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Policies & Best Practices

Terms of Use

Get the terms and conditions, permitted use, and restrictions for your use of our platforms and portals.

Website user agreement

The following is an agreement between you (the user) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) about your usage of our website. This user agreement also applies to the tools and services provided on our website.

Initial notice

Thanks for visiting our website, owned and operated by Blue Cross NC. Please read the following legal agreement before using this website.

By using our website, you signify your agreement to these terms of use. If you don't agree to these terms of use, please disconnect from our website and don't use it.

We reserve the right to change this agreement at any time. It's the user's responsibility to review these terms and conditions regularly. Continued use of this website following any such changes will constitute the user's acceptance of such changes.

Permitted use

You have a nonexclusive, nontransferable, limited and revocable right to use our website for your personal education, information and entertainment, subject to these terms and restrictions.

You agree not to use the website for any other purpose, including any commercial purpose, without our express prior written consent. 

You agree to cooperate with us in stopping any unauthorized use immediately.

List of restrictions

Neither the website nor any element thereof, including without limitation, text, graphics, images or other materials, may be copied, repurposed, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or redistributed.

You may download one copy of such materials to your individual computer solely for your personal, non-commercial use only if all copyright and other proprietary notices appearing on such materials are strictly preserved without any alteration, modification or obfuscation.

You may not change or prepare derivative works based upon the website, or any element thereof, and you may not redistribute, sell, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise attempt to access the source code to any software downloaded from the website.

It's a condition of your use of this website that you don't restrict or inhibit any other user from using this website.

Reservation of rights

For more information about the use of Blue Cross NC, its logo and other related information, please review the Blue Cross NC brand guidelines.

Warranty disclaimer

The website and all elements thereof are provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, express or implied.

Blue Cross NC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including (without limitation) implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. Blue Cross NC doesn't warrant that the website will operate or perform in a manner that's uninterrupted or error free, or that the website or host server will be maintained free of viruses or other harmful code.

Blue Cross NC makes no warranties that the information presented on the website is current, up to date, suitable or accurate. Some states and jurisdictions don't allow limitations on implied warranties, so the above limitation may not apply to you. The foregoing will be enforceable to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law.

Liability limitations

Under no circumstances and regardless of legal theory, whether in tort, contract or otherwise, will Blue Cross NC or any of its related or affiliated companies be liable to you or any other party for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, reliance, punitive or consequential damages, however caused, and regardless of character, including, without limitation, any damages relating to lost data, computer failure or malfunctioning, or otherwise.

You specifically acknowledge and agree that Blue Cross NC isn't liable for any defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of user. The foregoing will be enforceable to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law. You agree to this allocation of risk in relation to your use of the website. If you disagree with any of the terms and conditions of this website usage agreement, your sole and exclusive remedy is to stop using this website.

Links to third-party websites

We may provide links and pointers to websites maintained by third parties and may from time to time provide third-party materials on our website. Neither Blue Cross NC nor its related, affiliated companies operate or control in any respect any information, products or services on these third-party websites. The third-party materials on this website and the third-party websites are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind either express or implied.

To the fullest extent permissible pursuant to applicable law, Blue Cross NC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. Blue Cross NC doesn't warrant or make any representations about the use or the results of the use of the third-party materials in the third-party sites for their correctness, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or otherwise.

Jurisdiction

Blue Cross NC controls and operates this website from its headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, United States of America. Blue Cross NC makes no representation that these materials are appropriate or available for use in other locations. If you use this site from other locations, you are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws.

How we contact you through Blue Connect

By registering for Blue Connect, you agree to enroll in the paperless delivery options available for your plan. Please note there are some documents that may need to still be mailed to you for regulatory reasons. 

As a member, you can choose what information we send you and how we send it. Visit the Contact Preferences Center to update your contact information. Visit the Delivery Preferences tab to choose the information you want to receive and your preferred delivery method. 

To unenroll in paperless delivery options and opt out of electronic communications, update your delivery preferences. 

General terms and conditions

This agreement must be deemed to include all other notices, policies, disclaimers and other terms contained in this website; provided, however, that in the event of a conflict between such other terms and the terms of this agreement, the terms of this agreement must control.

This agreement must be deemed to have been made in the State of North Carolina, U.S.A. and must be interpreted, and the rights and liabilities of the parties hereto determined under the laws of the State of North Carolina, U.S.A., without regard to conflicts of law principles.

The parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts for the County of Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A. for the determination of any claim or controversy between the parties and arising out of or relating to this agreement. Both parties hereby consent to the jurisdiction of the North Carolina courts and waive any objections about personal jurisdiction or about the laying of venue in such courts due to inconvenient forum or any other basis.

The user acknowledges that no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship exists between the user and Blue Cross NC as a result of this agreement or use of this website. User agrees not to hold himself or herself out as a representative, agent or employee of Blue Cross NC. Blue Cross NC must not be liable for any representation, act or omission of the user.

