What is Personal Information?
Personal information includes information that relates to: an individual’s personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income, home address or telephone number, ethnic background, family status); health (e.g., health history, health conditions, health services received); activities and views (e.g., opinions expressed by an individual, an opinion or evaluation of an individual).
Collection of Personal Information
Your personal information is collected, used and disclosed in order to serve you in accordance with the standards and guidelines set out by the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), 2004. The primary purpose for collecting personal information is to provide treatment. For example, information is collected about your health history, including family history, physical condition and function in order to help assess what your health needs are, to advise you of your options and then to provide the health care (massage therapy) that you choose to have.
Disclosure of Personal Information
Occasionally, third parties may request your information, such as insurance companies or employers, however, we must receive your written permission in order to release the information. There are certain instances in which your information may be used or shared when consent is not required. A few examples are to eliminate or reduce risk of serious bodily harm; to a medical officer of health or public health authority; for the purpose of a legal proceeding or complying with a court order; to comply with external regulators: RMTs are regulated by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) who may inspect our records and interview our staff as a part of its regulatory activities in the public interest.
You have the right of access to your own personal health information with a few exceptions, such as information relating to legal proceedings or investigations.
Storage and Destruction of Information
Your information will be retained in a secure method. Paper files are either under supervision or in a secure, locked cabinet. Electronic information is password protected and stored on a secured server. As required by the Massage Therapy Act, client files will be kept for ten years from the date of the last treatment, or if the patient is less than 18 years old, 10 years from the date the patient becomes 18 years of age.
Paper files containing personal health information are destroyed by cross-cut shredding. Electronic information is destroyed by deleting it in a manner that it cannot be restored. When hardware is discarded, the data is erased or overwritten in a manner that the information cannot be recovered and the hardware itself is physically destroyed.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact us:
Spring Wellness Clinic
214-1560 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4T 2S9
Tel: 647-317-1771
[email protected]
www.springwellness.ca
You may also contact the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO):
810- 1867 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4S 1Y5
Tel: 416-489-2626 Toll Free 1-800-465-1933
Fax: 416-489-2625
[email protected]
www.cmto.com
Finally, you may always contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario:
1400-2 Bloor Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Tel: 416-326-3333 Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
Fax: 416-325-9195
www.ipc.on.ca