Your participation in Heath Connections – the UPlan wellness assessment, follow-up health improvement programs, and the 24/7 Ask Mayo Clinic nurse line – is voluntary and confidential.

To protect your privacy and safeguard your personal health and medical information, the University has contracted with an outside, independent company to administer this new, multi-faceted approach to wellness. The company, Healthways, Inc of Toledo, OH, (formerly known as Harris HealthTrends, Inc.) and its network of service providers (Staywell Health Management, MiaVita, Inc. and Ask Mayo Clinic) will administer Health Connections on behalf of the University and UPlan Wellness.

As providers of health promotion and health information resources, UPlan Wellness, Healthways and its service providers share a commitment to protect your privacy and your confidential information. We comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of l996, HIPAA, which requires us to respect your personal privacy and protect your health and medical information. Under HIPAA, confidential information is any health information that can be linked to an individual.

Safeguarding Your Privacy

The online UPlan wellness assessment is hosted by Staywell Health Management on behalf of Healthways. When you connect to the wellness assessment on Staywell's Web site, you are encouraged to read a three-page privacy and legal statement from StayWell Online. The legal notice tells you that your personal health data is stored and shared with StayWell Online and Healthways and NOT with the University of Minnesota. Under no circumstances will StayWell Online share your health and medical information for marketing purposes.

You may, but are not required to provide your e-mail address to StayWell Online; it is not needed to successfully complete the wellness assessment. If you do provide an e-address, you will receive health-related information from StayWell Health Management.

As a result of your participation in Health Connections, The University will not have access to or receive any personally identifiable information about you, the status of your health or lifestyle. The University will only receive from Healthways, Inc., (formerly known as Harris HealthTrends) and its network of service providers the names of employees who complete the wellness assessment and follow-up improvement programs so that UPlan Medical Program members can receive a financial reward. The University will also receive aggregate data on the Health Connections program to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program over time.