Category: News

I have been absent from social media and our communities for a few months. I had a little undercover work to do in the healthcare system.  It was not voluntary! I had ovarian cancer and needed surgery. It was caught early and I should have a full recovery. Over time, I will have more to… 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 »

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 »

International Women’s Day is a global effort to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is celebrated annually on March 8. This year’s theme (#BreakTheBias) is focussed on eliminating stereotypes and discrimination to achieve gender equality and encourage a world that is diverse, inclusive, and where differences are valued and celebrated…. Read more »

Physicians (as well as dentists, midwives and some NPs) working at hospitals in Ontario must undergo an annual credentialing process to receive privileges.  The initial application process to consider a new physician brings with it the highest levels of scrutiny. Subsequent renewals of physician privileges are perceived as more of a formality and sometimes even… Read more »

I saw this quote in social media and it spoke to me. For all the strong, capable, resilient folks out there – continuing to lead – continuing to comfort everyone during this pandemic – I see you. Last Thursday, Maria McDonald and I were scheduled to host a webinar for our Legal Issues for Primary… Read more »

At the start of a new year, during the continuation of a pandemic and while experiencing a lockdown, I keep having to remind myself, “You are not alone”. I had this image commissioned by gapingvoid – my favourite culture design company – for my health privacy work. I use it to remind health care team… Read more »