About Us

Privacy Office

Ambulance and paramedic in front of HGMH entrance

Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of all personal health information to which we are entrusted.

Privacy of personal and health information is a priority at Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital. We have stringent practices and processes in place to ensure protection of the information, keeping in compliance with current legislation. Under the authority of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), you have the right to:

Have your personal health information kept confidential, with limited exceptions;
Access your personal health information;
Request a correction or incomplete or inaccurate information contained in your health record

Collection of Personal Health Information

Under the PHIPA, personal health information that is collected may include contact information, medical history, test results, and detail of care while in hospital.

Uses and Disclosures of Personal Health Information

Personal Health Information is used first and foremost to provide the care directly to the individual. We also collect, use, and disclose your personal health information to:

Obtain payment for your treatment and care (e.g. from OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer or others)
Conduct quality improvement activities (e.g. sending patient satisfaction surveys)
Conduct risk management activities
Teach
Plan, administer and manage hospital operations
Compile statistics

Collection of Personal Information (Non-Health)

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) applies to Ontario's provincial ministries and most provincial agencies, boards and commissions, as well as community colleges, universities, Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and hospitals (as of January 1, 2012). This information is anything that pertains to an individual's non-health information (e.g. hospital bills). FIPPA requests are also handled through the same Privacy Office, thus any questions about requesting information can be sent to the same location.

Message from the HGMH Privacy Officer

Because HGMH is entrusted with personal health information to treat and care for our patients, we must ensure that we not only educate our staff about PHIPA and the privacy policies and practices implemented, but we must also ensure that privacy becomes embedded into our hospital culture. Each individual affiliated with HGMH has a responsibility to protect patient privacy as we continue to maintain our privacy sensitive culture. Upon hire, all health care professionals and hospital employees learn about ways to protect patient privacy and ensure compliance with provincial and federal legislation. This includes staff training, confidentiality agreements, and policies on Hospital privacy expectations, regular privacy audits of access to personal health information, and security controls for both paper and electronic health records.