Patient Privacy Policy
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
Halton Healthcare is committed to maintaining the privacy of the personal health information of our patients. Your personal health information is any information that identifies you and that relates to your health and health care. Examples include:
- Your health card number
- Your medical history
- Medical test results
Halton Healthcare has policies in place that apply to all members of our workforce, including staff, physicians, midwives, students and volunteers, to support our privacy commitment. We take steps to protect your personal health information through physical, procedural and technological safeguards. Personal health information is available to members of our workforce who are either directly involved in your health care (such as health care professionals) or are assisting in the provision of health care in a supporting role (such as health records or finance).
Consent
When you seek health care services at Halton Healthcare, your consent for reasonable collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information is implied in the course of providing health care to you. We will seek your consent to collection, use and disclosure in circumstances where we cannot assume your consent.
If you wish to seal your record or restrict access to your record, you should contact the Privacy Office at privacy@haltonhealthcare.com.
Collection
We collect your personal health information in order to provide you with appropriate and quality health care. Typically, we will collect your personal health information directly from you or someone who can lawfully act on your behalf (e.g. Substitute Decision Maker). We may in some circumstances collect your personal health information from other sources where we have your consent or if we are permitted by law to do so.
Use
Personal health information is used for the purpose it was collected, which is typically to inform your treatment plans and assessments. Your personal health information is only used by members of our workforce who are either directly involved in your health care (such as health care professionals) or are assisting in the provision of health care in a supporting role (such as health records or finance). We may also use your personal health information for other authorized purposes, including risk management and improvement of our quality of care. We may, in some limited instances, permit our service providers to use aggregate and/or de-identified information in order to improve the products or services that we obtain from them.
Disclosure
We may disclose your personal health information to other health care providers who are also responsible for your care or, with your consent, to your family members. Certain personal health information is also disclosed to provincial electronic health record systems administered by Ontario Health.
Research
We may use your personal health information for approved research studies that are conducted at our hospitals. We may also disclose your personal health information for research approved by a research ethics board conducted at another institution with whom we have entered into a data transfer agreement. Any such use or disclosure of your personal health information for approved research studies will comply with the requirements of applicable privacy laws, including any applicable consent requirements. The Research Ethics Board of Halton Healthcare (REB) may grant a waiver of consent when personal health information is pre-screened to identify a group of patients that may potentially be eligible for a specific research study. In granting such a waiver, the REB will consider a number of factors including the justification for the request to pre-screen and the minimal information that is requested to be accessed to identify potentially eligible patients.
Fundraising
Halton Healthcare will use some of your personal health information (i.e. name and address) to conduct fundraising initiatives for our hospitals’ foundations. If you wish to be excluded, please notify clerical staff at the time of your visit.
Accessing your Health Records
To request access to your personal health information, please visit our Request Records page for more information.
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns related to privacy at Halton Healthcare, please contact the Privacy Office at privacy@haltonhealthcare.com.
You may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario at
Phone: 416-326-3333
Email: IPCComplaints@ipc.on.ca
More information can be obtained on the IPC website at: https://www.ipc.on.ca/about-us/contact-us/.