Your Privacy – Our Commitment
At Alpha Laboratories, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy, confidentiality and data security including the personal health information of our patients. This is fundamental to achieving our goal in providing enhanced patient care. Alpha Labs has robust privacy policies, procedures, and training in place that follow Ontario privacy laws and Accreditation Canada – Diagnostics mandatory requirements.
We will only collect, use, and disclose your personal information lawfully and responsibly to:
- Provide our services to you
- Perform our procedures and/or exams
Purpose of Collection, Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Information
Alpha Labs’ policies are governed by the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) in the province of Ontario.
Why We Collect and Use
We collect and use your personal health information:
- To verify your identity (e.g., when you present at one of our patient services centres)
- To provide you quality laboratory services and digital imaging exams
- To match your specimens with your test results
- To manage your account and provide you support when you contact Alpha Labs’ Client Services
- To plan, evaluate and monitor the services provided to you
- For research, quality improvement activities (such as sending patient satisfaction surveys) and data statistical analysis purposes
- For any other purpose that may be identified to you before or at the time the information is collected
- For purposes as mandated by law
Disclosure of Your Personal Health Information
We disclose your personal health information:
- To your ordering physician and members of your health care team who are copied on your requisition, often referred to as members within your “circle of care”
- To eliminate or reduce a significant risk of serious bodily harm to another person or group
- For research purposes (only with your consent), subject to restrictions and conditions such as use of only certain set of data to meet a research objective
- If permitted or prescribed by law
Privacy Policy
Enhanced patient care delivery depends on a relationship of trust between our clients and staff. At Alpha Labs, we respect your rights to access your personal health information (PHI) and we endeavour to ensure that your PHI is kept confidential while in our care.
Accountability: We are accountable to protect and safeguard your personal health information we collect, use, and disclose. Alpha Labs ensures that current privacy policies and procedures established are compliant with privacy legislation. Our Privacy Office conducts annual privacy training for staff and conducts ongoing audits of our staff access to your PHI. Our Privacy Office is available to respond to your privacy questions or concerns.
Alpha Laboratories conducts a monthly Internal Privacy Audit for every instance a record or part of a record of PHI that is accessible by electronic means is viewed, handled, modified, or otherwise dealt with, which includes:
- The type of information that was viewed, handled, modified or otherwise dealt with;
- The date and time on which the information was viewed, handled, modified or otherwise dealt with;
- The identity of all persons who viewed, handled, modified or otherwise dealt with the personal health information;
- The identity of the individual to whom the personal health information relates; and
- Any other information that may be prescribed.
Identifying Purposes: We will identify the purpose for which personal information is collected at or before the time the information is collected.
Consent: Alpha Labs operates on the order of your health care practitioner (HCP); therefore, consent may be implied for some defined circumstances. For example, when you visit one of our patient services centres with a test requisition from your physician, we rely on your implied consent not only to carry out those tests but to collect, use and disclose your PHI to share the results with your health care providers. Alpha Labs also posts notices in our patient service areas to advise you of the purposes for which we collect, use, and disclose your PHI. In some instances, Alpha Labs will obtain your express consent when we collect, use, and disclose your PHI.
What is Implied consent: Implied consent is an assumption of permission to collect, use and disclose your personal information since you presented yourself at our patient service centre for service. For example, your consent to collect, use and disclose your personal health information is implied in presenting your lab requisition when you come to one of our patient service centres for a blood test.
What is expressed consent: This is consent provided either verbally or in writing, to Alpha Labs to collect, use or disclose your personal health information except where otherwise required or permitted by applicable legislation. For example, we obtain your express consent when you request a hardcopy of your laboratory results, when PHI is disclosed to a person or an organization, such as an insurance company, that is not a custodian; when PHI is disclosed by one custodian to another for a purpose other than providing or assisting in providing health care; or for marketing or market research.
Limiting Collection: Alpha Labs will limit the collection of PHI to that which is necessary for the authorized purposes identified. Information will be collected by fair and lawful means.
Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention: PHI shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which the information is collected or as required or permitted by law.
Accuracy: PHI will be as accurate, complete and up to date as is necessary for the purpose for which it is to be used.
Safeguards: Alpha Labs takes security measures to ensure your PHI is protected from loss, theft, unauthorized access, use, copying or disclosure. As a health information custodian, we review and update our security measures to meet industry standards. We have implemented safeguards to protect your personal information, which includes restricting access to our facilities to only authorized employees, vendors, or visitors
Technical safeguards: Passwords, Encryptions, and Firewalls
Administrative safeguards: Role-based access, staff training, signing a confidentiality pledge.
Openness: At Alpha Labs, we have communications posted in our patient waiting areas to notify you about our current practices in place to protect your PHI. To ensure quality of service, we can communicate with you via telephone, in person and e-mail. We are committed to safeguarding your PHI irrespective of the method through which we communicate with you.
Individual Access: We offer our patients online access to their test results. Patients with access to the internet can register at Alpha Labs Patient Portal to view their results. Not all test results are available on our portal eg. test results that are required to be reported directly to the ordering physician.
Challenging Compliance:
You may address your question(s) or complaint(s) concerning our compliance with privacy legislation to the Privacy Office via:
Confidential e-mail: privacy@alphalabs.ca
Telephone: 1 (416) 449-2166
Access
- You can access your results online at Alpha Labs Patient Portal
- You can request hard copy of your results by submitting written request to our Privacy Office or by filling out the Access Request form
- You can contact your ordering physician to obtain your results
Corrections
If you would like to request correction(s) to be made to your personal information/personal health information, please complete the form below and email to privacy@alphalabs.ca
Corrections request form
Privacy Legislation and Oversight Authorities
Alpha Labs operates only in Ontario. Our conduct in this regard is governed by the following laws and overseen by the following oversight authorities.
Ontario
Relevant legislation: Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) & Ontario Regulation 329/04
Overseen by: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC)
Phone:
Toll-free: 1-800-387-0073
Toronto: 416-326-3333
Fax: 416-325-9195 TTY: 416-325-7539 Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Mailing Address:
Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor St. E., Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 1A8
Website: www.ipc.on.ca
Privacy Office Contact
Telephone: 1(416) 449-2166
E-mail: privacy@alphalabs.ca
What if I have a privacy concern or want to make a complaint?
We take your privacy concerns and complaints seriously. If you have a privacy concern or complaint, you can contact us directly:
Contact our Privacy Officer at 1(416) 449-2166 or, our confidential e-mail: privacy@alphalabs.ca
If I sign up for the Alpha Labs’ portal, will others be able to access my information online?
If you choose to sign up for Alpha Labs’ portal account, only you will have access to your personal health information on the website. Alpha Labs’ portal is a secure website that uses encryption technology and has strict password and security question rules. It is important that you do not share your password or security question answers with others. You should also make sure that you have logged-out of the system when you are finished viewing your results.
Can my family see my personal health information?
Although you have the right to access your information, this right does not automatically extend to family members and/or friends. Once Alpha Labs receives your consent to share your personal health information with your family member and/or friend, that individual will receive access.
Can all Alpha Labs staff access my personal health information?
Only Alpha Labs’ staff involved in your ‘circle of care’ can access your record. All Alpha Labs’ staff are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, which is signed as a condition of employment and re-attested to annually. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure staff know that they are only allowed to access information that is required to perform their duties. Staff access to patient records is monitored to ensure that the privacy of your information is respected.
Ontario
Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA): https://www.ontario.ca/laws/st...
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: https://www.ipc.on.ca/?redirec...
Changes to the Alpha Labs Privacy Policies and Procedures
Alpha Labs reserves the right to make changes to our privacy policies and procedures from time to time. Changes adopted will apply to any personal health information we maintain about you. Alpha Labs is required to abide by the terms of our notice currently in effect. When changes are applied, we will promptly update this notice and post the information on the Alpha Labs website at www.alphalabs.ca Please review this site periodically to ensure that you are aware of any such updates.