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PRIVACY
& CONFIDENTIALITY
Frequently Asked Questions for Patients
Overview |
Policy | FAQ |
Health Record | Links
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What does KDH use my health information
for?
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Can I request that KDH not collect or
use my health information for any of the following purposes: the delivery of direct
patient care, the administration of the health care system, to conduct research,
teaching, statistics, meeting legal and regulatory requirements, or fundraising?
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Who does KDH give my health information
to?
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Does KDH ever sell patient information to drug companies, or anyone else?
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Will KDH disclose my health information to any outside company or my employer?
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Can I access my health information?
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Where do I go to access my
health information?
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What if I am unable to give consent?
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Can all KDH staff access my patient
record?
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Can my family physician access my KDH health information?
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Can I find out who has
viewed my KDH patient care?
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Is my health information
available on the Internet?
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How is my health information protected?
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When I called the hospital
to see how my family member was doing, the KDH staff would not describe what the
problem with my family member was or their condition. Why is that?
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I have noticed that
many areas of the hospital are open and I can sometimes overhear staff talking to
patients or family about health information. Is this not a breach of patient privacy?
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Where is my KDH patient
record stored, and for how long?
What does KDH use my health information
for?
KDH uses your health information for the delivery of
direct patient care, administration of the health care system, research, teaching,
statistics, fundraising, and to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Examples of potential uses include:
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To identify your record quickly and accurately each time
you visit the hospital.
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To provide the most appropriate treatment. Your visit
to the hospital may include a number of assessments and treatments. All of this
information is recorded in your chart and made available to those involved in your
care. KDH keeps a history of your health information for your future care.
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To comply with legal and regulatory requirements. For
example, we collect your health information because it is required to fund health
care services.
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To improve the quality and efficiency with which we provide
health care services.
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To support KDH’s educational activities. Health information
is available for teaching purposes with measures taken to protect privacy and confidentiality.
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To share your contact information with the KDH foundations.
Our foundation works to support excellence in healthcare by raising funds for the
improvement of patient care. Telephone (705) 568-2203 if you don’t wish to be contacted.
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Can I request that KDH not collect
or use my health information for any of the following purposes: the delivery of
direct patient care, the administration of the health care system, to conduct research,
teaching, statistics, meeting legal and regulatory requirements fundraising?
KDH cannot adequately deliver care without the necessary information. The KDH Privacy
Policy states that we will only collect the information we need for the appropriate
episode of care you are undergoing. For more information or to request a copy of
the Privacy Policy, please contact the Privacy Office. Click here to view KDH Privacy
Policy.
KDH is required to report certain pieces of information to the Provincial Ministry
of Health (billing information), the Canadian Institute for Health Information (coded
discharge abstracts), Health Canada (public health surveillance), and Cancer Care
Ontario (pathology reports). This is done to ensure the health care system is running
optimally, and to conduct statistical comparisons of population health characteristics
over a broad geographical range.
The collection, uses, disclosures, and retentions described above are required as
a ongoing component of KDH’s ability to provide health care to the population it
serves, while working to enhance the health status of Canadians.
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Who does KDH give my health
information to?
KDH is required to disclose patient information to several other organizations.
This includes the Ministry of Health, The Canadian Institute for Health Information,
Public Health, and Cancer Care Ontario. Information may also be disclosed to other
physicians directly involved in the administering of care to our patients. KDH places
appropriate safeguards on the transmission of all information disclosed to other
organizations and seeks to ensure that health information protection measures are
in place and in accordance with the Ontario Health Information Protection Act.
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Does KDH ever sell patient information to drug companies, or anyone else?
KDH does not sell patient information to drug companies or to anyone else.
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Will KDH disclose my health information to any outside company or my employer?
KDH requires patient
consent, or a court order to disclose health information to any organization or
person not directly involved with the provision of patient care. KDH will ensure
that proper controls are in place to only disclose what is required.
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Can I access my health information?
