Information Practices
Statement of Information Practices and Collection of Personal Health Information
West Haldimand General Hospital (WHGH) collects personal health information (PHI) about you directly from you or from the person acting on your behalf. The personal health information that we collect may include, for example, your name, date of birth, address, health history, records of your visits to West Haldimand General Hospital (WHGH) and the care that you received during your visits. Occasionally, we collect personal health information about you from other sources, if we have obtained your consent to do so or if the law permits.
Uses and Disclosure of Personal Health Information
We use and disclose your personal health information to:
- Treat and care for you
- Get payment for your treatment and care from OHIP, WSIB your private insurer or others
- Plan, administer and manage our internal operations
- Conduct risk management activities
- Conduct quality improvement activities
- Compile statistics
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
- Conduct research as approved by the Research Ethics Board
- Teach
- Notify a representative of a religious or other organization to visit you during your stay
- Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law
- Notify you of an appointment or change to an appointment • Conduct patient satisfaction surveys
- Confirm that you are a patient, your general health status and your room and telephone extension while in the hospital
- Locate you or your family in urgent/emergent situations using an overhead paging system
- Facilitate the federal and provincial governments’ goal of providing Canadians with an electronic health record. This will improve patient safety, reduce wait times, avoid duplicate testing and enhance timely access to your health information by your health care provider. As these systems become established your West Haldimand General Hospital information will be stored securely on shared health information databases, accessible only by your authorized health care provider.
As well we disclose your contact information to our Hospital Foundation so they may conduct fundraising to improve our health-care facilities, services and programs.
Your Choices
You may withdraw your consent for the following uses and disclosures:
- Fundraising
- Teaching
- Confirmation of your inpatient status
- Religious representative notification
- Patient satisfaction surveys
- Some federal/provincial electronic health information systems
- The disclosure of your personal health information to other health care providers who provide health services
You may access and correct your personal health records. Please contact the West Haldimand General Hospital Health Records Department for more information on accessing, correcting your personal health information.
Important Information
- We take steps to protect your personal health information from theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal.
- We conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance.
- We take steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for us, protects your privacy and only uses your personal health information for the purposes to which you have consented.
How to Contact the Privacy Office
For more information about WHGH privacy practices or to raise a concern you have with our practices, contact us:
Privacy Officer
West Haldimand General Hospital
75 Parkveiw Road
Hagersville, Ontario N0A 1H0
Tel: 905-768-3311 ext. 4002
Fax: 905-768-1820
E-mail: privacy@whgh.ca
You have the right to contact the information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario if you think we have violated your rights. The Commissioner can be reached as follows:
Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Tel: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073
Fax: 416-325-9195
Website: www.ipc.on.ca
Do not send personal information via e-mail or fax.
