Genesis Medi Shuttle Inc. is committed to safeguarding the Personal Health Information entrusted to us by our clients. Your confidentiality is paramount and as such, we manage your Personal Health Information in accordance with Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act, the Health Information Act and other applicable laws. This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your Personal Health Information.

The policy also applies to any person providing services on our behalf.

A copy of this policy is provided to any client on request.

What is Personal Health Information?

Personal Health Information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, and financial information. Health information includes, but is not limited to, personal health care numbers, medical conditions or history, and any other protected or medical health information.

What Personal Health Information do we collect?

We collect, use, and disclose our client’s Personal Health Information only for the purposes for which the information was collected in accordance with the Alberta Personal Information Protection Act, the Health Information Act, and other applicable privacy laws. Generally, this information is collected for the purposes of providing safe, continued, and appropriate services to our respective clients including information needed to:

• contact/confirm appointments with clients
• ensure fitness for travel
• ensure clients receive appropriate care and attention while in our care
• deliver requested products and services
• share pertinent information with sending/receiving professionals and/or family involved with your care
• guarantee or make a payment for shuttle services
• follow up with clients to determine satisfaction with products and services
• notify clients of upcoming events or services of interest
• administer our loyalty program (currently under development)
• open and manage an account or grant credit
• meet any regulatory requirements
• ensure a seamless transition from the sending and receiving facilities
• ensure safe, comfortable, and professional service
• meet any specific or unique needs a client may have
• better and more appropriately respond in the unlikely event an unexpected or memergent situation were to arise.

For example, ensuring pertinent information is released to EMS or intervening healthcare staff such as medical history, medications and allergies, etc. as well as any Do Not Resuscitate orders or Personal Directives. This would also include notification of Next of Kin as well as sending/receiving facilities notified as deemed appropriate.

The law also allows us to use that contact information for the purpose of collecting a debt owed to our organization, should that be necessary.

Consent

We ask for consent to collect, use or disclose client Personal Health Information, except in specific circumstances where collection, use or disclosure without consent is authorized or required by law. This consent may be written or verbal, express or implied. We may assume your consent in cases where you volunteer information for an obvious purpose. This information is only disclosed for the purposes it was collected.

We normally collect client information directly from our clients. We may collect your information from other persons with your consent or as authorized by law.

We may ask for your express consent for some purposes and may not be able to provide certain services if you are unwilling to provide consent to the collection, use or disclosure of certain Personal Health Information. Where express consent is needed, we will normally ask clients to provide their consent orally (in person, by telephone), in writing (by signing a consent form, by checking a box on a form), or electronically (by clicking a button).

A client may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of Personal Health Information at any time, unless the Personal Health Information is necessary for us to fulfill our legal obligations. We will respect your decision, but we may not be able to provide you with certain products and services if we do not have the necessary Personal Health Information.

We may collect, use or disclose client Personal Health Information without consent only as authorized by law. For example, we may not request consent when the collection, use or disclosure is reasonable for an investigation or legal proceeding, to collect a debt owed to our organization, in an emergency that threatens life, health or safety, or when the personal information is from a public telephone directory.

How do we safeguard Personal Health Information?

Your Personal Health Information is highly sensitive and is of the utmost importance to both you and us. This information is held with the strictest of confidence and is well guarded. Personal Health Information is collected, used, and disclosed with very high regard to discretion and is generally only used to provide continuity of care for our clients as described earlier. In all instances, this information is only collected, used, and disclosed on a “need-to-know” basis and only for purposes deemed reasonable.

We use appropriate security measures when destroying client personal information, including shredding paper records and permanently deleting electronic records. We maintain current and up to date email and Internet security settings and appropriate program updates. We also use password protocols as well as data recovery systems.

Please note that we retain your personal information only as long as is reasonable to fulfill the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes.

Access to records containing Personal Health Information

You have a right to access to your own personal information that is in our custody or under our control, subject to some exceptions. Please note that there are some instances where applicable law or regulatory requirements allow or require us to withhold some or all elements of your personal information. If we refuse a request in whole or in part, we will provide the reason (s) for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, we may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record.

When requesting access to your personal information, we may require specific information from you to confirm your identity and right to access, as well as information that may be necessary to initiate a proper search and to provide you with the specific information you seek. There may be a charge to access your personal information, however we will advise you of any applicable fees in advance. We may also require a deposit before your request for access is processed. If you require any assistance with your request, please contact our Privacy Officer.

We make every reasonable effort to ensure that client information is accurate and complete. We rely on our clients to notify us if there is a change to their Personal Health Information that may affect their relationship with our organization. If you are aware of an error in our information about you, please let us know and we will correct it on request wherever possible. In some cases we may ask for a written request for correction. There is no fee for corrections.

Your feedback is very important to us

Honesty, integrity, confidentiality, and trust are the cornerstones of our corporate foundation. We kindly encourage you to express any wishes, concerns, or questions you may have about the collection, use, or disclosure of Personal Health Information by Genesis Medi Shuttle Inc.

Carefully note that email transmission is not always a secure method of communication and that any personal or confidential information sent to us or sent to you by via email cannot be reliably protected.

Contact Information

(403) 201-2053
1-888-201-2030 (toll-free)

Attn: Privacy Officer