Blue Cross NC's performance of this agreement is subject to existing laws and legal process and nothing contained in this agreement is in derogation of Blue Cross NC's right to follow law enforcement requests or requirements relating to the User's use of this website or information provided to or gathered by Blue Cross NC about such use.

If any part of this agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law, including, but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations set forth above, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the rest of the agreement will continue in effect.

This agreement makes up the entire agreement between the user and Blue Cross NC with respect to this website and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral or written, between the user and Blue Cross NC with respect to this website.

A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form will be allowed in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form.

Indemnification

As a condition of use of this website, the user agrees to indemnify Blue Cross NC, its parent, subsidiaries and affiliates, and the shareholders, officers, directors, employees and agents of any of them against and from and against any and all claims, demands, judgments, costs, liabilities, expenses (including attorneys' fees) and damages arising out of legal claims resulting from user's use of this website, including, without limitation, any claims alleging facts that, if true, would constitute a breach by user of these terms and conditions.

Agent Services portal terms of use

By using the credential provided to you by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina ("Blue Cross NC") and accessing the Agent Services portal, you represent and warrant that you are an authorized user of the Agency of Record for any group(s) and/or individual(s) for which you may access information through the Agent Services portal and your agency is expressly authorized by those groups and/or individual(s) to access their information, which may include protected health information (PHI), on their behalf.

You agree and understand that you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of passwords associated with any account you use to access Agent Services portal. You agree that you and the Managing Health Agent are solely responsible for activities that occur under this account. No member of the Agency of Record workforce may use credentials assigned to another workforce member. If you become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or your account(s), you agree to notify Blue Cross NC immediately at 888-868-5598.

If a workforce member assigned access to Agent Services portal no longer requires such access (e.g., employee's responsibilities have changed, or employee has been terminated from employment), Blue Cross NC shall be notified within twenty-four (24) hours of such event at 888-868-5598.

In the event information subject to the Federal Substance Abuse Confidentiality Regulations, 42 CFR Part 2 ("Part 2 Rule") is disclosed within Agent Services portal, you agree to comply with the requirements of the Part 2 Rule with respect to all Patient Identifying Information you may receive and/or have access to through Agent Services portal. You shall implement appropriate safeguards, compliant with 42 C.F.R. § 2.16, to prevent unauthorized uses and disclosures of Patient Identifying Information, report any unauthorized Use, Disclosure, or Breach of Patient Identifying Information to Blue Cross NC within five (5) calendar days; and only use and disclose Patient Identifying Information for the payment or health care operations activities performed on behalf of the group as permitted by an applicable provision of the Part 2 Rule. You may not re-disclose such information without member's further written authorization unless permitted by an applicable provision of the Part 2 Rule.

You agree and understand that that Blue Cross NC may terminate your access to Agent Services portal for any reason at its sole discretion.

These terms and conditions of use of Agent Services portal as stated herein do not modify or affect any other agreement between the Agency of Record and Blue Cross NC. Your use of Agent Services portal is also subject to the terms, conditions, and policies of Agency agreements with Blue Cross NC. This includes but is not limited to the Business Associate Agreement.

If you do not agree to be bound by these terms and conditions of use, you must elect not to use Agent Services portal. These terms may be updated from time to time. You will receive notice via Agent News or email about those updates, and updated terms will be published on the portal.

Employer Services portal terms of use

By using the credential provided to you by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and accessing Employer Services portal, you represent and warrant that you are the Group Administrator or an Authorized User.

You understand that by using Employer Services portal that you may have access to certain protected health information and duties under HIPAA. In using this Employer Services portal, you shall not access, manipulate, or otherwise use data or the Employer Services portal except for the sole purpose of providing services to a group that is within your explicit authority as granted by the group and/or Blue Cross NC and in accordance with all relevant state and federal laws. You agree that you are responsible for protecting the confidentiality, integrity and security of the protected health information you access through this Employer Services Portal in accordance with the requirements of all relevant state and federal laws, including but not limited to HIPAA. You agree and understand that you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of passwords associated with any account you use to access Employer Services portal. You agree that you are solely responsible for activities that occur under your account. If you become aware of any unauthorized use of your password or your account(s), you agree to notify your Blue Cross NC representative immediately.

If you or a workforce member assigned access to Employer Services portal no longer require such access (e.g., employee's responsibilities have changed, or employee has been terminated from employment), you shall notify your Blue Cross NC representative within twenty-four (24) hours of such event.

You agree and understand that that Blue Cross NC may terminate your access to Employer Services portal for any reason at its sole discretion.

These terms and conditions of use of Employer Services portal as stated herein do not modify or affect any other agreement between you and Blue Cross NC. Your use of Employer Services portal is also subject to the terms, conditions and policies of your agreement with Blue Cross NC. This includes but is not limited to the Business Associate Agreement between you and Blue Cross NC.

If you do not agree to be bound by these terms and conditions of use, you must elect not to use Employer Services portal. These terms may be updated from time to time. You will receive notice via Employer News about those updates, and updated terms will be published on the portal.