• What is the Drug Profile Viewer system?
• Who will have access to a patient’s drug claims history?
• Why would the ministry make ODB recipients’ drug claims history available to health care providers?
• How will the sharing of this information benefit ODB recipients?
• Will all health care providers have access to the drug claims history of ODB recipients?
• When will health care providers have access?
• Is using the DPV System by health care providers mandatory?
• Does the DPV System provide drug information on all patients?
• What information will be provided?
• Can ODB recipients receive a copy of their drug claims history?
• Can an ODB recipient request a copy of their drug claims history from the health care provider?
• Can an ODB recipient’s drug claims history be updated by a health care provider?
• What if an ODB recipient stopped taking a drug, will this be reflected in the drug claims profile?
• How accurate is the drug claims information provided in the Drug Profile Viewer system?
• What should an ODB recipient do if s/he believes that their drug claims profile is inaccurate or incomplete?
• What should the health care provider do, if s/he has questions related to information available through the DPV System?
• What should the health care provider do, if the recipient information listed under an ODB recipient’s health number is incorrect or needs to be updated? E.g. address, name, date of birth etc.

• What about the confidentiality and security of personal health information?
• Under what authority is the ministry disclosing Ontario Drug Benefit recipient’s drug claims history to health care providers?
• Does the ministry require the consent of ODB recipients to disclose their drug claims history to health care providers?
• How secure is the DPV System?
• What are the health care provider’s responsibilities if the ODB patient’s drug claims profile is lost?
• Can ODB recipients find out who accessed their drug claims history?

• What if an ODB recipient does not want their drug claims history shared with health care providers?
• Are ODB recipients who withdraw consent still eligible for benefits under Ontario Drug Benefit program?
• What if an ODB recipient does not want some of their drug claims history disclosed to health care providers?
• Where can ODB recipients get a consent withdrawal form?
• How will ODB recipients know that the ministry processed their request to withdraw consent?

• What if an ODB recipient withdraws consent and then changes their mind?

• Can ODB recipients reinstate their consent with a health care provider at the time of receiving care?
• How can an ODB recipient who is unable to communicate or unconscious reinstate their consent?
• Can ODB recipients reinstate consent for a partial list of their drug claims history at the time of receiving care?
• How long does a temporarily reinstated consent last?

The Drug Profile Viewer system is an electronic information system, which enables the ministry to share prescription drug claim histories of Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) recipients (including Trillium Drug Program) with health care providers for the purpose of providing care.

Participating health care providers will have access to ODB recipients drug claims history for the purpose of providing care.

The Drug Profile Viewer system has been available to health care providers in Ontario hospital emergency departments. Access to drug claims information in hospital emergency departments has resulted in significant benefits to ODB recipients such as improved patient care through the reduction of harmful drug reactions.

The ministry is now beginning to provide health care providers with access to the drug claims histories of ODB recipients in other areas of the hospital such as intensive care units, diabetes, cardiac, and dialysis clinics to support the provision of care.

This will help health care providers to quickly identify and prevent harmful drug reactions and provide more informed care.

Access to drug claims history can help patient care by :

• Allowing quicker identification and prevention of adverse drug reactions
• Making faster medical assessment and treatment possible
• Assisting those who may not remember their medication name and dosage
• Helping to ensure a patient’s current medications are continued in hospital if needed
• Reducing duplication – repeating patient drug information to multiple health care providers involved in their care

The Drug Profile Viewer system has been available to health care providers in Ontario hospital emergency departments. The ministry will begin enabling access to more health care providers in Ontario Hospitals. Eventually, all health care providers will have access to ODB recipients’ history for the purpose of providing care.

Currently, health care providers in hospital emergency departments in Ontario have access to the drug claims history of ODB Recipients through the Drug Profile Viewer System. Beginning December 2007, the ministry will enable access to additional health care providers in Ontario hospitals.

No. The Drug Profile Viewer System is being provided as an additional tool to help health care providers deliver more informed care. The use of the Drug Profile Viewer System is at the sole discretion of the health care provider.

