Salmon Arm and Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Privacy Policy
MY PLEDGE REGARDING PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I understand that information about your mental health care is personal. I am committed to protecting personal health information about you. I create a record of the care and services you receive from me. I need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice. This notice will tell you about the ways in which I may use and disclose personal health information about you. I also describe your rights to the health information I keep about you, and describe certain obligations I have regarding the use and disclosure of your personal health information.I am required by federal and provincial privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and/or applicable provincial health information privacy legislation, to:
- Make sure that protected personal health information that identifies you is kept private.
- Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to personal health information.
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
- I can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information I have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in my office, and on my website.
HOW I MAY USE AND DISCLOSE PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOUThe following categories describe different ways that I use and disclose personal health information. For each category of uses or disclosures I will explain what I mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways I am permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories. For Treatment, Payment, or Healthcare Operations: Privacy legislation allows health care providers who have a direct treatment relationship with the client to use or disclose the client's personal health information without the client's written authorization, to carry out the health care provider's own treatment, payment, or health care operations. I may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word "treatment" includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers, and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another. Legal Proceedings: If you are involved in a legal proceeding, I may disclose personal health information in response to a court order or administrative tribunal order. I may also disclose personal health information about you in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION
- Session Notes. I do keep "session notes" (similar to "psychotherapy notes" in other jurisdictions), and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:
- For my use in treating you.
- For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
- For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.
- Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.
- Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the session notes.
- Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.
- Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.
- Marketing Purposes. As a mental health professional, I will not use or disclose your personal health information for marketing purposes.
- Sale of Personal Health Information. As a mental health professional, I will not sell your personal health information in the regular course of my business.
CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATIONSubject to certain limitations in the law, I can use and disclose your personal health information without your Authorization for the following reasons:
- When disclosure is required by federal or provincial law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
- For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or vulnerable adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone's health or safety.
- For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
- For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.
- For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on my premises.
- To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
- For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
- Specialized government functions, including ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting government officials and dignitaries; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.
- For workers' compensation purposes. Although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, I may provide your personal health information in order to comply with workers' compensation laws.
- Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your personal health information to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your personal health information to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.
CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT
- Disclosures to family, friends, or others. I may provide your personal health information to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION
- The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your Personal Health Information. You have the right to ask me not to use or disclose certain personal health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. I am not required to agree to your request, and I may say "no" if I believe it would affect your health care.
- The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your personal health information to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the personal health information pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
- The Right to Choose How I Send Personal Health Information to You. You have the right to ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and I will agree to all reasonable requests.
- The Right to See and Get Copies of Your Personal Health Information. Other than "session notes," you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your health record and other information that I have about you. I will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request, and I may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for doing so.
- The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures I Have Made. You have the right to request a list of instances in which I have disclosed your personal health information for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. I will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 30 days of receiving your request. The list I will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. I will provide the list to you at no charge, but if you make more than one request in the same year, I will charge you a reasonable cost-based fee for each additional request.
- The Right to Correct or Update Your Personal Health Information. If you believe that there is a mistake in your personal health information, or that a piece of important information is missing from your personal health information, you have the right to request that I correct the existing information or add the missing information. I may say "no" to your request, but I will tell you why in writing within 30 days of receiving your request.
- The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right get a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.
RIGHT TO FILE A COMPLAINTIf you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our office, with your provincial regulatory college, or with the relevant provincial Privacy Commissioner. All complaints must be made in writing. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.