Category: Hospitals

It’s that time of year again … annual statistical reporting to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. There has been some confusion this year. Let’s break down the rules … Question 1: Do we have to complete an annual statistical report?  There was some confusion this year as the IPC’s website originally stated that… Read more »

Did you know it is “Right to Know Week“? Right to Know Week is celebrated across Canada with events discussing privacy rights. It is a gathering of Canada’s Information and Privacy Commissioners and organizations and individuals who are interested in privacy. In Canada, and Ontario for purposes of this blog, the right to know means… Read more »

People will forget what you said but not how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou I read and hear all the time in the context of healthcare that particular action is required so that “patients and the public do not lose trust in the healthcare system”. Is being trustworthy something you should worry about? Yes…. Read more »

You may have heard that the Ontario government is consulting on new privacy legislation for the private sector. Here’s the announcement. And here’s the link to the survey where you can share your views. Deadline for feedback is October 1, 2020. The purpose is to give Ontarians more confidence when dealing in the digital world…. Read more »

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario released a new access and privacy fact sheet aimed at helping organizations and their staff navigate the “new normal” called “Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic“. In her related blog post, Commissioner Kosseim emphasizes that “it is essential that corporate policies and practices related to access, privacy,… Read more »

If you’ve been focused on COVID-19 response and transitioning to virtual care over the last few months, you may have missed that there have been some big changes to Ontario’s health privacy law, the Personal Health Information Protection Act. What did you miss?? Here’s a recap of Bill 188, Bill 138, and two sets of… Read more »

There have been some interesting health privacy decisions out of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s Office in the last few months. Here’s a recap: Decisions 119 and 121 – May and June 2020 Key Take Away Message: When there is a dispute over whether a health care organization has completed a “reasonable search”, the organization… Read more »

I have noticed over the last month that the tone of conversations has changed and social critique has resurfaced. Individuals are rightly asking more questions. There is greater need in all aspects of life and public service for clarity and certainty.  There are more queries and complaints about the impact of decisions made in the… Read more »

The global pandemic COVID-19 has left us all feeling unsettled at best. Some of us have no work. Some of us have too much work. Regardless of what camp you find yourself in – I thought this might be a message worth sharing. I was reminded this morning that I cannot be all things to… Read more »

The Public Hospitals Act deals with the relationship between hospitals and their Professional Staff members (physicians, dentists, midwives and some nurse practitioners). In a pandemic, pull out your Professional Staff By-laws and look for provisions dealing with temporary appointments to the Professional Staff to deal with an emergency. The concept of temporary appointments should be… Read more »