What is personal information?
Personal information, according to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner Of Canada, “is data about an “identifiable individual”. It is information that on its own or combined with other pieces of data, can identify you as an individual.” As a public body, you need to, according to Section 65 of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, inform your patients of the intended use of their personal information.
What is my responsibility regarding the collection of personal information?
From the moment you obtain information that allows you to identify a person, you have to adequately inform the concerned person before he gives you the expected personal information.
The first and last name of an individual does not allow an official identification, but from the moment you ask for the name of the person combined with other personal information, such as his address or his health insurance number (HIN), among others, you must be transparent about it by communicating the reasons for the collection and treatment of the information requested.
What are my obligations to the individual in relation to their personal information?
Also according to Section 65 of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the individual who provides personal information must be able to know the identity of the person who is collecting it. Thus, you must introduce yourself and inform the individual of the following aspects during the first collection of information and subsequently upon request:
- the name and address of the public body on whose behalf the information is being collected;
- the purposes for which the information is collected;
- the categories of persons who will have access to the information;
- the fact that a reply is obligatory, or that it is optional;
- the consequences for the person concerned or, as the case may be, for the third person, in case of a refusal to reply;
- the rights of access and correction provided by law.
Whereas Omnimed is concerned about the privacy and confidentiality of patients for whom the information is recorded in its electronic medical record (EMR), we invite you to contact us for any questions or clarifications regarding your responsibilities with respect to the collection of personal information.