Privacy and Confidentiality

We collect your personal health information directly from you, or from the individual who can legally make decisions for you about your personal health information.

The personal health information we collect may include your name, date of birth, address, contact information, medical history, records of the care you received during prior visits to Niagara Health, and/or other hospitals & clinics.

Access to your electronic personal health information is provided to those who ‘need to know’ to provide or assist in providing care and treatment to you. This includes: physicians, nurses, technicians, therapists, chaplains and other allied members of your healthcare team. We also collect, access, use and disclose your PHI as necessary to:

• Treat and care for you, (inside and outside our Niagara Health hospital sites, for example: when you are transferred to another healthcare facility)
• Communicate or consult about your healthcare with your doctor(s) and your other healthcare providers
• Obtain payment for your healthcare and hospital services, including OHIP, WSIB and your private insurance
• Plan, administer and manage our Niagara Health hospital business operations
• Conduct risk management and research activities
• Teach
• Compile statistics
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Fulfill other purposes as required by law.

Your family physician is considered an important member of your healthcare team. If you are receiving care at our hospital, a copy of your treatment record and/or diagnostic test results will be forwarded to your family physician unless you tell us not to provide this information.

Non-clinical information about your visit such as your name, location within the hospital and home address may be released in order to:

• Assist visiting family, friends and clergy to locate you in the hospital
• Conduct patient satisfaction surveys that allow us to monitor and improve the quality of our patient services
• Conduct fundraising campaigns through Niagara Health Foundation

Unless you tell us not to provide this information.

We obtain your consent before we disclose your health information for research projects. NOTE: some research projects DO NOT require your consent and have safeguards in place to protect your privacy. (such as removing your identity). We may also provide your PHI to certain ‘prescribed entities’ allowed under PHIPA to plan and manage our Ontario healthcare system.

PHIPA identified prescribed entities: Cancer Care Ontario (CCO); Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI); Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES); and Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO).

Conversion from hard copy to electronic records improves access to and coordination of your care, enhances patient safety, reduces wait times, avoids duplicate diagnostic testing and provides timely access to your health information by your healthcare team.

Your electronic health record information is stored securely on shared patient health information databases for access by authorized individuals.

To see ClinicalConnect website “For Patients” section and review theirStatement of Information Practices; patient brochure, participating healthcare organizations & information regarding your electronic medical records shared electronically with care providers, for your care and treatment. Click link provided: http://info.clinicalconnect.ca/CC/for-patients/

Maintaining the confidentiality of your personal information is very important to us.

Niagara Health employs security measures, policies, procedures, and technology is in place to ensure your personal information is secure and accessed by authorized individuals.

All Niagara Health personnel: physicians; staff; volunteers; students and other agents of the hospital must follow the hospital’s privacy and security policies and procedures.

We continually conduct privacy training, education and orientation sessions for Niagara Health staff, volunteers, students, agents, vendors and physicians.

Privacy staff awareness sessions:

• Provide guidance and interpretation regarding the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and and Freedom of Informatino and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
• Explain our Niagara Health Privacy Policies, FOI and Health Information Management Policies & Procedures
• Present practical tips for handling common situations for confidential, secure access, use and disclosure of personal health information;
• Answer questions about privacy and patient information handling confidentiality issues.

In addition, online access to privacy training and resources are provided for staff learning on our Niagara Health intranet.

You, or a person who can legally make decisions about your PHI, have the right to:

• View and get copies of your personal health information (hospital medical records)
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete PHI.
• Ask us not to share your PHI with other healthcare providers, unless permitted or required by law.
• Be informed if your PHI is lost, stolen, missing or improperly accessed or disclosed.

Some exceptions apply to these rights.

Family and Friends

Your family and friends may be given general information about you, such as your location in the hospital and your general health condition, FOI and Health Information Management Policies & Procedures;

Spiritual and Religious Visits

If you provide us with information regarding your faith group affiliation, parish or congregation, we may give your name and room location to a member of the visiting clergy of your faith group, unless you tell us not to provide this information.

Fundraising

Niagara Health relies on patient and community support for part of our funding. Niagara Health, or the Niagara Health Foundation Office, may use your name and address to contact you for support, unless you tell us not to provide this information.