You have a right
to access your personal health information, and KDH has an obligation to make it
available to you, with limited exceptions. Exceptions are made if releasing your
information would put yourself or a third party at risk, KDH may choose not to disclose
some, or all of that information.
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Where do I go to access my health information?
When you are a patient at KDH, you should ask
your healthcare provider for information that you want to know. If your request
is voluminous or substantial, or not covered by the information available to the
attending healthcare provider, you will be referred to Health Records. After you
have left KDH, you will need to contact Health Records to obtain or view
your KDH patient record. Please allow a reasonable amount of time for KDH to locate
your record.
Health Records will ask you to present the proper form
of identification in order for you to access your chart. You may access your own
personal information however you may not access third party information, information
about individuals other than yourself, that may be in your patient chart. If your
chart contains third party information, it may take up to 30 days to have this information
removed from your chart so that you may view it.
There is no charge for access, but there is a processing
fee associated with requesting a photocopy of the chart.
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What if I am unable to give consent?
If you are unable to give consent for a friend or family member to access
your chart due to reasons of competency or consciousness, the consent decision falls
to the appointed substitute decision maker such as a parent or guardian. This person
is bound by law to act on the your behalf and must make decisions based on their
belief of what you would wish done if you were able to decide.
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Can all KDH staff access my patient
record?
Only KDH staff involved in your care may access your
patient record. All KDH staff are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, which
is signed as a condition of employment. This agreement seeks to ensure staff only
access information on a need to know basis.
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Can my family physician
access my KDH health information?
KDH releases
discharge summaries to family physicians. KDH will release other information to
your family physician with your consent.
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Can I find out who has viewed my KDH patient chart?
Yes. If you have concerns about unauthorized personnel accessing your
information, you can make a request to the Privacy Contact to view all accesses
to your KDH patient chart. The KDH Privacy Contact will provide this information
to you in a timely manner. If you have further concerns upon receipt of your audit
report, you may make a complaint to the KDH Privacy Contact, who will pursue the
issue on your behalf.
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Is my health information
available on the Internet?
No, health information
is not publicly available on the Internet. KDH may use the Internet to transfer
unidentifiable health information securely through the Virtual Private Network,
Citrix or e-mail system. These systems are secured by a combination of authentication
and encryption.
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How is my health information protected?
There are three components to protecting patient information at KDH:
- Administrative Safeguards: The KDH Privacy Policy governs the manner in which all
KDH care providers and other employees manage patient information. Furthermore,
all KDH employees must sign a confidentiality agreement as a condition of employment.
- Physical Safeguards:
KDH has a number of physical safeguards which range from locked doors to staff wearing
photo identification to identify themselves as KDH employees.
- Technical Safeguards:
KDH’s technical department upgrades the security capabilities of the patient information
system on an ongoing basis. We have implemented role based access controls to ensure
staff only may access information on a need to know basis. The KDH patient information
system also uses passwords to protect the system from inappropriate accesses from
within and a firewall to protect our system from users on the Internet.
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When I called the hospital to see how my family member was doing, the KDH staff
would not describe what the problem with my family member was or their condition.
Why is that?
When you call KDH, staff has no way to
verify that you are who you say you are. Therefore, in order to protect patient
privacy, only a minimal amount of information is given out over the phone.
Unless you tell us not to, we will tell anyone who calls the hospital
or visits the hospital asking about you that: You are in the hospital (room #) and
your basic health condition (critical, fair, poor, etc.)
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I have noticed that many areas of the hospital are open
and I can sometimes overhear staff talking to patients or family about health information.
Is this not a breach of patient privacy?
Despite the pressures of an acute care hospital setting, staff make every
effort to discuss health information confidentially.
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Where is my KDH patient record stored, and for how long?
In general patient records are kept for
ten years past the date of last admission. Many Health Record Services, maintain
patient’s health records. All ambulatory, inpatient and emergency record same day
& information are combined in one paper chart.
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