Important information for patients and families

Personal Health Information Protection Act

Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) came into effect on November 1, 2004. This Act establishes legal requirements for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information. This page is intended to provide you with information about Sunnybrook’s compliance with PHIPA.

Collection of personal health information

We collect personal health information about you in order to provide you with health care or assist in the provision of healthcare to you by other healthcare providers. We may collect this information either from you directly or, in some circumstances, from a person designated to make care decisions on your behalf. The information that we collect may include your name, date of birth, address, health history, and other records of your visits and the care that you received either at Sunnybrook or from other healthcare providers.

Permitted uses and disclosures of personal health information

In accordance with PHIPA, we may use and disclose your personal health information:

To treat and care for you.
To receive payment for your treatment and care (e.g. from OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer, or others payors).
To conduct risk management activities.
To conduct quality improvement activities
For teaching purposes.
To conduct research.
To compile statistics.
For fundraising purposes to improve our programs and services.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
To fulfill other purposes as permitted or required by law.

It's your choice

Where your consent is required for any collection, use or disclosure of your personal health information, you may withdraw or withhold consent by contacting Sunnybrook’s Privacy Office.

Our pledge to protect your personal health information

We will take steps to protect your personal health information from theft, loss or unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure or disposal.
We will take steps to ensure that anyone who performs services on Sunnybrook’s behalf respects your privacy rights and only uses or discloses your personal health information for permitted purposes.
We will promptly investigate all complaints regarding our compliance with PHIPA. All privacy complaints will be treated in a confidential manner.

Contact information

For more information about our privacy protection practices, or to raise a concern you may have about our practices, please contact us at:

By mail:
Chief Privacy Officer
Sunnybrook Privacy Office
2075 Bayview Avenue, Room G326
Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5

By telephone:
416-480-6100 ext. 1236

By email:
privacy@sunnybrook.ca

You have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you think we have violated your PHIPA rights. The Commissioner can be reached as follows:

Information and Privacy Commissioner / Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
416-326-3333
commissioner@ipc.on.ca
www.ipc.on.ca