Patient Privacy
Your privacy is important to us!
All of Ontario's 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are subject to the requirements of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), which mandates the protection of the privacy of your personal health information.
The Central East Local Health Integration Network (Central East LHIN) is committed to the principles set out in this legislation, which requires that we safeguard and protect your information. As part of our commitment, we believe that our patients should know what personal health information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and how to contact us.
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding privacy at the Central East LHIN, privacy policies, access to your record, correction of information, or if you have a privacy issue, you may contact our Privacy Officer at:
Pam Armstrong
Privacy Officer
Central East LHIN
920 Champlain Court
Whitby, Ontario L1N 6K9
Phone Number: 1-800-263-3877
e-mail: ceprivacyofficer@lhins.on.ca
What is personal health information?
Personal Health Information includes information about your health status, health history, health card number, eligibility for health-care services, and care needs that includes identifying information about you, such as your name.
Your Privacy Rights
You have the right to know how we collect your information
LHINs collect, use and share personal and health information with other health-care providers involved in your care, for the provision of in-home health and support services, in-school support services and to facilitate placement in a long-term care home.
These activities will only take place with your consent. In some cases, we rely on your implied consent.
Implied consent means that when you seek health care from us, we assume that we have your permission to collect, use and share your personal health information with the other health-care providers that will be involved in your care. To provide you with these services, your LHIN shares information with:
- our contracted service providers that provide health care, equipment and supplies;
- other health partners that assist in providing health care (such as hospitals or long-term care homes); and
- authorized LHIN staff.
In addition, we may use your information in order to:
- monitor quality of services that you are receiving;
- educate our staff; and
- plan and evaluate services.
As a LHIN patient, you have the right to restrict or to withdraw this permission at any time by contacting the Self- Management program.
Cookies
Some government websites use cookies. A cookie is a small text file sent from a Web server and placed on your computer’s hard drive. A cookie is generally used to enhance your browsing experience. You can choose to set your browser to detect and reject cookies, to accept cookies from all sites, or to prompt you whenever a site wants to send you a cookie. If you choose, they may be used to 'remember' your password and make it easier and faster to log-in to certain sites. Check your browser’s "Help" files to learn how to do this. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to access some of the interactive features on our websites.
Cookies used by the Government of Ontario, do not give us access to anything on your hard drive and cannot do anything to your computer. Cookies used by the Government are encrypted for security purposes to make any information in the cookie unreadable to anyone except the government organization with which you are dealing. Ontario government organizations use two types of cookies: session cookies (temporary) or persistent cookies (longer-term continuing use).
- • session cookies may be used to support on-line feedback/discussion, forms and registration and 'e-commerce/shopping cart' transactions - they are used only during your online session and expire when you close your browser. Without session cookies, moving around our Web sites could be much slower
- • persistent cookies are different from session cookies because they are stored on your computer’s hard drive for some length of time - they are usually used if you want us to remember information about your Web preferences (e.g. large font) and passwords for automatic log-in purposes
Further information on 'cookies' is at the website of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: If you wanted to know…What to do about Cookies.
You have the right to access your information
You have the right to access the personal health information contained in your record, and to have this information corrected or amended. You also have the right to change or remove your consent. To do so, please contact the Privacy Officer at 1-800-263-3877.
You have the right to voice your concerns
If you believe any of your privacy rights have been violated in any way, please contact the Privacy Officer for Central East LHIN.
If the Central East LHIN's Privacy Officer has not resolved your concerns to your satisfaction, you have a right to file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario (IPC).
For further information on the Central East LHIN policy and guiding principles please see here »
The IPC may be reached by:
Phone:
- 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073
Online:
Mail:
- Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Privacy principles
Central East LHIN adheres to the 10 internationally accepted privacy principles that guide us in safeguarding personal health information.
1. Accountability
Central East LHIN has assigned an individual to serve as Privacy Officer and has privacy policies and procedures in place.
2. Identifying Purposes
Central East LHIN ensures that individuals know the purpose for which personal information is required prior to collection, use, or disclosure of the information.
3. Consent
Consent is sought and obtained for the collection, use, or disclosure of any personal health information as required under legislation.
4. Limiting Collection
The collection of personal health information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by the Central East LHIN. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
Personal health information will not be used or disclosed for other than those purposes for which it was collected without the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal health information shall be retained only as long as necessary for the purpose.
6. Accuracy
Central East LHIN will ensure that personal health information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. Individuals have the right to request to have inaccurate information corrected.
7. Safeguards
Appropriate security controls, for both technology and staff, are in place and maintained to ensure there is no unauthorized use or disclosure of personal information.
8. Openness
Central East LHIN will readily make available to individuals the policies and procedures that support our commitment to privacy.
9. Individual Access
Central East LHIN has a process for individuals, upon request, to access their personal health information and to challenge its accuracy.
10. Challenging Compliance
An individual may challenge compliance to these principles through the Central East LHIN's Privacy Officer.
Correspondence
If you correspond with us via e-mail, the postal service, facsimile, or other form of communication, we may retain such correspondence and the information contained therein and use such to respond to your inquiry.
Importantly, e-mail and postal address information is never sold, given, or otherwise disclosed to third parties, except as set forth herein or in accordance with applicable laws.
Please limit the type of personal health information you include in an e-mail or text as it may be stored by a telecommunications provider (external third party) where the information is not encrypted or protected.
Helpful Links
Ontario Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner
Personal Health Information and Protection Act, 2004
Requests for Release of Information
All requests for release of patient information should be made directly to the LHIN that served the patient. Find your LHIN to determine the correct LHIN Health Records department to send your request.