Your privacy at Red Deer Sport and Spine.

Your privacy at Red Deer Sport and Spine

To provide you with safe, coordinated and effective care, Red Deer Sport and Spine (“RDSS”) collects and maintains information about you and your health. We are committed to protecting that information and handling it in accordance with Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA) and other applicable legal and professional requirements.

This notice explains why we collect your information, how it may be used or disclosed, and the choices and rights you have regarding your health information.

What information we collect

RDSS may collect identifying, contact, demographic, health, clinical, scheduling, billing, insurance and other information reasonably necessary to provide and administer healthcare services.

Depending on your care and interaction with RDSS, this may include information such as your name and date of birth, contact information, Alberta Personal Health Number (where applicable), health history, examination findings, diagnoses, treatment information, clinical notes, reports, appointment information and billing or insurance information.

Why we collect and use your information

RDSS may collect and use your information as reasonably necessary to:

• Identify and communicate with you;
• Assess your health and provide healthcare services;
• Develop and document treatment recommendations and plans;
• Coordinate and support continuity of care;
• Maintain your patient health record;
• Schedule and administer appointments;
• Send appointment confirmations, reminders and other administrative or care-related communications;
• Process billing, payments and authorized insurance or direct-billing claims;
• Support patient safety and quality of care;
• Meet legal, regulatory and professional obligations; and
• Fulfill other purposes authorized or permitted by law.

RDSS limits the collection, use and disclosure of health information to the information reasonably necessary for the authorized purpose.

How your information may be shared

Your health information may be used or disclosed where authorized or permitted by law, including where reasonably necessary to coordinate or continue your care with other healthcare providers.

Where you request insurance or direct billing, RDSS may use and disclose information reasonably necessary to process the applicable claim. Requests for additional clinical information are assessed separately and information is only released where appropriately authorized or otherwise permitted by law.

Being identified as a spouse, family member, friend or emergency contact does not automatically provide that individual with access to your health information.

Health information may also be used or disclosed without your consent where authorized or required by law.

Your expressed wishes

You may express wishes regarding the use or disclosure of your health information.

RDSS will consider and respect your expressed wishes where required or permitted by law and will document relevant restrictions where appropriate so that they can be followed by members of your care team.

Please speak with your healthcare provider or the RDSS Privacy Officer if you have questions or specific concerns about how your information is shared.

Electronic patient records

RDSS uses Jane Software Inc. (“Jane”) as its electronic health record and clinic-management service provider to support functions including scheduling, patient intake, clinical documentation, billing and management of patient health information.

RDSS maintains administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect the confidentiality, security and integrity of health information.

Communicating with you

RDSS may use the contact information you provide for communications related to your care and clinic administration, including appointment confirmations and reminders, scheduling, follow-up and other care-related or administrative communications.

Marketing and promotional communications are managed separately in accordance with applicable consent and electronic-communication requirements.

Accessing or correcting your information

You may request access to your health information and may request correction of information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, subject to applicable law.

Routine requests may be handled directly by authorized RDSS team members where appropriate. Formal access or correction requests will be managed through RDSS’s established health-information request procedures.

Please contact RDSS if you would like assistance making a request.

Consent

This notice explains RDSS’s general privacy and information-management practices. It does not constitute blanket consent for every possible collection, use or disclosure of your health information.

RDSS will obtain specific consent or authorization where required by law or professional standards.

Consent to chiropractic treatment, consent to other healthcare procedures, authorization to release health information, and consent to specific technologies or recording processes are addressed separately where applicable.

Questions, concerns or privacy complaints

Questions, concerns or complaints regarding the collection, use, disclosure, access, security or protection of your health information may be directed to:

Patients may contact the Privacy Officer through the RDSS clinic phone, clinic email, in person, or by written correspondence delivered to the clinic.

Privacy concerns will be taken seriously and handled in accordance with RDSS privacy policies and applicable law.

Individuals may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC) regarding privacy concerns or their rights under Alberta privacy legislation.