Personal health information means any information that identifies an individual and relates to his/her physical or mental health, including information about family health history, and any information that identifies the individual’s Substitute Decision Maker.
Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act establishes the rules for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information. The Act creates a comprehensive approach to protecting personal health information across the health care system.
Momiji tenants and clients have the right to access, correct or withdraw consent for the uses and disclosures of their personal health information, by contacting:
Support Services Manager
3555 Kingston Road, Scarborough, ON M1M 3W4
416.261.6683 x 228
info@momiji.on.ca
Momiji uses and discloses tenants’ and clients’ personal health information for:
In some cases, Momiji may use your personal health information to conduct research, provided the information cannot identify you.
Our role at Momiji is to ensure a patient’s personal health information is kept confidential. As part of our commitment to protect our tenants’ and clients’ personal health information and to ensure transparency and accountability, Momiji has developed and published privacy principles for the collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal health information. The following principles are based on 10 internationally recognized “privacy principles” of fair information practice:
Disclosing information to any third party requires the client’s written consent. Choosing to use email to communicate with an external service provider or family member/Substitute Decision Maker also requires written consent. Please note email communication is not secure and could result in the disclosure of the information to another party other than the recipient.
Clients who do not want to share their personal health care information with other health service providers are advised to meet with Momiji Support Services Manager to discuss the positive and negative consequences of sharing or not sharing.
For more information on protecting your privacy, you can contact:
Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8
416.326.3333 or 1.800.387.0073 www.ipc.on.ca
Q: To whom will my personal health information be disclosed? Will my personal health information be used by anyone else?
A: Momiji may use personal health information to plan, deliver, evaluate and monitor programs and services, to allocate resources to those programs and services, to manage risk, to ensure your safety, to improve quality of care, to process claims for payment, and to conduct research provided the information cannot identify you. Unless you tell us not to, we may share your assessment information with other health service providers who will provide you with support now and in the future. Also, unless you indicate otherwise to the Support Services Manager, Momiji may use only your name and contact information for the purpose of fundraising activities.
Q: If the tenant or client is not capable of providing consent to collect, use or disclose his/her personal health information, who can give consent?
A: A Substitute Decision Maker will be asked to make these decisions. According to the Personal Health Information Protection Act, the individual(s) who is/are highest on the following list will have the authority to approve or refuse consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of your personal health information if that person is capable of consenting, is at least 16 years old or the parent, is not prohibited by court order, and is available and is willing to assume the responsibility of making the decision. A Substitute Decision Maker could be a:
Q: Do I have the right to access my personal health information?
A: Yes. You also have the right to request corrections.
Q: My relative is a tenant at Momiji , but he is not capable of asking to see or review his own health record. As the Substitute Decision Maker, am I allowed to access my relative’s records?
A: Yes. A Substitute Decision Maker has the same right to access the health record as the tenant would if he/she were capable. You will be asked to complete a form requesting access and you will need to provide evidence that you are the tenant’s Substitute Decision Maker.
Q: What kind of information can staff members provide to family and friends if they call or ask about my condition?
A: Unless you object, we will provide general information about your health status. This includes the name of the clinical program you are in, where your room is located, and your general health status, such as ‘doing well’ or ‘no change’. If someone is seeking more detailed information on your health, they will require written consent from you or your Substitute Decision Maker.
Q: What happens to my health record after I move out of Momiji?
A: Upon discharge, health records are kept on file for a period of 10 years, in accordance with provincial legislation.
