Privacy Statement
At Alta Physiotherapy, we are committed to protecting your personal information. We will never disclose personal information without your consent or reasonable and lawful notice except when required or permitted by law. This policy describes our approach to collecting, using, storing and disclosing your personal health information as part of providing our services. Please read this policy carefully to make sure you understand this approach and are comfortable with it.
OUR COMMITMENT
Alta Physiotherapy protects your privacy:
We collect personal information that we require to provide the highest level of care for you.
We will advise how your information might be disclosed and obtain your consent to do so.
We take appropriate steps to safeguard your information and continually review these processes.
We share your personal information only in the manner that you consent to or otherwise required as permitted by law.
Any staff or contractors working with our clinic adhere to the same standards of privacy protection set forth by our clinic and the law.
We train our staff on an ongoing basis on the handling of your privacy information.
We will provide appropriate access to your personal information and a mechanism for requesting concerns.
Our privacy officer – Jeannine Hollman is always available to answer your questions
We will periodically review our privacy policy to ensure it provides reasonable and expected protection of your personal information.
INFORMATION COLLECTED
The information that Alta Physiotherapy collects is required in order to provide you with the best possible clinical experience and results during your time at our space.
Contact information: Name, contact information, address, and an emergency contact person.
Health Information: your health history, treatments received, outcomes of previous treatments, names of other healthcare providers, family medical history, your subjective complaints, objective findings, diagnoses, reasons for discharge or refusal if there is ever a time where we cannot continue to treat your case.
Financial Information: your insurance benefit coverage information, credit card information, employer’s name (where required), and other information to facilitate proper payment and accounting for your file.
HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED
We use contact information to provide our clinicians with all options available to update your file, invoice for services, reminders for appointments, and provide appropriate information about our clinic and/or your condition(s). We use health information to assess, diagnose, provide, and deliver the best course of care and modalities. We will utilize financial information to coordinate payment if secondary insurance/third-party payors are involved in your case.
WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED?
Contact information – may be disclosed to a third-party health benefits provider/insurer(s) when reimbursement claims for all or part of the treatment cost are submitted.
Health Information – we will disclose health information to:
Third-party health benefit providers and insurance companies when a claim is submitted for reimbursement or payment of all or part of the cost of treatment or we have been asked to submit a claim on your behalf.
Other healthcare professionals also providing you with treatment. Release of information to outside facilities will be provided only with the expressed consent of the patient.
Your legal representatives if consent to do so has been provided.
INFORMATION STORAGE
We contract Jane Software Inc. (“Jane”) within Canada to provide services on our behalf involving appointment bookings, chart notes and some financial information. For further information regarding the storage of personal information or regarding Alta Physiotherapy policies and practices regarding the storage of information using Jane please contact our privacy officer ( listed at the end of this Privacy Statement.)
PROTECTION OF YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
We store physical records containing your personal information in a secure place.
Electronic records are stored on secured hardware. High-quality anti-virus software and passwords on all computers and take steps that information is not visible for public viewing.
If a physical record is requested we transport it in sealed envelopes via secure methods.
Sensitive telephone conversations are carried out in locations that will ensure private information is not disclosed inadvertently.
Electronic information is transferred electronically with encryption, anonymously, and only to a specifically designed data backup service which complies with all levels of Provincial, Federal, and State security requirements.
We will NEVER share your information inside or outside of our office for marketing, promotional, publicity, educational, or research purposes without your expressed consent.
Staff members are trained in handling personal health information in a private and appropriate manner.
ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
You can request to view your personal information by asking a staff member who may refer you to our privacy officer. We will attempt to help you understand the reasons for collecting your information if it is inaccurate, incomplete, no longer current, or if you believe that there is a factual mistake. Requested copies of your records will be provided in a reasonable period with written consent, which we will keep on file. We will advise if there is a cost for copying health information and it will be in line with guidelines set forth by our professional association.
HOW LONG IS THE INFORMATION KEPT?
Legislation requires that we keep any health record during your time at the clinic, including sensitive personal information for a minimum of 10 years from the last date of service. We will shred paper records and if the computer hardware is replaced, the information storage device (hard drive) will be destroyed.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions or concerns about your personal information, please feel free to ask your clinician or another staff member. If your question is not resolved adequately, please ask to speak with our
privacy officers, or address it in writing to:
Jeannine Hollman - Privacy Officer
Alta Physiotherapy
1747 34 Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2T 2B7