If you are a CEO or ED of a healthcare organization, you need to talk to your board about risk. How do you do it without scaring them or boring them? You make risk real. You explain real situations that have happened to similar organizations. Here are a couple of pointers: Give them a risk architecture:… Read more »

Have you seen this tool from HIROC – the Health Insurance Reciprocal of Canada? Cyber-Guide If you are a Privacy Officer in healthcare – you should read this tool.  It’s great. It’s brand new – November 2017. You may have a vague understanding of words like “ransomware” and “phishing” and “social engineering“.  And maybe you… Read more »

The Patient Ombudsman just released her first report: Patient Ombudsman Annual_Report_Final_EN A year of patient and caregiver conversations and complaints by the numbers: Almost 2000 complaints 1431 complaints received by phone 553 written complaints Complaints were made by: 37% patients 29% substitute decision-makers 23% caregivers 6% family members 5% other Some complaints were rerouted to other… Read more »

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario released new guidelines that will come into effect March 2019 but require healthcare organizations to start tracking certain kinds of privacy breaches as of January 2018. Click here for the Annual Reporting of Privacy Breach Statistics to the Commissioner guidelines. Starting January 1st, Ontario’s healthcare organizations (all those who… Read more »

Last week, I was the keynote speaker at the Law Society of Ontario’s Coach and Advisor Network first anniversary party – called “CANfest 2017”. I share my speaking notes in this blog so you can get a window into what can happen through coaching.  Enjoy! Coaching creates pathways to magic I want to begin my… Read more »

Calling all FHTs, FHOs, NPLCs (and birth centres) – join me and Maria McDonald from McDonald HR Law for my 5th annual Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams which will launch January 2018. Here’s the line up: January 4 – Protected leaves of absence from the workplace (including the new domestic and sexual violence leave )… Read more »

Today – I’m a unicorn. I have always loved Halloween.  Since I was a kid I loved getting dressed up and watching the imaginations of other people bringing amazing costumes to life. Do you remember a favourite costume someone wore? Some of mine: I remember seeing a little kid a few years ago who wore… Read more »

Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner just released six new health privacy decisions at the end of last week. Want to know what they are about? You can read my updated summaries of all 56 of the IPC PHIPA Decisions. Or keep reading this blog for summaries of these six. The decisions are not listed in chronological… Read more »

What commitments have you made to your patients, team members and the public? When I work with a healthcare organization through a difficult situation (like a patient complaint or a privacy breach) I always look at their mission, vision and values.  These public statements should guide all decision making through difficult times.  These statements are your guide… Read more »

Last week the IPC issued two new decisions for health care organizations in Ontario. The first one has practical impact on group practices like family health teams. Group practices should proactively clarify who is the health information custodian  Decision 50 – This one will interest all family health teams and other group practices. It relates to… Read more »