Privacy Policy

Protecting your Personal Health Information (PHI)

The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) is consent-based legislation that establishes legal requirements for the collection, use, disclosure and disposal of your personal health information (PHI). We have administrative, physical and technical security measures in place to protect your PHI from theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal. We conduct audits and perform investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance.

You or a person who can legally make decisions for you about your personal health information. Your PHI is shared among your doctors, nurses, residents and all other members of your healthcare team. We collect, use and share your PHI with others as necessary to:

• Provide you with health care, both within and outside the hospital
• Communicate or consult about your healthcare with your doctor(s) and other health care providers
• Receive payment for your health care and hospital services, including OHIP, WSIB and private insurance
• For planning and researching the health system
• Report as required or permitted by law

When you come to the hospital for service, we operate under your implied consent; that is by coming to the hospital, you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information by and among your healthcare providers in support of providing you with the best care possible. You may withdraw or limit your consent in writing and we will immediately stop the collection, use and disclosure of your information. This may have treatment implications and is not retrospective.

With certain exceptions, you or a person who can make decisions about your PHI have the right to:

• See and get a copy of your personal health information or hospital record.
• Ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete PHI.
• Ask us to not share your PHI with other healthcare providers unless we are permitted or required by law to do so.
• Be told if your PHI is lost, stolen, compromised or improperly accessed.

Visitors or callers may be told general information about you, such as your location in the hospital and your general health condition, unless you tell us not to provide such information.

Clergy

If you provide us information regarding your faith group affiliation, parish or congregation, we may give your name and room location to a member of the clergy of your faith group, unless you tell us not to provide that information.

Fundraising

The Brant Community Healthcare System relies on patient and community support for part of our funding. We or the hospital’s Foundation may use your name and contact information to ask you for support, unless you tell us not to do so.

We will obtain your consent before we disclose your information for research projects. Some research projects DO NOT require your consent and have safeguards in place to protect your privacy. We may use your PHI without your consent for our own education, planning and management. We may also provide your PHI to certain prescribed entities under PHIPA for planning and management of the healthcare system.