TennCare Notice of Privacy Practices

When you applied for TennCare benefits you told us your name, about the people in your household, where you live, and your income like how much money you make, your taxes, and retirement benefits.  We also receive information from health care plans and providers and federal or other state agencies to help with your application and to provide you services.  We may also get other health facts like:

• A list of the health services and treatments you get,
• Notes or records from your doctor, drug store, hospital, or other health care providers,
• List of the medicine you take now or have taken before,
• Results from x-rays and lab tests, and
• Genetic information (“genetics” are family traits like hair color or eye color.  It can also be health conditions that you have in common with your blood relatives).

As the Tennessee Medicaid agency, federal and state laws allow us to collect, keep and use this information to provide you services.  This includes things like:

• Determine your eligibility for our programs,
• Work with our partners to provide you services, and
• Work to improve the services we provide you.

Federal and state laws say we must follow privacy rules to keep your Personal Information private.  Everyone who works with us must also follow these privacy rules.

In order to operate the Medicaid program, we may collect information about you and your household members from applications for services or from our partners.  This may include:

• Federal agencies like Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service.
• State departments like the Tennessee Department of Human Services, the Tennessee Department of Labor, or the Tennessee Department of Health
• TennCare partners like the Managed Care Organizations and providers.

Our websites may use cookies. These are small pieces of data placed on your hard drive to collect information you have entered. We use this information to help make our website easier for you to use and to improve how it works. You do not have to accept cookies from us, but if you choose not to, some of the functions on our site may not be available to you.

We can only use or share your Personal Information as the law allows us to.

Sometimes we will need your permission in writing before we can share your Personal Information.  We will ask you to sign a document giving us your permission if we need to use or share any of the following information:

• Notes a therapist takes during therapy sessions (they are called psychotherapy notes)
• Personal Information with companies who will use the information to try to get other people’s business (for marketing purposes); and
• Personal Information with someone else for money.

Can you take back your permission?  Yes, you can take back your permission, but you must tell us in writing.  We also cannot take back the Personal Information we have already shared.

The privacy rules let us share your Personal Information without asking for your permission to people, or for purposes, including:

• You.  We can help you find and schedule care and send you news about health services.
• Other people involved in your care, like family members or caregivers. You can also ask us not to share your Personal Information with certain people.
• To show that you have TennCare coverage and to help you get the health care you need.
• To pay your health plan and health care providers.
• To improve the program and services we provide you.

We can share your Personal Information with people or organizations who work with TennCare, like:

• Health Care providers like doctors, nurses, hospitals, and clinics.
• Your health plan or other companies that have contracts with TennCare.
• People helping with appeals if you file a TennCare appeal. Your appeal may be in person, in writing or over the phone.  Sometimes other people may be with you in your appeal hearing.
• Federal, state, or local government agencies providing or checking on health care.

In some situations, the law also allows us to share your Personal Information with:

• Coroners, funeral homes, or providers who work with services like organ transplants.
• Medical researchers.  They must keep your Personal Information private.
• Public health agencies to update their records for births, deaths, or to track diseases.
• The court when the law says we must or when we are ordered to.
• The police, or for other legal or investigative reasons.  We can report fraud, abuse or neglect.
• Other agencies – like for military or veterans’ activities, national security, jails.

We can also share your Personal Information if we take out the information that tells who you are. We cannot share your Personal Information with just anyone. And even when we do share it, we can only share the information the person needs to actually do their job. And we cannot share your genetic information to make decisions about your eligibility for TennCare.

TennCare will keep your Personal Information as long as it is needed to allow us to give you services and run the Medicaid program.  We dispose of information as required by state and federal laws and regulations.

You must ask in writing if you do not want us to share your Personal Information.  You must tell us the Personal Information you do not want shared and who you do not want us to share it with.  For example, you can ask us not to share Personal Information if:

• You paid for care out of your own pocket and
• You asked your doctor not to Share your Personal Information for that care.

There are other times when we will not share your Personal Information if you ask us.  We will say OK if we can, but we might not say OK if you are a minor child or if we’re allowed to share the Personal Information by law.  If we cannot say OK, we will send you a letter that says why.  What if you do not ask us to not share your Personal Information? We may use and share it only as explained in this notice.

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights.  This section tells you about your rights and some of the ways we can help you.

TennCare must keep your Personal Information safe.  We protect its privacy, security, and confidentiality.  If your Personal Information gets out, we may have to tell you and federal authorities.  We have to tell you:

• If the kind of Personal Information that got out would identify who you are (like your Social Security Number or your date of birth) or your treatment records, and
• If anyone actually used or saw your Personal Information, and
• What we did to lower the risk that your Personal Information was misused.

In compliance with the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, we and/or our partners such as the health plans or providers, may call or text you, using an automatic telephone dialing system to inform you of treatment options or other health-related benefits and services.  Please tell us about the caller if you do not want to be contacted by phone.  You may also call 1-888-382-1222 or your health plan to add your phone number to the Do Not Call list.

Your requests must be in writing.  Be sure you tell us what you are asking us to do.  Write your name, date of birth and TennCare ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number on your letter.  Send your letter to:

Division of TennCare
Attention:  Privacy Office
310 Great Circle Road
Nashville, TN  37243

Keep a copy of the letter for your records.  Do you have questions?  Do you need help making your request?  Call TennCare Connect for free at 1-855-259-0701.

