Privacy

The purpose of this statement is to ensure compliance by the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team with the Ontario Personal Heath Information Protection Act 2004, and maximize quality and respect in patient care.

Privacy Statement

As we provide you with care, the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team is bound by law and professional and employment obligations to protect your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal health information.

We collect personal health information from you or from person(s) acting on your behalf. The personal information we collect may include your date of birth, health card number, address, health history, and past health professionals involved in your care.

The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team is committed to collecting, using and sharing your health information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the services we provide. Occasionally, if we have obtained your consent to do so, or if the law permits us to do so, we collect personal health information about you from other sources.

Uses and Sharing of Personal Health Information

Our primary purpose in collecting, using and sharing personal health information is to provide patients with health care. We may also collect, use and share your personal health information in order to communicate or consult with other health care providers about patient care.

As our patient, we assume we have your consent to collect, use or share your personal health information in order to:

provide your health care
collect payment for your treatment and care, where applicable (e.g. OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer, etc.)
plan, administer and manage our internal operations
manage risk and work to improve quality
teach
conduct research and compile statistics
comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and/or
fulfil other purposes permitted or required by law

You may choose not to give consent for some of these uses and disclosures, subject to some legal exceptions, by speaking with your family doctor or contacting the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team.

If you do consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. You cannot withdrawal consent retroactively. The withdrawal may also be subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

We will not usually deny you care should you not consent to some of these uses and disclosures of your personal health information. If we feel we cannot provide you proper care because you do not consent to us using or sharing the health information we consider necessary, we will outline to you the consequences of not consenting to our using this information for your care. Not consenting to the use or sharing of your information will not result in a threat to prevent treatment.

There are also circumstances where we are not allowed to assume we have your consent to release information. For example, we must have your permission to give your personal health information to people who do not provide direct health care to you, like an insurance company or employer.

We will also need your consent to communicate with any of your family members or friends with whom you would like us to share more detailed health information about you.

Protecting Your Health Information

The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team takes many steps to protect your personal health information from unauthorized collection, use and sharing.

Physical, administrative and technology safeguards are in place to protect your personal information. We also train staff to collect, use and share our patients’ health information only as necessary to fulfill their duties in providing care.

We also conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and maximize our patients’ privacy.

You have a right to request that some or all of your health record(s) not be disclosed without
your specific consent.

Access to Your Health Information

With only a few exceptions, you have the right to see what personal health information we have on file. We can identify what records we have and can assist you to understand this information. You have the right to ask that information be corrected if you believe there are errors.

Questions and Concerns

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about your privacy.

If you have any questions or a concerns about how your personal health information is being handled by any employee of the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, you can reach us at:

Aasif Khakoo, Executive Director, Privacy Officer
55 Angeline Street North, Suite 2/3
Lindsay, Ontario
K9V 5B7
Telephone: 705-328-9853
Fax: 705-328-9401

Family doctors are responsible for the privacy of patients’ health information in the possession or control of themselves, their agents, and their staff in their offices.

We will investigate and respond to your questions and/or concerns promptly. In most cases, an issue is resolved simply by discussing it together.

If, after contacting us, you feel that your concern(s) has not been addressed to your satisfaction, or at any time, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 1A8
Phone – Toronto Area: 416-326-3333
Long Distance: 1-800-387-0073 (within Ontario)
Fax: 416-325-9195
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539
info@ipc.on.ca