Privacy and Confidentiality

As your healthcare providers, the physicians and staff of the Upper Canada Family Health Team are bound by law and ethics to safeguard your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information.

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This includes:
• Collecting only the information that may be necessary for your care;
• Keeping accurate and up-to-date records;
• Safeguarding the medical records in their possession;
• Sharing information with other healthcare providers and organizations on a “need to know” basis where required for your healthcare;
• Disclosing information to third parties only with your express consent, or when necessary for legal reasons;
• Retaining/destroying records in accordance with the law;

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Your request for care from the Upper Canada Family Health Team

implies consent for our collection, use and disclosure of your

personal information for purposes related to your care. As noted

above, other purposes require your express consent.

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You have the right to see your records. You may also obtain copies of your records. Please contact your family physician's office to request your records and for fees associated for providing this service. Please speak to your physician if you have any concerns about the accuracy of your records.

Legislation
The Upper Canada Family Health Team complies with the Health Information Protection Act (November 2004) which is comprised of both the Personal Health Information Protection Act (2004) and the Quality of Care Information Protection Act (2004).

• Personal Health Information Protection Act 2004
• Quality of Care Information Protection Act 2004

Applicability of Our Privacy Policy
Our Privacy Policy informs you of our commitment to privacy and tells you that ways we ensure that your privacy is protected. Our Privacy Policy applies to protect the personal health information of all patients that is in our possession and control.

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What is Personal Health Information?
Personal health information means identifying information about an individual relating to their physical or mental health (including medical history), the providing of health care to the individual, payments or eligibility for health care, organ and tissue donation and health.

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The 10 Principles of Privacy
1. Accountability
Each physician and employee associated with the Upper Canada FHT is responsible for the personal health information under his/her control.  The Upper Canada FHT has an established Privacy Policy and has appointed Sherri Fournier-Hudson as the Privacy Officer.

2. Identifying Purposes: Why We Collect Information
We ask you for information to establish a relationship and serve your medical needs.  You are entitled to know how we use your information and this is described in the Privacy Statement available at your physician’s office.

3. Consent
You have the right to determine how your personal

health information is used and disclosed.  For most

health care purposes, your consent is implied as a

result of your consent to treatment; however, in

some circumstances your express, sometimes

written consent may be required.

4. Limiting Collection
We will collect information by fair and lawful means and collect only that information which may be necessary for the purpose related to the provision of your medical care.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
The information we request from you is used for the purposes defined; we will seek your consent for any other purposes.  We will retain your information only for the time it is required for the purposed we described.

6. Accuracy
We endeavor to ensure that all decisions involving your personal health information are based upon accurate and timely information.  While we will do our best to base our decisions on accurate information, we rely on you to disclose all material information and to inform us of any relevant changes.

7. Safeguards: Protecting Your Information
We protect your personal health information with appropriate safeguards and security measures.  Access to personal health information will be authorized only for the physicians and employees associated with the team, and other agents who require access in the performance of their duties, and to those otherwise authorized by law.

8. Openness: Keeping You Informed
The Team has prepared a plain-language Privacy Policy to keep you informed.  You may ask to receive a copy of it from your physician’s office.

9. Access and Correction
With limited exception, we will give you access to the information we retain about you within a reasonable time, upon presentation of a written request and satisfactory identification.  If you find errors of fact in your record, please notify your physician's office and we will make the appropriate corrections where appropriate.

10. Challenging Compliance
We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about your privacy or our Privacy Policy.  We will investigate and respond to your concerns about any aspect of our handling of your information.

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If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by the Upper Canada Family Health Team, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario at 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073.