TennCare’s policies and procedures may change without notice. We will use the policies and procedures we have in place when you make your request.

Federal privacy rules and TennCare privacy practices may also change. If important changes are made, we or your health plan may send you these changes in writing. We have the right to make the changes to all the health facts we have or only to new health facts we get.

This notice was updated in October 2023 and applies to all health facts we have. If you need a new copy or want to check for changes, go to http://www.tn.gov/tenncare/.  The latest version of this notice is found under “Notice of Privacy Practices.”

We do not allow unfair treatment in TennCare.  No one is treated in a different way because of race, color, birthplace, language, sex, age, or disability.  You will not be punished if you complain or ask for help.

Do you have questions? Do you think your privacy rights have been violated?  Do you think you have been treated unfairly?  You can call TennCare Connect at 1-855-259-0701 for free.  Or you can write or call to:

If you speak a language other than English, help in your language is available for free.  This page tells you how to get help in a language other than English. 

Spanish:                   Español

ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística.  Llame al 855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

Kurdish:                    کوردی

ئاگاداری:  ئەگەر بە زمانی کوردی قەسە دەکەیت، خزمەتگوزاریەکانی یارمەتی زمان، بەخۆڕایی، بۆ تۆ بەردەستە.  پەیوەندی بە

855-259-0701 (TTY (800-848-0298 بکە.

Arabic:                       العربية 

ملحوظة:  إذا كنت تتحدث اذكر اللغة، فإن خدمات المساعدة اللغوية تتوافر لك بالمجان.  اتصل برقم 855-259-0701

(رقم هاتف الصم والبكم :800-848-0298).

Chinese:                   繁體中文

注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 855-259-0701

（TTY 800-848-0298）。

Vietnamese:             Tiếng Việt 

CHÚ Ý:  Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn.  Gọi số

855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

Korean:                     한국어

주의:  한국어를 사용하시는 경우, 언어 지원 서비스를 무료로 이용하실 수 있습니다. 

855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298)번으로 전화해 주십시오.

French:                     Français

ATTENTION : Si vous parlez français, des services d'aide linguistique vous sont proposés gratuitement.  Appelez le 855-259-0701 (ATS: 800-848-0298).

Amharic:                   አማርኛ

ማስታወሻ:  የሚናገሩት ቋንቋ ኣማርኛ ከሆነ የትርጉም እርዳታ ድርጅቶች፣ በነጻ ሊያግዝዎት ተዘጋጀተዋል፡ ወደ ሚከተለው ቁጥር ይደውሉ  855-259-0701 (መስማት ለተሳናቸው: 800-848-0298).

Gujarati:                    ગુજરાતી

સુચના: જો તમે ગુજરાતી બોલતા હો, તો નિ:શુલ્ક ભાષા સહાય સેવાઓ તમારા માટે ઉપલબ્ધ છે. ફોન કરો

855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

Laotian:                     ພາສາລາວ

ໂປດ​ຊາບ: ຖ້າ​ວ່າ ທ່ານ​ເວົ້າ​ພາ​ສາ ລາວ, ການ​ບໍ​ລິ​ການ​ຊ່ວຍ​ເຫຼືອ​ດ້ານ​ພາ​ສາ, ໂດຍບໍ່​ເສັຽ​ຄ່າ, ແມ່ນມີ​ພ້ອມໃຫ້​ທ່ານ. ໂທ​ຣ  855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

German:                    Deutsch

ACHTUNG:  Wenn Sie Deutsch sprechen, stehen Ihnen kostenlos sprachliche Hilfsdienstleistungen zur Verfügung.  Rufnummer: 855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

Tagalog:                    Tagalog

PAUNAWA:  Kung nagsasalita ka ng Tagalog, maaari kang gumamit ng mga serbisyo ng tulong sa wika nang walang bayad.  Tumawag sa 855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298).

Hindi:                         हिंदी

ध्यान दें:  यदि आप हिंदी बोलते हैं तो आपके लिए मुफ्त में भाषा सहायता सेवाएं उपलब्ध हैं।  855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298) पर कॉल करें।

Serbo-Croatian:       Srpsko-hrvatski 

OBAVJEŠTENJE: Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezičke pomoći dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite  855-259-0701 (TTY- Telefon za osobe sa oštećenim govorom ili sluhom:

 800-848-0298).

Russian:                     Русский

ВНИМАНИЕ:  Если вы говорите на русском языке, то вам доступны бесплатные услуги перевода.  Звоните 855-259-0701 (телетайп: 800-848-0298).

Nepali:                       नेपाली

ध्यान दिनुहोस्: तपार्इंले नेपाली बोल्नुहुन्छ भने तपार्इंको निम्ति भाषा सहायता सेवाहरू निःशुल्क रूपमा उपलब्ध छ । फोन गर्नुहोस्  855-259-0701 (टिटिवाइ: 800-848-0298) ।

Persian:                     فارسی

توجه: اگر به زبان فارسی گفتگو می کنید، تسهیلات زبانی بصورت رایگان برای شما فراهم می باشد. با

  855-259-0701 (TTY: 800-848-0298)