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| Frequently Asked Questions for Patients
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What does UHN use my health
information for?
UHN
uses your 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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Administration of the healthcare system: UHN needs
some basic information about you to be able to identify
your records when you visit the hospital.
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Research: You may be asked if you wish to participate
in a clinical trial.
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Teaching: Your clinician may have one of their students
insert your IV in order to learn how to do this. OR
A clinician may ask their students opinion on your
treatment.
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Statistics: To enable continuous quality improvement
UHN keeps statistics on all patient visits.
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Your basic contact information may also be used by
one of the four UHN foundations to contact you for
the purpose of fundraising.
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Legal Requirements: UHN receives court documents requesting
your personal health information for a legal investigation.
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Regulatory requirements: UHN collects your Health
Insurance number, because it is required for the processing
and funding of services.
Can
I request that UHN 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?
UHN
cannot adequately deliver care without the necessary
information. The UHN 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 UHN Privacy Policy.
UHN
is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University
of Toronto. As a teaching institution, UHN uses health
information for the purposes of research and teaching.
UHN personnel may only collect and use the minimum amount
of information necessary to fulfill the requirements
for an approved study or purpose. Before researchers
may access this information, UHN removes as much identifying
information as possible. For example, you would always
be asked if you want to be in a clinical trial, or any
other research that may have a direct impact on your
care.
UHN
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 an ongoing component of UHN’s
ability to provide health care to the population it
serves, while working to enhance the health status of
Canadians.
From
time to time, you may be contacted by one of the University
Health Network Foundations. The Foundations are dedicated
to supporting excellence in health care by raising funds
for research, medical education, and the improvement
of patient care. You may request to be removed from
our fundraising contact list at any point in time by
contacting the Privacy Office
or the appropriate
UHN Foundation.
Who
does UHN give my health information to?
UHN
is required to disclose patient information to several
other organizations. This includes the Ministry of Health,
The Canadian Institute for Health Information, Toronto
Public Health, and Cancer Care Ontario. Information
may also be disclosed to other physicians directly involved
in the administering of care to our patients. UHN places
appropriate safeguards on the transmission of all information
disclosed to other organizations and seeks to ensure
that data protection measures are in place such as the
Ontario Freedom of Information Protection of Privacy
Act.
Does
UHN ever sell patient information to drug companies,
or anyone else?
UHN
does not sell patient information to drug companies
or to anyone else.
Will
UHN disclose my health information to any outside company
or my employer?
UHN
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.
UHN will ensure that proper controls are in place to
only disclose what is required.
Can
I access my health information?
You
have a right to access your personal health information,
and UHN 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, UHN may choose not to disclose some, or all
of that information.
Where
do I go to access my health information?
When you are a patient at UHN, 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 UHN, you will need to contact
Health Records to obtain or view your UHN patient
record. Please allow a reasonable amount of time for
UHN 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.
Can
my family see my health information?
Although
you have the right to access your charts, this right
does not automatically extend to family members and/or
friends. If you consent to let a friend or family member
see your chart, then the friend/family member may access
the part(s) that you have consented to let them see.
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 the you would wish done if you were able to
decide.
Can
all UHN staff access my patient record?
Only
UHN staff involved in your care may access your patient
record. All UHN 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.
Can
my family physician access my UHN health information?
UHN
releases discharge summaries to family physicians. UHN
will release other information to your family physician
with your consent.
Can
I find out who has viewed my UHN patient chart?
Yes.
If you have concerns about unauthorized personnel accessing
your information, you can make a request to the Privacy
Office or Patient Relations to view all accesses to
your UHN patient chart. The UHN Corporate Privacy Office
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 UHN Corporate
Privacy Officer, who will pursue the issue on your behalf.
Is
my health information available on the Internet?
No,
health information is not publicly available on the
Internet. UHN may use the Internet to transfer unidentifiable
health information securely through the Virtual Private
Network or e-mail system. These systems are secured
by a combination of authentication and encryption.
How
is my health information protected?
There
are three components to protecting patient information
at UHN:
- Administrative
Safeguards: The UHN Privacy Policy governs the
manner in which all UHN care providers and other employees
manage patient information. Furthermore, all UHN employees
must sign a confidentiality agreement as a condition
of employment.
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Physical Safeguards: UHN has a number of
physical safeguards which range from locked doors
to staff wearing photo identification to identify
themselves as UHN employees.
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Technical Safeguards: UHN’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 UHN 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.
When
I called the hospital to see how my family member was
doing, the UHN staff would not describe what the problem
with my family member was or their condition. Why is
that?
When
you call UHN, 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.
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.
Where
is my UHN patient record stored, and for how long?
In general patient records are kept for ten
years past the date of last admission. For the purpose
of research, some patient groups’ medical records
are kept for longer. Many departments within UHN, including
Radiology and Health Record Services, maintain patient’s
health records. Each clinic at Toronto General and Toronto
Western maintains their own patient record that is separate
from the inpatient/same day/emergency record and separate
from the radiological films. At PMH the ambulatory and
inpatient/same day information are combined in one paper
chart.
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