Our Commitment
The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI) maintains this Patient Connect NL web application on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for the purpose of maintaining a Registry of patients who are without a Primary Health Care Provider. NLCHI is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit this website by complying with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 (ATIPPA) and the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).
Personal Health Information
Information collected from you on this website is considered your personal health information. Personal health information means oral or recorded identifiable information about an individual that is collected, used, disclosed or processed for the provision of healthcare. Examples of personal health information include but are not limited to your name, date of birth, MCP number, and health status. To the extent that your information is collected on the website, we will treat it as confidential in accordance with this Privacy Notice.
Collection and Use of Information
When using the website, you will be asked to provide the following:
- Name (first, last and middle initial)
- Sex
- Date of Birth
- MCP Number
- Telephone Number
- Address
- Health status (if applicable)
- Chronic health conditions (if applicable)
We will disclose the information you have provided to the appropriate Regional Health Authority (RHA) to connect you with a PCP as soon as one becomes available. Please note: within the RHAs, family physicians may provide services as direct employees of the RHA or operate private medical practices. Private medical practices are not required to access new patients from the PCNL registry; however, the RHAs will make this option available to them in efforts to connect you with a PCP as soon as possible.
Retention and Safeguards
The information you provide will be stored and retained to fulfil the purpose identified for its collection and use and as well as for evaluating and monitoring this program as permitted by s. 34 (c) of the Personal Health Information Act. Any disclosures or other uses will be done in accordance with PHIA. Where possible, identifying information will be removed prior to any use or disclosure.
The NL Centre for Health Information takes appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information and personal health information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure or disposal.
Compliance
Questions, concerns, or complaints relating to the Unattached Patient Registry web application’s privacy policy on the treatment of your personal information should be directed to privacy@nlchi.nl.ca.
If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, the ATIPP Act and the PHIA provide a mechanism for independent review by contacting the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner – https://www.oipc.nl.ca/