When you visit our website, AHC (www.advancedhealth.ca), or any of its associated social networking sites (including, but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit), you are acknowledging and accepting the terms, conditions, and practices outlined in this Privacy Policy. Please note that these terms may change periodically without prior notice. This policy governs how we oversee your privacy and personal information that you provide to us or that we collect during your use of our facility or website, which is owned and operated by Advanced Healthcare (AHC).
Regarding Your Privacy: At AHC, we consider the privacy of personal information (PI) and Personal Health Information (PHI) to be of utmost importance. We conduct our business according to the highest privacy standards and data protection practices. We adhere to the Principles of Fair Information Practices and strive to go beyond legal requirements concerning privacy and personal data protection. Our commitment is to collect, use, and disclose personally identifying information only as necessary for the services we offer. We maintain transparency in how we oversee personal information, and this document outlines our privacy policies.
Personally Identifying Information: Personally identifying information" refers to data that can explicitly identify or contact you as an individual. This includes details like your real name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and more. In Canada, 'Personally Identifying Information' is defined in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) as information about an identifiable individual. It is distinct from business information, such as an individual's business address and phone number, which may not be protected by privacy legislation. The term "Personal Health Information" is defined in Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
Ten Privacy Principles: Advanced Healthcare is dedicated to safeguarding the privacy of its customers and visitors to its facilities and website. We believe that privacy and the protection of personal information and personal health information are fundamental principles of a free society. Individuals should have control over their information, and organizations overseeing personal information should be accountable. We are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of your personal information.
As part of this commitment, we have adopted ten principles based on the values outlined in the Canadian Standards Association's Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, as well as Canada's PIPEDA and Ontario's PHIPA.
Accountability: Advanced Healthcare takes responsibility for maintaining and safeguarding personal information and personal health information within its control. We may designate one or more individuals to be accountable for AHC's compliance with these principles.
Identifying Purposes: At Advanced Healthcare's facility, we collect PI/PHI for the following primary purposes:
- For Clients: We collect, use, and disclose personal information to provide chiropractic, massage therapy, physiotherapy, primary care, and occupational therapy treatment. This includes information about a client's health history, physical condition, and social situation, helping us assess their health needs, advise on options, and provide chosen healthcare. A secondary primary purpose is to obtain baseline health and social information to track changes over time, typically with the client's express consent.
- For Members of the General Public: We collect personal information to notify of extraordinary events or inform about AHC's services or clinic. While we prefer work contact information, we might collect home addresses, fax numbers, and email addresses. We aim to obtain consent before using such personal information, and upon request, we remove personal information from our distribution list. On our website, we only collect the personal information you provide for the specific purpose you intended, such as responding to emails or subscribing to newsletters. Cookies are used solely for website navigation and not for monitoring individuals.
- For Contact Staff, Volunteers, and Students: We collect personal information for people contracted to collaborate with us. The primary purpose is to maintain contact for future work assignments and necessary work-related communication, like sending paychecks. Typically, we obtain consent before collecting such information, except in emergencies or legal matters. If these individuals request reference letters or evaluations, we collect work-related performance information and provide authorized reports.
Related and Secondary Purposes: Like most organizations, we also collect, use, and disclose information for related and secondary purposes, including:
- Invoicing clients, processing payments, or collecting unpaid accounts.
- Advising clients about product or service reviews.
- Notifying clients and others of unique events or opportunities.
- At Advanced Healthcare's website, we collect PI for various purposes, such as determining eligibility, providing information, understanding, and assessing clients' needs, billing, communication, administration, audits, legal compliance, and registration for seminars, workshops, or services with consent.
Consent: We obtain individual consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information and personal health information. Providing us with your PI/PHI is voluntary. When you request services, your consent allows us to collect, use, and disclose personal information to appropriate third parties for these purposes. You also authorize us to use and retain this information as required.
Limiting Collection: We collect personal information and personal health information only to the extent necessary for identified purposes. We gather personally identifying information when you knowingly provide it to us.
Information Collection and Use at Advanced Healthcares Facility:
Collection of Personal Health Information: We collect your personal health information at our clinic directly from you or your authorized representative. This information includes health card details, name, date of birth, address, health history, visit records, and treatment details. In some cases, we may collect personal health information from other sources with your consent or as permitted by law.
We only collect personally identifying information when you specifically and knowingly provide it to us. Such information will be held strictly confidential. We believe you should be aware of what information we collect and how it will be used before sharing it with us. Personally identifying information is requested when you seek information, register for services, or submit forms. We do not share personally identifying information with third parties without your explicit permission.
Our Facility reviews client and other files to ensure quality services and assess staff performance. External consultants may conduct audits and quality reviews on our behalf, including reviewing client files and interviewing staff. Regulatory bodies may inspect our records and interview staff for public interest reasons. We report serious misconduct, incompetence, or incapacity of other practitioners, as required. Government agencies may review our files as part of their mandates. In such cases, we may consult professionals (e.g., accountants, lawyers) who will investigate and report back to us.
The cost of some services provided by the organization to clients may be covered by third parties (e.g., OHIP, Extended Private Insurance, Assistive Devices Program). These third-party payers may direct us to collect and disclose certain information to demonstrate client entitlement to funding.
We retain client information for a minimum of ten years to respond to questions and provide ongoing services.
If Advanced Healthcare or its assets are sold, the purchaser may review Clinic records as part of due diligence, but personal information must remain confidential. Only reputable purchasers already committed to buying the business would have access for due diligence.
You can choose to opt-out of some related or secondary purposes, but certain purposes are not optional (e.g., external regulation).
Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention: We do not sell client lists or personally identifying information. Personal information and personal health information are used or disclosed only for the identified purposes unless individuals consent or when required or permitted by law. Information is retained only as long as necessary for those purposes.
Protecting Personal Information at Advanced Healthcare: We take extensive measures to protect personally identifying information:
- Paper information is supervised or secured in restricted areas.
- Electronic hardware is supervised or secured and protected by passwords.
- Information is transmitted through secure channels or anonymized/encrypted.
- Staff is trained to manage personal information responsibly.
- External consultants and agencies must enter privacy agreements.
- When personal information is no longer needed, paper files are shredded, electronic data is securely deleted, and hardware may be physically destroyed.
Openness: We provide information about our policies and procedures for managing personal information and personal health information.
Individual's Access: Upon written or email request to our Privacy Officer, Dr. Pisarek, individuals can learn about the existence, use, and disclosure of their personal information or personal health information under our control. They may also access this information as permitted by law and challenge its accuracy and completeness.
Challenging Compliance: Questions or concerns about compliance with our privacy policies and procedures can be addressed to our Privacy Officer, Dr. Pisarek.
Cookies: Cookies are small files created by websites when you visit them. They track your site usage and may store information about your visit. Our website uses "session cookies" to enhance your online experience. Most browsers allow you to accept or decline cookies. Disabling cookies may affect your user experience on our site.
We use Google Analytics for anonymous website usage analysis. We do not collect personally identifying information through this tool.
Links to Other Websites: Our website may contain links to partner and third-party sites not governed by this privacy policy. We are not responsible for their privacy policies.
Children's Privacy: Our website is not intended for children under thirteen, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
E-mail: When you email us, we use your name and email address only to respond to your concerns. Your email may be shared within our organization to address your concerns.
Opting Out or Unsubscribing: We offer opt-out options for information not related to our site. Users who no longer wish to receive information from us can unsubscribe by emailing us.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy: We reserve the right to update this policy. Substantial changes will be communicated.