Privacy Policy information for patients
The privacy of personal information is important to Centreline Physio, Sports & Wellness Inc. We will collect, use, and disclose your personal information responsibly, and only to the extent necessary for the services we provide. We try to be as open as possible about how we handle your information. Please let our Operations Assistant know if you would like a copy of this policy for your records.
WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Personal information is information that is used to identify an individual. This includes information that relates to their personal characteristics (income, age, phone numbers, and address), their health, or their activities and views (evaluation of an individual, or opinions expressed). Business information is different and is not protected by privacy legislation.
WHO WE ARE:
Centreline Physio, Sports & Wellness Inc. is a healthcare facility with an interdisciplinary team that may include Physiotherapists, Massage Therapists, Osteopaths, Dietitians, Pedorthists, Athletic Therapists, support staff, and periodically supervised students and/or volunteers. We use different agencies and consultants, who may, in the course of their duties, have limited access to personal information we have obtained. These include bookkeepers, accountants, temporary workers (to cover holidays), credit card companies, insurance companies, lawyers, and cleaners. Their access is restricted to any personal information we have obtained, as much as is reasonably possible. We also have confidentiality agreements that ensure they follow appropriate privacy principles.
WHY WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Like all healthcare professionals, we collect, use, and disclose personal information in order to serve our patients. The main purpose of collecting this information is to provide rehabilitation treatment. We collect information about our clients’ health history, physical condition, functional status, and social situation in order to assess their healthcare needs, advise them of their options, and provide the rehabilitation avenue they have chosen. A second reason is to obtain a baseline of health and social information so that, in providing ongoing services, we can identify changes that have occurred over time. It would be rare for us to collect such information without the express consent of our client, but this might occur in the case of an emergency, or where we believe you would consent if asked and it is impractical to get consent.
RELATED REASONS FOR COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION:
The most common reasons for using personal information for non-treatment purposes are as follows:
- To collect unpaid accounts, invoice clients for services that were not paid for, or process credit cards.
- Our clinic reviews client and other files to ensure we provide high-quality services, including staff performance assessments. External consultants may, on our behalf, perform audits and ongoing quality reviews of our clinic.
- Physiotherapists and other professional staff are regulated by their respective colleges, which may inspect our records and interview our staff as part of their regulatory activities.
- As professionals, we report any misconduct, incompetence, or incapacity of other practitioners, whether they work in our organization or another. Centreline Physio, Sports & Wellness Inc. believes it should report any information suggesting illegal activities to the authorities. External regulators have their own strict privacy obligations. Different government agencies have the authority to review our files and interview our staff as part of their mandates. In such cases, we consult with lawyers or accountants before releasing information.
- Some goods and services are paid for, either in whole or in part, by third-party payers (e.g., private extended healthcare benefits, WSIB, or auto insurance). These payers often have your consent or legal authority to direct us to collect and disclose certain information to demonstrate client entitlement to funding.
- In the unlikely event that Centreline Physio, Sports & Wellness Inc. or its assets were to be sold, the buyer would want to conduct “due diligence” to ensure this is a viable business. This may involve reviewing accounting or service files.