No. The Drug Profile Viewer System only provides drug claims history of recipients of the Ontario government’s Ontario Drug Benefit Program (including Trillium Drug Program). The ministry is exploring options to make the drug claims history of all Ontarians available to health care providers at the point of care.

Only drugs that are covered by the ODB program or drugs for which patients have received special approval and which have been dispensed by a pharmacist in Ontario will be on an ODB recipient’s drug claims history. Health care providers will be able to view the names, dosage forms, strengths and quantity of the drugs which have been dispensed to a patient. In addition, the prescriber and pharmacy information will be displayed.

Drug products that are not provided under the ODB program -- including over-the-counter medication or herbal products -- will not be on the drug claims history. It is important that patients taking these types of products inform their health care provider.

Yes. Every individual has a right of access to their record of personal health information in the custody or control of a health information custodian, with certain limited exceptions. In the case of ODB drug claims history information, the health information custodian is the ministry. The right to access one’s health records is set out in Part V of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c.3 Sched. A.

ODB recipients may exercise this right by writing to the ministry. The request should be sent to :

Director
Individual Eligibility Review Branch
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
5700 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor
North York ON  M2M 4K5

If an individual does not receive access to their ODB drug claims history or the ministry does not respond to an access request within a reasonable amount of time, that individual can make a complaint to the Office of Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner. Access requests will be processed on an urgent basis where circumstances warrant.

If a patient’s ODB drug claims profile becomes part of his/her clinical record with the health care provider, the provider may grant access to that clinical record in accordance with the provider’s access policies/procedures.

No. The drug claims history is a record of all the prescriptions that are covered by the ODB program that were dispensed by pharmacists in Ontario and submitted to the ministry for payment. Although this DPV System enables health care providers to view and print an ODB recipient’s drug claims profile, it does not enable these users to update or modify it.

The drug claims history is a record of prescriptions dispensed by pharmacists in Ontario. Health care providers will be able to view the names, dosage forms, strengths, dispense date, and quantity of the drugs which have been dispensed to a patient. The information may not reflect changes in the patient’s prescription (e.g. altered dosage) or the patient's compliance with drug treatment as prescribed. Patients should communicate changes in their medication to their health care provider.

ODB Data that is accessible through the DPV System :

(a)     is limited to those drug claims that pharmacies have submitted to the ministry to date in respect of approved ODB drug products dispensed to ODB patients;

(b)     is only that portion of the drug claim information that the ODB patient has consented to release; and
    
(c)     may not necessarily contain all of the current medications that the ODB patient may be utilizing at any time. 

A drug claim that is included in an ODB patient’s drug claims profile means that the claim was submitted to the ministry by the dispensing pharmacy but, does not imply that, the patient has picked up the medication from the dispensing Pharmacy, or that the patient is taking the medication as prescribed.

The information available on the DPV System is advisory only and is not intended to replace sound clinical judgment in the delivery of health care services.

If the drug claims information that was submitted by the pharmacist is not correct, please direct the patient to contact the ministry in writing :

Director
Individual Eligibility Review Branch
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
5700 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor
North York ON  M2M 4K5

Health care providers are encouraged to contact the dispensing pharmacy or prescriber for any clarification regarding medications in the drug claims profile.

For all other inquiries health care providers can contact the e-health support desk at 1-877-346-2244.

Health care providers should direct the ODB recipient to their local ministry OHIP office. For more information or to find out the location of their nearest OHIP office, recipients can call the ministry’s INFOline at 1-800-268-1154 (TTY – 1-800-387-5559).

Every ODB recipient’s personal health information continues to be confidential and protected under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c.3 Sched. A (PHIPA).

The disclosure of ODB recipient’s drug claims history to health care providers is authorized under PHIPA.

Under the health privacy legislation, PHIPA, the ministry may rely on the implied consent of ODB recipients to disclose their drug claims history for the purpose of providing health care. To do this, the ministry must inform ODB recipients of :

1. the reason why their drug history may potentially be disclosed, and
2. their right to withdraw consent to the disclosure of all, or part of, their drug history by notifying the ministry.

