Measures to protect the confidentiality of personal information

Background of the Personal Information Protection Law

The development of today's information-based society and the widespread use of information technology, including computers and networks, has made it possible to accumulate and use large and diverse volumes of personal information. These technologies provide major benefits, making it possible to ascertain individual needs and to provide services rapidly, among other applications. For this reason, the handling of such personal information is expected to continue expanding.
On the other hand, due to the nature of personal information, improper handling leading to unauthorized use or leakage may result not only in infringement of individual privacy rights, but damage that is not easily remedied.
The Personal Information Protection Law was established and implemented in May 2003 to specify correct methods for handling personal information, thereby seeking to establish a secure foundation for the convenience and benefits of IT society promised by convenient access to personal information. Becoming fully effective on April 1, 2005, the law clarifies specific obligations for companies that handle personal information (such as health insurance societies), as well as penalties.

The Sony Health Insurance Society' efforts

As a company that handles personal information, the Sony Health Insurance Society must meet a range of responsibilities. A health insurance society works on administration concerning health insurance and provides various health insurance services to its insured individuals and family members, based on the Health Insurance Law. The basis for providing these services is the personal information obtained from the society's members.
While we have always administered and managed personal information in an appropriate manner, we believe that we must continue to seek the confidence of our members by heightening awareness of the significance of personal information and ensuring that all personnel involved in its operations handle such information in an accurate and secure manner. For this reason, we have established our own Private Information Protection Policy; clarified the purposes of use of personal information; and established regulations to protect and manage personal information. We make every effort to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal information, based on these regulations.

Purposes of use of personal information

• Purposes related to the provision of insurance benefits to the insured and other covered individuals:

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Providing insurance and additional benefits
  • Approval of eligibility as dependents

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Automatic payment of high-cost medical care benefits, copayment reimbursements, etc.
  • Outsourcing of translation operations in connection with overseas medical care costs
  • Requests for payment from insurance companies and other parties in connection with the acts of third parties
  • Joint operations managed by the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies to pay high-cost medical care benefits

• Purposes related to collection of insurance premiums:

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Confirmation of coverage eligibility and ascertainment of standard monthly remuneration and standard bonus amount
  • Collection of health insurance premiums and approval of eligibility as dependents
  • Issuing of health insurance cards
    

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Outsourcing data processing related to eligibility of insured individuals and other matters

• Purposes related to health insurance operations:

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Medical checkups to keep and improve personal health; health instructions and consultations
  • Operation of health promotion facilities (such as recreation facilities)

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Joint operations and entrusting operation of health promotion facilities (such as recreation facilities)
  • Notifying the insured and other covered individuals of medical expenses
  • Joint operations managed by the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies
  • Entrusting operations related to insurance operations (distribution of a set of household medicines, home healthcare support services, and home-visit health consultation for the elderly or spouse)

• Purposes related to examination and payment of medical treatment compensation:

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Inspection and examination of contents of detailed statements of medical costs from hospitals

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Outsourcing inspection and examination of data on detailed statements of medical costs from hospitals
  • Outsourcing of data entry operations and OCR document conversion processing for computer processing of data on detailed statements of medical costs from hospitals

  [Examples of cases involving provision of information to the healthcare bill check and payment organization]

  • Provision of member information for rezept transfer using the system for online confirmation of eligibility, etc.
  • Inquiry for and provision of member information related to request for reexamination for rezept transfer using the system for online confirmation of eligibility, etc.

• Uses involving ensuring stable Society operations:

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Analysis of medical costs and conditions

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Outsourcing data processing and other operations related to analysis of medical costs and medical costs notification

• Other purposes

  [Examples of such use within the Society]

  • Basic data used to implement improvements and maintenance of Society management operations
  • Records of Society management operations
  • Appropriate administration of bookkeeping operations

  [Examples of cases in which such information is provided to service providers and other parties outside the Society]

  • Verification or response required to ensure appropriate processing of operations (exchange of information between insurers)
  • Consultations with or notifications sent to insurance companies or medical institutions in connection with operations concerning demands for payment made to third parties

• Specific personal information

  Purposes of use of specific personal information in information sharing with other medical insurers or administrative agencies (“other agencies” hereinafter) as stipulated in Article 19, Item 7 of the Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures
  [Information received from other agencies for the execution of Society administrative processing]

  • Benefit and other information for administration of screening for insurance benefits such as Injury and Sickness Allowance and High-Cost Medical Care Benefits
  • Information on taxable/nontaxable status for purposes such as determining copayment categories for elderly recipients
  • Information on eligibility with other agencies for administration of acceptance of insured persons
  • Information concerning taxable/nontaxable status, certificate of residence, etc. for administration of dependent certification

  [Information provided by the Society for the execution of administrative processing by other agencies]

  • Information concerning insurance benefits from the Society for administration of benefits by other agencies, such as high-cost medical care benefits and benefits related to childbirth and funerals
  • Information concerning the eligibility of insured persons and dependents with the Society, for administration of eligibility confirmation by other agencies, such as acceptance of insured persons and dependent certification

• Purposes of use related to the use of the system for online confirmation of eligibility, etc.

