Using an App to Access Your Information

New federal interoperability regulations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require that health insurance plans provide members with a way to obtain their protected health information through a third-party application or “App”.  These regulations only apply to certain types of insurance.  If you purchased your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (Louisiana Blue) insurance plan on the federal marketplace or exchange (healthcare.gov) or if you have a Medicare plan, you are eligible to access your health information through an App of your choice.

Members will need to select an App that has registered with Louisiana Blue in order to access their information through the App. The Louisiana Blue logo will be presented as follows for members to choose in the App’s list of connected health plans.

Of course, all Blue Cross members may continue to use MyAccount, an online service available through our website, or call Customer Service using the phone number on the back of the member identification card to access account information, explanation of benefits, and more.

Important note: If you are trying to create an account for a minor child you will be prompted to call Customer Service for assistance. If you are trying to create an account by using an email address that is already in use, you will be unable to do so.  Each account must be created with a unique email address.

Louisiana Blue asks all App developers to register with us and provide their privacy practices and terms of use. The App should also make this information available to you.  

Be sure to read the App’s privacy policy before use. Remember, the App you choose will have access to most of your protected health information, including sensitive conditions you may have experienced. Consider the following questions and make sure you are satisfied with the answers before proceeding with use of an App.

• What health information will this App collect?
• Will this App collect non-health information from my device, such as my location?
• Will my information be stored in a de-identified or anonymized form?
• How will this App use my information?
• Will this App share my information with third parties?  
• Will this App sell my information for any reason, such as advertising or research?
• Will this App share my information for any reason? If so, with whom? For what purpose?
• How can I limit this App’s use and disclosure of my information?
• What security measures does this App use to protect my information?
• What impact could sharing my information with this App have on others, such as my family members?
• How can I correct inaccuracies in information 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 information?
• What is the App’s policy for deleting my information once I terminate access? Do I have to do more than just delete the App from my device?
• How will this App inform me of changes that could affect its privacy practices?

If the App’s privacy policy does not clearly answer these questions, you may want to consider another App that does. Health information is very sensitive – we advise you to be careful to choose Apps with strong privacy and security standards to protect it.