email or voicemail message.

Policy Changes
This privacy statement will be updated periodically to reflect any material changes to our privacy policy.

Effective Date: This policy is effective as of 1/1/14.