There is a new health privacy decision 75 of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Bottom line for health care organizations: If a client has died, you have to be careful about the release of health records to the estate trustees under the will.  If the will appoints multiple estate trustees (executors) – you… Read more »

Decision 74 just released by the Information and Privacy Commissioner is another snooping case. My summary of all the IPC decisions is available here. A physician used a hospital’s electronic health record system to look at the records of a patient numerous times without authorization.  The physician was related to the patient by marriage and… Read more »

By Maria McDonald, McDonald HR Law You ask your lawyer to draft your health organization’s employment contract or termination release language because you want it done right. You want to limit your exposure for termination pay in an employment contract You want to ensure the termination release prevents the employee from raising any more legal… Read more »

So very excited to share with you my brand new video series for Privacy Officers in the health sector.  And it is FREE! Watch this video for all the information and to sign up Free Privacy Officer Training Video Series

Thrilled to be celebrating 2 years at Kate Dewhirst Health Law and Law2Life Coaching. This year has been amazing and also very difficult.  When asked, I’ve been answering, “It’s been the best of times and the worst of times.” The BEST! We welcomed dozens of new clients. The heart of our work is serving healthcare… Read more »

By Steven Stechley, McGill Global Health Scholar You know what kindness is… but what is lateral kindness? Lateral kindness is a term originating from the west coast that refers to non-hierarchical kindness within Indigenous communities. It is a concept that draws on Indigenous values which promote and celebrate positive things that take place within the… Read more »

Normally, I am an upbeat happy person. Not today. Sometimes I get the blues.  Maybe you do too. Today, my life feels like a Country song.  It goes something like this … My beloved dog of 11 years died a few days ago. My house was broken into on Sunday. I discovered that this morning… Read more »

According to a CBC report published yesterday, a home medical services company was recently hacked and tens of thousands of health records for home care patients across Ontario were held for ransom. The home care company issued a public statement in June 2018 confirming that it had been the victim of a cyber attack. A group… Read more »

Not everyone who trains as a physician practices medicine or continues to practice medicine. Some choose to work in a hospital environment but not as a physician such as in administration, research, information technology, finance, risk, law, policy, public relations, or interdisciplinary professional practice. Medical training can be an enormous advantage for a candidate applying… Read more »

As of July 1st, Nurse Practitioners (nurses in the extended class) in Ontario must now report certain conditions and impairments that could negatively impact an individual’s ability to drive. NPs join physicians and optometrists in this mandatory reporting duty. For all my family health teams, nurse practitioner-led clinics, community health centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres,… Read more »