Unless an ODB recipient expressly withdraws his or her consent, the ministry may disclose that recipient’s drug claims history to a health care provider from which he or she seeks health care on the basis of implied consent.

If an ODB recipient consents to the ministry making their drug claims history available to a health care provider from which he or she seeks treatment, no action on the part of the ODB recipient is required.

It is very secure. Access to the DPV System is only available through the Smart Systems for Health Agency’s (SSHA) secure network. All users of the DPV System must be identified, registered, and have proper authorization to gain access to ODB drug claims history. The DPV System is maintained and operated on an ongoing basis under the direction of the ministry. In addition, the ministry maintains a record of each authorization that is granted to view an ODB recipient’s drug claims history by a health care provider.

Pursuant to Section 12 of PHIPA, all health information custodians are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that personal health information in the custodian’s custody or control is protected against theft, loss, and unauthorized use or disclosure and to ensure that the records containing the information are protected against unauthorized copying, modification or disposal.

In the event that a loss, theft, or unauthorized disclosure of an individual’s personal health information occurs, the health information custodian that has custody or control of that information is required to notify that individual at the first reasonable opportunity.

Yes. The ministry retains a record of each individual (authorized user) who has accessed an ODB recipient’s drug claims history. ODB recipients can request a copy of a list of individuals who have accessed their drug claims history by sending a written request to:

Director
Individual Eligibility Review Branch
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
5700 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor
North York ON  M2M 4K5

ODB recipients who wish to discuss the details regarding the access requests should contact the participating health care provider(s) identified on the list.

Those ODB recipients who do not want their drug claims history disclosed to health care providers may withdraw their consent.

• This can be done by submitting a Full Withdrawal of Consent Form to the ministry.
• ODB recipients can also identify specific drugs they wish not to be disclosed. This can be done by submitting a Partial Withdrawal of Consent Form to the ministry. The ministry will not disclose information about those medications which have been identified on the form. If an ODB recipient changes their mind about the list of drugs they do not wish to be disclosed, they will need to resubmit a new list of drugs and another Partial Withdrawal of Consent Form.

ODB recipients are encouraged to consult with a health care provider about the benefits of disclosing their drug claims history to health care providers where they seek treatment and the potential health risks of fully or partially withdrawing consent.

Yes. A decision to withdraw consent will not affect an ODB recipient’s eligibility for the ODB program.

They must complete and submit a Partial Withdrawal of Consent Form to the ministry. The ministry will not disclose information about those medications which have been identified on the form. If an ODB recipient changes their mind about the list of drugs they do not wish to be disclosed they will need to complete and resubmit another Partial Withdrawal of Consent Form.

Forms are available by calling the ministry’s INFOline at 1-866-752-6405 (TTY – 1-800-387-5559) or by downloading from the ministry’s web site.

The ministry will send them a letter confirming that their instructions have been processed.

The ODB recipient will need to submit a Consent Reinstatement Form to the ministry.

This is necessary in cases where an ODB recipient has totally or partially withdrawn consent and then later wishes to provide consent.

ODB recipients may also be able to temporarily reinstate consent while seeking care from a health care provider (see below).

Recipients can temporarily reinstate their consent by communicating (or having their substitute decision maker communicate) their wishes to a health care provider where they are seeking care.

Consent cannot be reinstated if the patient is incapable of communicating and unaccompanied by a substitute decision maker who can give consent on their behalf.

No. If an ODB recipient reinstates consent, health care providers will have access to all of that patient’s ODB drug claims history.

This authorization allows the individual health care provider to access the DPV System during that episode of care (i.e., more than once during a visit if necessary). It is recommended, however, that personnel print a copy of the drug claims profile for inclusion in the patient’s clinical record at the time the recipient/patient is seeking care.

To have consent reinstated on a permanent basis the ODB recipient will need to complete a Consent Reinstatement Form and send it in to the ministry. For more information or to obtain a consent form, phone the ministry’s INFOline at 1-866-752-6405 (TTY – 1-800-387-5559) or visit the ministry’s web site.

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