Last updated: Febraury 6th, 2020
This notice of privacy practices (“Notice”) describes how your health information may be used and disclosed by ViviMed, and how you can get access to this information.
Please review carefully.
At ViviMed Integrated Health privacy is governed by the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), a law that establishes rules concerning the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information. As a health information custodian, ViviMed and its agents (including health care providers, staff, students and volunteers) are responsible for ensuring that the personal health information of our patients/clients is treated with respect and sensitivity.
Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information:
We understand that health information about you is personal and must be protected.
For these reasons we will:
- Provide the best possible level of confidentiality around the collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information;
- Collect only necessary information and use that information solely for the care and treatment you are seeking;
- With your consent we will disclose only information necessary for the delivery and management of your care. This could include sharing of information:
- between your family doctor and a laboratory or diagnostic imaging;
- with another health care provider in the ViviMed Integrated Health network of professionals as part of your circle of care;
- with an external specialist;
- with your health insurance plan;
- Recognize your right of access to your health information when you request it and provide copies for a fee;
- Recognize your right to review our personal health information with a member of our staff during your appointment;
- Respond to your questions or concerns about the way we handle the privacy of your personal health information.
We may use or disclose your personal health information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements without your consent in the following circumstances:
- To process payments through government programs, like the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (“OHIP”)
- To report certain information, such as a health condition that makes you unfit to drive or to report certain diseases to public health authorities
- When we suspect certain types of abuse
- To reduce a significant risk of serious bodily harm to a person or the public
- To allocate resources to our programs and services
Additionally, we may use or disclose your personal health information in the following miscellaneous circumstances:
- Contacting you directly – We may use your personal health information, including your email address or phone number, to contact you. For example, we may also use this information to send you appointment reminders and other communications relating to your care and treatment, or let you know about treatment alternatives or other health related services or benefits that may be of interest to you, via email, phone call, or text message.
- Your patient account – We may make certain personal health information, such as information about care or treatment, appointment histories and medication records, accessible to you through online tools, such as email or your online client account.
- In the waiting area of our offices – When you join us in our office, we may call your name aloud in the waiting area. If you do not wish to have your name called aloud, please tell the front desk admin and we will make adjustments to meet your request.
- Treatment alternatives and plan description—To communicate with you about treatment services, options, or alternatives, as well as health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you, or to describe our health plan and providers to you.
Your Rights Regarding Your Protected Health Information
You have the right to:
- Request restrictions by asking that we limit the way we use or disclose your personal health information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. You may also ask that we limit the information we give to someone who is involved in your care.
- Request to see your personal health information and to get a copy of it by asking us for it. We may ask you to make this request in writing and we may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of producing and mailing the copies, which you will receive usually within 30 days. In certain situations, we may deny your request and will tell you why we are denying it. For example, when the information relates to law enforcement, legal proceedings or another individual, you may not get to see the record.
- Ask to amend personal health information we created that you feel is incorrect or incomplete. Your request for an amendment must be in writing and provide the reason for your request. We may not correct a record that was created by someone else and we do not know enough about the record to change it or where, for example, the opinions or observations in the record were made in good faith. You may respond by filing a written statement of disagreement with us and ask that the statement be attached to your records.
- Request a paper copy of this Notice.
- File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You can file a written complaint with us at the address below, or with the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario by sending a letter to 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8, calling 1-800-387-0073, or visiting www.ipc.on.ca. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
Limited Right to Use Non-Identifying Personal Information From Biographies, Letters, Notes, and Other Sources:
Any pictures, stories, letters, biographies, correspondence, or thank you notes sent to us become the exclusive property of ViviMed. We reserve the right to use non-identifying (those who receive services or goods from or through us) for fundraising and promotional purposes that are directly related to our mission.
- You will not be compensated for use of this information and no identifying information (photos, addresses, phone numbers, contact information, last names or uniquely identifiable names) will be used without your express advance permission.
- You may specifically request that NO information be used whatsoever for promotional purposes, but you must identify any requested restrictions in writing. We respect your right to privacy and assure you no identifying information or photos that you send to us will ever be publicly used without your direct or indirect cons.
Changes to Privacy Practices
ViviMed may modify this Notice from time to time. The revised Notice will apply to all personal health information that we maintain. We will make any such changes to this Notice by posting the revised Notice on our website. The date of the last update will be clearly indicated at the top of this Notice. Please review this Notice from time to time to ensure you are familiar with our PHIPA privacy practices.
Questions and Complaints
If you think that we may have violated your privacy rights or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your personal health information, or if you have any questions about this Notice or would like an additional copy, please contact us at 1-866-292-8633 or support@vivimed.ca.
