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What does St. Joseph’s Care Group use my personal health information for?
St. Joseph’s Care Group uses your information to provide you with healthcare, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, to make our health services better and more efficient, to support St. Joseph’s Care Group’s research programs and educational activities. Examples of potential uses include:
- To identify your record quickly and accurately each time you are treated.
- To provide the most appropriate treatment
- To conduct quality improvement activities to evaluate and improve the care provided by St. Joseph’s Care Group
- To conduct research which has been approved by an Ethics Committee provided consent and privacy issues have been addressed
- To teach health care providers ensuring that privacy and confidentiality are protected
- To comply with legal and regulatory requirements. For example, we collect your health information to obtain payment for your treatment and care
- To share your contact information with St. Joseph’s Foundation of Thunder Bay, which supports us by raising funds for the improvement of client care. If you do not wish this information to be shared please telephone (807) 343-2454.
Can I request that St. Joseph’s Care Group not collect or use my personal health information for any of the following purposes: to provide healthcare, for the administration of the health care system, to conduct research and teaching, collect statistics, meet legal and regulatory requirements or for fundraising?
St. Joseph’s Care Group cannot adequately deliver care to you without the necessary information. Our privacy policy states that we will only collect the information we need to treat you.
St. Joseph’s Care Group is affiliated with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. As a teaching facility, health information is used for the purposes of research and teaching. Only the minimum amount of information necessary to fulfill the requirements of an approved study is used.
St. Joseph’s Care Group is required to report certain pieces of information to the Provincial Ministry of Health (billing information), the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (public health surveillance, etc.
St. Joseph’s Foundation of Thunder Bay may contact you. The Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for the improvement of client care. You may request to be removed from the fundraising contact list at any point by contacting the Privacy contact person at 343-2454.
Who does St. Joseph’s Care Group share my information with?
Members of your health care team and physicians directly involved in the administration of your care.
When required by law, St. Joseph’s Care Group ensures appropriate safeguards are in place when transmitting all information disclosed and seeks to ensure that personal health information protection measures are in place in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act.
Does St. Joseph’s Care Group ever sell client information to drug companies or anyone else?
No
Will St. Joseph’s Care Group disclose my personal health information to any outside agency or my employer?
St. Joseph’s Care Group requires client consent, or a court order to disclose personal health information to any organization or third party not directly involved with the provision of your care. Proper controls are in place to only disclose what is required.
Can I access my personal health information?
You have a right to access your personal health information and St. Joseph’s Care Group has an obligation to make it available to you, with limited exceptions. Exceptions are made if releasing your information would put you or a third party at risk. St. Joseph’s Care Group may choose not to disclose some or all of that information.
How can I access my personal health information?
When you are a client of St. Joseph’s Care Group you should ask a member of your health care team to provide you with the information you wish to know. After you have left St. Joseph’s Care Group you will need to contact Health Records to obtain information. Please allow a reasonable amount of time to locate your record.
You will be asked to present the proper form of identification in order for you to access your personal health information. There is no charge for access, however there is a processing fee associated with requesting copies of your record.
Can my family see my personal health information?
Although you have the right to access your information, this does not automatically extend to family member and/or friends. If you have signed a consent allowing a family member or friend to access your information, then they may access the part(s) that you have consented to let them see.
What if I am unable to give consent?
If you are unable to give consent due to reasons of competency or consciousness, the consent decision falls to the appointed substitute decision-maker.
Can all St. Joseph’s Care Group staff access my personal health information?
No, only Care Group staff currently involved in your care may access your record. All staff are bound to a strict confidentiality agreement. This agreement ensures staff only access information on a ‘’need to know’’ basis.
Can my family physician access my personal health information?
Yes in order to support your ongoing care.
Can I find out who has viewed my St. Joseph’s Care Group client record?
Yes. If you have concerns about unauthorized personnel accessing your information you can make a request to our privacy contact person to view all accesses of your record. You will be provided this information in a timely manner. If you have further concerns, you may make a complaint to our privacy contact person, who will pursue the issue on your behalf.
Is my personal health information available on the Internet?
No, personal health information is not publicly available on the Internet.
How is my personal health information protected?
Security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information shall be enforced to protect personal information.
These safeguards include:
- Physical measures, for example, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices
- Limiting access to both paper documents and electronic data on a “need to know basis”
- Use and control of passwords, encryption and audits for electronic information
All persons engaged in Care Group activities sign a confidentiality agreement.
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