Listening to the Podcast, “We Can Do Hard Things” with Glennon Doyle, in Episode 118 Cheryl Strayed (author of “Wild” and other best-selling books) said that the best advice she ever received was from her mother who told her that as often as possible she should “put herself in the way of beauty“. By that… Read more »
This week is our 6th anniversary as Kate Dewhirst Health Law. 6 years! When I started this business, I had a 1 year old and a 3 year old. Those were intense times of parenting. I had 17 years’ experience as a lawyer. I had been an employee in a law firm and a hospital. … Read more »
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has released its annual Statistical Report for 2021. Below is a summary of the high-level take-aways: Access Requests: There were 137,481 requests for access to personal health information in 2021, a 2.5% decrease from 2020 when 140,950 requests were received. Health institutions completed 137,234 requests for access to personal health… Read more »
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner (Patricia Kosseim) has released her 2021 annual report. The report reflects on the shift towards an increasingly digital society over the course of the past year and describes the IPC’s role in protecting people’s privacy while supporting innovation in our province. In addition to reporting on the IPC’s adjudication of… Read more »
IPC Decision 178 is a correction request submitted by a wife on behalf of her husband. The husband was a client of a LHIN and had undergone a home case assessment, following which, a determination was made that he was not eligible for increased hours of personal support services. The wife sought changes to the… Read more »
IPC decision 177 is a companion decision to IPC Decision 176. Both decisions centre around the shared records of two hospitals who provided care to a patient prior to his death by suicide. See the take-aways from Decision 166 here. The patient’s father filed a complaint with the IPC after reviewing an audit of his… Read more »
The Information and Privacy Commissioner has released Decision 176, which speaks to the use of electronic medical record (EMR) credentials by individuals other than the authorized user. The decision arose after the father of a patient asked for an audit of his son’s hospital records, following his son’s death by suicide. The records were located… Read more »
Full-Time Office Magician – Come Join our Admin Team! We are excited to recruit an additional administrative member who is eager to showcase their ability to support, collaborate and grow within an entrepreneurial team. This is a full-time position with benefits. Salary will be negotiated depending on experience. Please submit a PDF resume and cover… Read more »
On March 24, 2022, the Ontario Divisional Court released its decision in Stewart v Demme (2022 ONSC 1790), a class action case against William Osler Health System and one of its ex-nurses (Demme). The case deals with the tort of intrusion upon seclusion, which is a claim that can be advanced by individuals affected by… Read more »
Oh happy day! I’ll admit, I have been moping around for awhile. All the usual reasons why – but I’ve been moping. TODAY I WAS EXCITED! Our Personal Health Information Protection Act is going to be amended to acknowledge the role of Ontario Health Teams. See Schedule 4 of Bill 106 or read on! Ontario… Read more »
Free webinars - advance registration needed
Whether you're an experienced privacy officer or new in the field, pick Kate’s brain for free for an hour, in this live webinar. No charge, but you’ll need to register in advance.
For Privacy Officers within healthcare organizations.
This course focuses on how to become a more confident privacy officer and gives you the tools to document your privacy program. Full details and registration here...
For Privacy Officers within healthcare organizations
This is an annual membership program that takes theory into practice and tackles real life scenarios to build Privacy Officer skills.
Full details and registration here.
Part of Kate’s monthly webinar series.
Our February program will address an update on the laws that apply to Primary Care Teams and in March we discuss human rights tips.
Full details of the 2023 webinar series and registration here.
For Primary Care clinics, Hospitals, Community Agencies, Mental Health Teams, Public Health Units, School Boards, Police departments
Kate trains health professionals from many more health care organizations how being privacy-respectful can improve therapeutic relationships. More details...
For Credentialing Officers from hospitals such as Medical Affairs leaders, Chiefs of Staff and Credentialing Committee Chairs
This is an annual membership program that builds capacity within your hospital.
Full details and registration here.
Want to read privacy breach stories to learn how to improve your work? We have summarized all the Information and Privacy Commissioner's health privacy decisions for you Download here...
Kate says:
My mission is bringing the law to life. I make legal theory understandable, accessible and fun! I’m available and love to work for all organizations in the healthcare sector across Ontario and beyond.
P.O. Box 97010 Roncesvalles
Toronto Ontario M6R 3B3
(416) 855 9557