Your Privacy
Our health information system makes it possible to share your personal health information in a safe and secure digital format with doctors and other care providers in your “Circle of Care.” This means authorized care providers can have immediate access to your important personal health information when providing direct care to you, thus improving the care you receive.
NDMH is committed to keeping your personal health information (PHI) confidential and secure. We take steps to protect your PHI from theft, unauthorized access, inappropriate collection, use and disclosure. Protecting privacy is the law. We collect PHI about you directly from you or from the person acting on your behalf. Occasionally, we collect PHI about you from other sources if we have obtained your consent to do so or if the law permits.
We assume you consent to share your health information with external healthcare providers involved in your care, such as doctors, hospitals, clinics, long-term care homes, and community agencies. We may also ask external healthcare providers for information about you if we need it for your care.
We collect and use and disclose (meaning share) your health information to:
- Treat and care for you
- Provide appointment or preventative care reminders to you
- Send patient surveys to hear from you about the quality of care and services you received
- Update you of upcoming events, activities and programs
- Coordinate your care with your other health care providers including through shared electronic health information systems such as the Ontario Laboratory Information Systems (OLIS), Hospital Diagnostic Image Repository Services, ConnectingOntario, and local, regional and provincial programs
- Deliver and evaluate our programs
- Plan, administer and manage our internal operations
- Be paid or process, monitor, verify or reimburse claims for payment
- Conduct risk management, error management and quality improvement activities
- Educate our staff and students
- Dispose of your information
- Seek your permission (or permission of a substitute decision-maker) where appropriate
- Respond to or initiate proceedings
- Conduct research (subject to certain rules)
- Compile statistics
- Allow for the analysis, administration and management of the health system
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
- Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law
Your record is our property, but the information in your health record belongs to you. With limited exceptions, you have the right to access the health information we hold about you.
Request for correction to your personal health information
All consents, requests or general privacy/personal health information related questions can be directed to:
Health Records Department
(807) 887-3026 ext. 1230 (phone)
(807) 887-3754 (fax)
OR
Privacy Officer
(807) 887-3026 ext. 1242 (phone)
(807) 887-3754 (fax)
If, after contacting us you feel that your concerns have not been addressed to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Commissioner can be reached at:
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
1-800-387-0073