PRIVACY STATEMENT 

As your doctor, my staff and I are bound by law and ethics to safeguard your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information.

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 my possession;
• Sharing information with other health-care providers and organizations on a “need to know” basis where required for your heath care;
• Disclosing information to third parties only with your express consent, or when necessary for legal reasons; and
• Retaining/destroying records in accordance with the law.

Your request for care from me 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.

You have the right to see your records. You may also obtain copies of your records – please see the receptionist for our fees for this service. Please speak to me if you have concerns about the accuracy of your records.

If you would like to discuss our privacy policy in more detail, or have specific questions or complaints about how your information is handled, please speak to me and I will try to resolve them.*  

* If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by my office, you may wish to contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario at (416)326-333 or 1(800)387-0073.

PROTECTING YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION 

As a patient of MLMC, you will be asked on a number of occasions to provide us with personal health information that will assist us in the provision of your care.

You can be assured that the confidentiality of your personal health information will be protected regardless of where or how this information is collected, used or disclosed by MLMC.

WHAT IS PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION?

Personal health information is anything that can identify you as an individual such as your name, your health card number, or other personally identifying information which can be connected to your health status or care such as a test result with your name on it. Keeping it private means you as a patient, have the right to know and control how this information is being used in the clinic. It also means MLMC has an obligation to ensure that the information is kept confidential.

WHAT WILL MLMC DO WITH MY INFORMATION?

MLMC may collect, use or disclose patient personal information for the purpose of:

Providing health care or assisting in providing health care to the individual;

• Planning or delivering research programs or services funded by Canadian Immunodeficiency Research Collaborative (CIRC)
• Evaluating, monitoring and allocating resources to programs and services provided by either MLMC or CIRC;
• Activities to improve quality of care or quality of any related program or service;
• Processing, monitoring, verifying or reimbursing claims for payment under any Act;
• Research, as approved by a Research Ethics Board;
• Anonymizing or de-identifying the information;
• Teaching and education;
• As otherwise consented to by the individual; and
• As otherwise permitted, authorized or required by law.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO MY PERSONAL INFORMATION?

All authorized agents and third parties are contractually obligated to protect your personal information privacy on behalf of MLMC. Access may be provided to:

• agents of MLMC such as medical staff, employees and authorized contractors;
• Other health care facilities or services that may be providing you with care;
• in the case of an emergency, a person who may be able to contact your relatives or friends;
• the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and their designated agents;
• a government approved registry of personal health information that relates to a specific disease or condition or that relates to the storage or donation of body parts or substances e.g. apheresis;
• the Chief Medical Officer of Health or a public health authority established under the laws of Canada;

CAN I WITHHOLD CONSENT FOR THE USE OF MY PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION?  

You have the right to withhold your consent where consent is required, unless it would compromise the care we intend to deliver to you and others.
For research purposes, you will be given an opportunity to opt-out of further contact for these activities should you be contacted by a clinic representative for these reasons following your care.

If you would like to remove your name from our research list or have a question regarding your ability to withdraw consent, please speak with your physician at MLMC. If she/he is unable to help you with your inquiry, she/he will then contact Privacy Officer at MLMC.

GETTING ACCESS TO YOUR HEALTH RECORD

For assistance in submitting a request for access to patient information, please direct your request to the reception at your doctor’s office.