At Alma, we understand the importance of privacy and are committed to transparency about our privacy policies and safeguards for Alma providers and clients. You can find full guidelines for what and how we collect data, as well as the choices you have with the information we collect, in our Privacy Policy.
For participants in Aetna Resources for Living, Optum Care Connect, or Optum Emotional Wellbeing Solutions Premium EAP:
To ensure Alma is meeting its commitment to fast, quality care, Alma provides aggregate-level reporting to the insurance payers who manage these programs and their participating employers.
Aggregate level reporting means that your data (minus any identifiable information) will only be presented as part of a high-level summary of data from other Care Connect and Emotional Wellbeing Solutions participants. No individual patient or provider data is included in these reports. Instead, the data is presented at the aggregate level, showing summary trends for all clients who are participating in the programs.
If you use Aetna Resources for Living, Optum Care Connect, or Optum Emotional Wellbeing Solutions benefits, you will have the choice to opt into individual data sharing. Sharing identifiable information helps your insurance provider personalize recommendations and services throughout your care journey.
You can consent to share individual data during the consultation process. Choosing not to opt into individual data sharing will not impact the services you receive through the program in any way.
Unless required by law, Alma will only share individual client data with Optum or Aetna if you explicitly opt into sharing that data. We will never share individualized data about you with your employer.
Why do we collect this data?
To demonstrate that care being delivered through Optum and Aetna’s covered programs is meeting the goals of the employers participating in these programs, we use data to measure three things:
- Speed to care. We measure how long it takes to a) schedule an initial consultation, b) have an initial consultation, and c) have a first full-length appointment. We do this to ensure that you and others looking for care are receiving it in a timely manner.
- Client satisfaction with Alma. For example, you will be asked about your experience using Alma by responding to the question: How likely are you to recommend Alma’s services to a friend or colleague?
- Clinical assessments. You will be asked to complete two brief assessments for depression and anxiety symptoms. The Alma portal will automatically send these assessments to participating covered program clients within 48 hours of the first scheduled appointment.
Sharing this data in aggregate is critical to demonstrating the high value of the service and support provided by Alma members.
If you opt into sharing your individualized data, this information is used exclusively by Optum for purposes of helping fuel personalized health recommendations.
Who do we share it with?
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Your Health Plan (Optum or Aetna): We will share high-level anonymized versions of responses from our surveys and clinical assessments to give a high-level picture of program performance. We will share individualized data only if the client explicitly opts in to share their information, according to HIPAA regulations.
- Employers: We will share anonymized information in aggregate, meaning that client data will have all identifying details removed and will only be available as part of a summary that includes data from multiple other clients. We will never share individualized data about clients with their employers.
As an Aetna Resources for Living EAP, Optum Care Connect, or Optum Emotional Wellbeing Solutions Premium EAP client, you will be able to explicitly consent or decline to share your individualized data when you submit your first consultation request to Alma through the directory. You can also opt out of sharing your individualized data at any time by reaching out to us via our Support Request Form.
If you choose not to share your individualized data, or if you opt out of data sharing once you join either of these covered programs, you can still continue to see your Alma provider and enjoy the benefits of the programs. Your individualized data will not be shared with your insurance payer, and any aggregate data will be fully anonymized in compliance with HIPAA policy.