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An Important Notice Regarding Your Personal Health

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) is working with Ontario's health care providers to build a system in which your health care provider will have improved access to your personal health information including your laboratory test results.

The collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information are subject to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and this notice is being issued to provide you with information to help you to decide whether or not you want to share your information. The Ministry is also subject to PHIPA.

For All Ontarians

Currently, laboratories submit your test results back to the health care provider who ordered the test(s) and any other practitioner copied on a requisition form. However, there may be several other health care providers involved in your care, who would not have access to your laboratory test information. The Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) is an electronic system that will allow hospital and community laboratories to share your lab test results with health care providers, and will be a component of the Electronic Health Record.

As of mid-December 2010, the Ministry will assume custody and control of patients' laboratory test information that is submitted to and stored in OLIS. MOHLTC will then begin providing your test results to eHealth Ontario, to enable eHealth Ontario to share this information electronically with your health care providers. eHealth Ontario is the public agency that is working to deliver a secure and private electronic health care system for all Ontarians. As an agent of MOHLTC, eHealth Ontario can share this information electronically with any health care provider who delivers your health care in Ontario. MOHLTC will use and disclose your information only as permitted by law, and work to ensure that your information is secure and your privacy is respected.

Protecting Your Privacy

Your privacy is important. As a patient, you can withdraw or reinstate your consent for MOHLTC and/or health care providers who have not ordered your laboratory tests to access your laboratory test information contained in OLIS. If you choose to withdraw your consent, MOHLTC and/or health care providers who have not ordered your laboratory tests will not have access to this information through OLIS. Choosing to withdraw your consent will in no way affect your relationship with your health care provider(s), who will continue to provide care to you.

Deciding Not to Share Your Information

If you wish to withdraw or reinstate consent for MOHLTC or health care providers to access your test results submitted to OLIS, or for more information about this public notice, please call 1-800-291-1406 (TTY: 1-800-268-7095). More information about OLIS.

 

For Ontarians Living with Diabetes

There are three key tests that people living with diabetes should receive on a regular basis. They are:

• the HbA1C blood glucose control test, which patients should receive at least every six months;
• the LDL-C cholesterol test, which patients should receive every year, and
• a retinal eye exam, which patients should receive every two years.

The Diabetes Testing Report was created to keep your primary care provider (physician or nurse practitioner) informed of when you last had each of these three tests.

People living with diabetes who are tested regularly are better able to manage their diabetes and avoid complications. The Report will help you and your primary care provider better manage your diabetes care by reminding him or her if you are overdue for an HbA1C test, LDL-C test, or retinal eye exam, and it will encourage you and your primary care provider to talk about your diabetes care.

Protecting Your Privacy

In order to create the Diabetes Testing Report, your primary care provider may share personal health information, including your name, health number and date of birth, with the MOHLTC. He or she will also confirm whether you have diabetes. In response, the MOHLTC will share the most recent dates of each of the three tests with your provider. Your privacy is important, however, and you are not required to have your information included in this report.

Deciding Not to Share Your Information

You may decide that you do not want your primary care provider to disclose your information to the MOHLTC, and that you do not wish to be included in your provider's Diabetes Testing Reports. If you choose to withhold or withdraw your consent, this will in no way affect your relationship with your health care provider and he or she will continue to provide care to you.

If you wish to withhold or withdraw your consent to having your information disclosed by your primary care provider and in any Diabetes Testing Reports that MOHLTC sends to your primary care provider, call 1-800-291-1405 (TTY: 1-800-387-5559). If you withheld or withdrew your consent to have your information included on the Diabetes Testing Report in the Spring of 2010, you do not need to withhold or withdraw your consent again; if you wish to reinstate your consent, you can do so by calling the number above.

For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information for the purposes of the Diabetes Testing Report, call the numbers listed above. More information about diabetes and the Diabetes Testing Report.