Privacy and Security

SMC Connected Care utilizes the highest technology security standards available in the industry today to protect your health information.

Federal and state laws protect your privacy by determining who can access your data. These laws mean that your health information will never be provided to anyone other than your health care team or authorized clinicians.

Because your health information is transferred electronically, SMC Connected Care will track where your health information has been sent to ensure that only your healthcare team providers are viewing your information. Every time a clinician accesses your personal health information, an audit trail is recorded. The Health System cares about your privacy, and this type of accountability provides an additional layer of security for your health information.

Your health information is encrypted into a type of technical language that can only be translated, or decrypted, by someone who has the authority to do so. Therefore, only your healthcare team providers will be able to read your health information.

Sensitive Information

Sensitive health information will continue to be protected as it is now. Only authorized healthcare providers are able to view sensitive healthcare information.  SMC Connected Care has an added level of protection for this information where clinicians must provide a reason they need to review this information. All views of sensitive health information are audited and brought to the attention of Quality Management staff for review of appropriateness.

In the event of treatment for medical emergencies, Federal and State regulations do NOT require a separate patient/consumer signed release of information. That means that clinicians in a medical emergency are authorized to review all clinical information that they need to provide appropriate care. If they access health information via SMC Connected Care, they must still provide a reason for viewing sensitive health information. Their “need to know” is authorized based on their providing treatment in an emergency.