Updated: November 24, 2020 

Commitment to Privacy 

The appropriate collection, use and disclosure of patients’ personal health information is vital to our daily operations and patient care. All members of trueNorth Medical Centres strive to provide excellent medical care and service, and protect the privacy and confidentiality of patient personal health information. All members of trueNorth Medical Centres must abide by our Privacy Policy outlined herein. Our Privacy Policy reflects our compliance with fair information practices, applicable laws and standards of practice. 

What is Personal Health Information?

Personal Health Information is any identifiable information of an individual relating to their physical and mental health, provision of health care to the individual, and eligibility and payments for health care.

Protecting Your Personal Health Information 

Why We Collect Personal Health Information

trueNorth Medical Centres may collect, use or disclose your personal health information for the purpose of:

• establishing a relationship and serving your medical needs

• providing health care or assisting in providing healthcare to the individual

• improving quality of care or quality of related programs and services

• anonymizing or de-identifying the information

• teaching and education

• research, as approved by a Research Ethics Board

• planning or delivering research programs or services funded by the Canadian Immunodeficiency Research Collaborative (MLR)

• evaluating, monitoring and allocating resources to programs and services provided by either trueNorth Medical Centres or MLR

• processing, monitoring, verifying or reimbursing claims for payment under any Act

• as otherwise consented to by the individual, and permitted, authorized or required by law

Accountability

We are committed to securing patient privacy. Each physician and employee associated with trueNorth Medical Centres is responsible for the personal health information under their control. All of our employees are informed about best practices in relation to privacy, and periodic updates are provided about our Privacy Policy and related items. 

Confidentiality and Consent

Your personal health information is confidential and will not be released to others without your consent. There are some exceptions where consent is not required. These exceptions are outlined below:   

• Health care practitioners are required to report any suspicion of a child who has suffered, or is at risk of suffering, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect directly to the local children’s aid society (CAS). 

• Health care practitioners may disclose my personal health information to a third party without consent to avert imminent risk of harm to self or others.

• Timely reporting of communicable diseases and diseases of public health significance (such as AIDS, hepatitis, and syphilis) are mandated by local public health units. A list of reportable diseases in Ontario can be obtained from my local public health unit.  

• Health care practitioners are required to report incidents of lost or stolen controlled substances (such as a targeted substance, a narcotic, or a controlled drug) to the Office of Controlled Substance, Federal Ministry of Health, within 10 days.

• Your consent is not required when producing requested medical records under a subpoena to the court.

• Health care practitioners are required by law to report patients who may be medically unfit to drive due to high risk medical conditions, vision conditions and functional impairments. Further details about this can be obtained from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

• Health care practitioners must report instances of health card fraud to the General Manager of OHIP under the Health Insurance Act. 

• The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) may access your personal health information for regulatory and auditing purposes. The Narcotics Monitoring Program monitors methadone, Suboxone and Kadian prescriptions, and as such your prescription information will be recorded. This may involve occasional review of your personal health information by an external reviewer, to ensure that medical treatment is delivered safely. None of the information of your personal health information will be given to anyone outside of this review process. 

Limiting Collection 

We collect information by fair and lawful means, and collect only those information which may be necessary for purposes related to the provision of your medical care. 

Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention

You have the right to determine how your personal health information is used and disclosed. The information we request from you is used for the purposes defined. Your consent must be provided in order to disclose your personal health information to third parties. We will retain your information only for the time it is required for the purposes we describe and once your personal information is no longer required, it will be destroyed. The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) permits certain collections, uses, and disclosures of personal health information which may override the need for consent in certain circumstances, such as emergencies. 

Accuracy

We aim to ensure that all decisions involving your personal health information are based on accurate and timely information, and rely on you to provide accurate information and to inform us of any relevant changes. 

Access

With limited exceptions, we will give you access to the information we retain about you within a reasonable time, upon presentation of a written request and satisfactory identification. We may charge you a fee for this service and if so, we will give you notice in advance of processing your request. If we deny your request for access to your personal health information, we will advise you in writing of the reason for the refusing and you may then challenge our decision. 

Correction

If you find errors of fact in your personal health information, please notify us as soon as possible and we will make the appropriate corrections. We are not required to correct information relating to clinical observations or opinions made in good faith. You have a right to append a short statement of disagreement to your record if we refuse to make a requested change. 

Challenging Compliance 

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns pertaining to your privacy or our Privacy Policy. We will investigate and respond to your concerns in relation to our handling of your information. You can reach us at:

trueNorth Medical Centres
24 Dalhousie Street, Unit 201
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2A5
Phone: 1-888-213-8920
Fax: 416-981-8939
Email: info@caselmedical.com

If after contacting us you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you may lodge a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Commissioner can be reached at: 

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8 
Toronto Area: 416-326-3333
Long Distance: 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539
Fax: 416-325-9195
Email: info@ipc.on.ca