PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION POLICY

 

Dunwin Dental recognizes the importance of privacy and the sensitivity of personal information, in particular, personal health information. Protecting your personal information is an important component in the provision of quality dental services to you. We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing your personal information in a responsible fashion, and only to the extent necessary for the service we provide.

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Dunwin Dental is responsible for the personal information we collect and hold. To ensure this accountability, we have developed the Privacy Policy which outlines how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy.

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​WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

 

​Your personal information is any information that identifies you, or by which your identity could be deduced. Personal information includes any health-related information.​

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PURPOSE FOR THE COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

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If we do not collect and use your personal information, we cannot provide dental services to you. We collect, use and disclose personal information for the following purposes:

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• To deliver quality dental services to you

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• To identify you

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• To assess your health needs

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• To advise a dental specialist or your family physician with respect to your health-related matters, and to render a treatment recommendation

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• To contact you and maintain communication with you, including, to book and confirm appointments

 

• To communicate with health-care providers and organizations where required for your health care

 

• To complete and submit claims for payment to third parties such as insurance providers to get paid for the services rendered to you

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• To follow-up for treatment, care and billing

 

• To collect unpaid accounts and to process payments in general

 

• To deliver your charts and records to our insurance carrier to enable the insurance to assess liability and quantify damages, if any

 

• To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including the delivery of your patient charts and records to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO)

 

• To comply with the regulatory requirements and applicable laws in general

 

• For teaching and demonstrating purposes on an anonymous basis (if possible)

 

• For research, health surveillance and statistical analysis of data purposes

 

• To permit potential purchasers or advisors to evaluate the office in preparation for a sale

 

• For administrative/management activities such as planning resource allocation, reporting or evaluation

 

• Such other purpose(s) that may be identified before or at the time the information is collected

 

​We will only collect that information necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. To the extent that your personal information is to be used or disclosed for a purpose not previously identified, we will identify the new purpose before we use or disclose your personal information. If you are unclear, our staff will be able to explain to you the purpose for which the information is being collected at the time of collection.

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When you agree to dental care by Dunwin Dental, you are deemed to understand and accept our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information for the purposes specified above.

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HOW IS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED?

 

​We collect your personal information directly from you during your visits to our dental office in Mississauga. We collect your personal information only lawfully and fairly. ​

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CONSENT

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We seek your informed consent for the collection, use and/or disclosure of your personal information, except where it might be inappropriate to obtain your consent, and subject to some exceptions set out in law. You may provide your consent to us either orally or in writing. Your consent may also be implied through your conduct with us. 

 

In certain circumstances, we may collect, use or disclose personal information without your knowledge or consent as permitted by law. For example, you are unconscious, too sick or not lucid; collection or use od your personal information is clearly in your interests and your consent cannot be obtained in a timely fashion; to comply with a subpoena, warrant or court order, or as required by law.

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LIMITED COLLECTION, USE, DISCLOSURE AND RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

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The collection of your personal information is limited to what is necessary for the purposes identified in this policy. Similarly, your personal information is collected with your consent, or as required by law.

 

We retain your patient records in a way that protects your privacy. This includes electronic records and hardware. We retain your records and images as required by law and regulations.

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UPDATING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

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Your personal information can change with time. Because we use your personal information to provide dental services to you, we will use reasonable best efforts to ensure that your information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as necessary for the purposes that it is to be used. When any of your personal information provided to us changes, please inform us immediately so that we can make any necessary changes. 

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INFORMATION SECURITY

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We take all reasonable precautions to ensure that your personal information is kept safe from loss, theft, unauthorized access, modification, use, copying, disclosure or tampering. We protected your personal information whether it is recorded on paper or electronically. Our staff are also aware of the importance of maintaining the security and confidentiality of all personal information in our possession. 

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COMMUNICATING WITH YOU

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We are sensitive to the privacy of your health information and this is reflected in how we communicate with both you and other involved in your case. We protect personal health information regardless of its format.

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• Telephone: Your preference with regards to phone messages will be taken into consideration.

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• Fax: We don’t maintain a physical fax machine and use pre-programmed numbers to send transmissions where required (in extremely limited number of cases).

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• Post/Courier: When health information is transferred to another location, it is placed in a sealed envelope and directed to the attention of the authorized recipient.

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ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

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You may ask for access to your personal information that we hold upon receiving a written request and with reasonable notice. If required, we will also advise you whether or not we hold personal information about you, how the information has been used, and to whom it has been disclosed.

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If your request is more detailed, we may charge a reasonable fee for photocopying, converting information to an alternate format (if applicable) and staff time. We will inform you of the approximate costs before processing your request. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period of time and we will try to be as specific as possible.

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Your right to access your personal information is not absolute. We may deny access for several different reasons, including, if providing you information:

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• would likely reveal information about another individual, unless the other individual’s information is severable or the other individual third party has consented

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• could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual, unless the third party information is severable

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• is protected by solicitor-client privilege

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• would reveal confidential commercial information

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• is required or authorized by law

 

​If we deny your request for access to your personal information, we shall explain why.

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