  [Information provided by the Society for the execution of administrative processing by other agencies]

  • Registration of information related to the eligibility of insured persons, etc. and specific health checkup data

  [Information received from other agencies for the execution of Society administrative processing]

  • Specific health checkup data

Joint use of personal information

The Health Insurance Society publishes details of its joint operations here on this website, in bulletins, and elsewhere. A summary of these joint operations is provided below.

1. Joint operations of statutory health checkups provided by employers and non-statutory health checkups

• ① [Reasons for using personal data in joint operations]
  These health checkup operations are handled jointly by employers and the Society which include health checkup items outside the scope of legally mandated health examination items to maintain and improve insured persons’ health, pursuant to Article 150 of the Health Insurance Act. The Society subsidizes some of the health checkup costs borne by employers. When applying for subsidies, employers submit cancer screening (complete medical checkup) subsidy application forms, lists of health checkup examinees, and relevant health checkup data to the Society, thereby providing information such as the names of examinees, examination items, examination costs, and findings. The Society uses this information for screenings and to make decisions on granting subsidies, as well as to analyze medical care costs and other data for Data Health Plans.
  
• ② [Jointly used personal data items]

• ③ [Scope of those handling personal data]

  Society staff in charge of health and data health operations, Director General, and Managing Director; the employer’s staff in charge of health insurance operations
• ④ [Purposes of use by those handling personal data] To process applications for the subsidy program for non-statutory health checkups (complete medical checkups, cancer screenings), to pay subsidies, and to analyze health checkup status, medical care costs, etc.
• ⑤ [Names or titles of persons responsible for data management]
  [Society] Managing Director
  [Employer] staff in charge of health insurance operations

2. Subsidy program operations related to high-cost medical care benefits

• ① [Purposes of use of personal data in joint operations]

  To receive subsidy payment of part of high-cost medical care expenses incurred by the Health Insurance Society from the subsidy program jointly operated by the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies (“NFHIS” hereinafter) and health insurance societies pursuant to Article 2 of the Supplementary Provisions of the Health Insurance Act. When submitting subsidy application to the NFHIS Society Financial Assistance Group, the subsidy applicant (the Society) also submits copies of rezepts (including pharmaceutical statements) and written general descriptions for subsidy application showing information such as relevant patient names, gender, insured/dependent status, inpatient/outpatient status, year and month of examination and treatment, and amounts billed on the rezepts. This information is used by NFHIS to screen subsidy applications, to determine whether to grant subsides, and to analyze high medical care costs.

• ② [Jointly used personal data items]

  Data on the subject rezepts and information shown on the written general descriptions for subsidy application in the preceding paragraph

• ③ [Scope of those handling personal data]
  [Society]
  staff in charge of high-cost medical care subsidy program operations
  [NFHIS]
  staff in charge of high-cost medical care in the Subsidy Program Operations Group
  [NFHIS subcontractors]

  The ICT Healthcare Promotion Dept. of the Japan Productivity Center and partner companies

• ④ [Purposes of use by those handling personal data]

  To process applications for the subsidy program for non-statutory health checkups (complete medical checkups, cancer screenings), to pay subsidies, and to analyze health checkup status, medical care costs, etc.
• ⑤ [Names or titles of persons responsible for data management and corporate address and representative]
  [Society]
  Managing Director
  [NFHIS]
  1-24-4 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
  Chairperson: Shunichi Miyanaga
  Person responsible for data management: General Manager, Health Insurance Societies Support Division

3. Operations to prevent worsening of conditions through collating and analyzing rezepts and health checkup data

• ① [Reasons for using personal data in joint operations]

  As part of efforts to promote the health of insured persons and dependents, the Society analyzes data on rezepts (including pharmaceutical statements) and health checkup data. It uses the results of this analysis in joint operations with employers to encourage participation in health checkups.

• ② [Jointly used personal data items]

  Data on rezepts (including pharmaceutical statements), data from periodic health examinations as stipulated in Article 66, Paragraph 1 of the Industrial Safety and Health Law, and other data on insured persons and dependents held by the Society concerning health examinations and efforts to encourage participation in health checkups

• ③ [Scope of those handling personal data]

  Society staff in charge of health and data health operations, Director General, and Managing Director; the employer’s staff in charge of health operations and staff in charge of analytical operations

• ④ [Purpose of use by those handling personal data]

  To encourage participation in health checkups and to facilitate related operations based on analysis of health checkup data, medical care costs, etc.

• ⑤ [Names or titles of persons responsible for data management]
  [Society] Managing Director

  [NFHIS] staff in charge of health operations and staff in charge of analytical operations
  

Other matters

With regard to payment of high-cost medical care benefits and/or additional benefits via the employer (company)

The Sony Health Insurance Society shall calculate such benefits and make payments via the employer automatically, without requiring the insured individual to submit an application, with the goal of ensuring general convenience for the insured and to avoid specific inconveniences such as failure to apply.

If you cannot consent to these terms, please notify us as the contact point given below. The absence of such notification will be construed to indicate consent.