Kinnect to Wellness Privacy Policy
Updated October 2015

Kinnect to Wellness (“Kinnect”) is required by the Personal Health Information and Protection Act, 2004, and other applicable legislation to maintain the privacy of your personal information, including your personal health information.  This includes your medical records as well as other health and personal information that identifies you and includes any information we keep, use, or disclose in any form (electronic, written or verbal). At Kinnect, we believe that your personal information is just that: personal.  We are committed to keeping it private and to respecting your confidentiality.

  1. Accountability. Kinnect is responsible for all personal information under its control. Kinnect has appointed a Privacy Officer to oversee  compliance with its privacy obligations and to answer questions or concerns with respect to Kinnect’s privacy practices. Kinnect’s staff has been trained with respect to our privacy obligations.
  2. Identifying Purposes. Your personal information, including personal health information may be collected, used and disclosed for the provision of health care and administrative purposes. The provision of health care may involve providing, coordinating, or managing your health care with one or more health care providers. Examples include contacting your physician or other health care providers to obtain treatment authorizations, ask questions about medication, etc. We may also use and disclose your information when your physician, health care provider, or insurer contacts with your written authorization for the release of information.
  3. Administrative purposes. Administrative use of personal and private information may include obtaining payment for services, confirming health plan coverage, and billing activities. We may electronically bill your insurance company or health plan at the time we provide services. Insurance companies or health plans may also contact Kinnect about services we provide to you to ensure cost-effective use of your coverage. We may also use your personal information to evaluate the effectiveness of the services provided to you by Kinnect staff. We may also use your personal information to provide you with appointment reminders and information about services you receive or have received through Kinnect. Kinnect may also disclose your personal information in the following legal circumstances: in response to a court decision or order, or as required by law.  Any other uses and disclosures other than those above will be made only with your authorization. You may revoke such authorization in writing. We are required to honour and abide by your request, except for actions we have already taken relying on your authorization.
  4. Limiting Collection. Kinnect will  collect only the necessary information required in order to provide the services or products requested, and all information will be collected by fair and lawful means. You may always choose whether to provide us with your personal information, however, your decision to withhold certain personal information may limit the nature of the services or products that we are able to provide.
  5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention. Kinnect will not use or disclose your personal information for purposes other than for which it was collected, except with your consent or where required or permitted by law. Kinnect will store your personal information in accordance with professional standards and for the period of time required by law.  Following this period, Kinnect shall destroy your personal information in a manner that safeguards your privacy.
  6. Accuracy. Kinnect shall confirm with you the accuracy of your  personal information and update your information.  Kinnect encourages you to amend inaccuracies and make corrections to your personal information as often as is necessary to ensure that it is accurate. Where appropriate, we will provide notice to third parties who have received your personal information in order to ensure that the information provided is accurate.
  7. Safeguards. Kinnect shall use appropriate safeguards to protect your personal information. Such safeguards shall include: physical measures, such as locking filing cabinets; organizational safeguards whereby only those employees who need access to your personal information in order to carry out his or her employment duties shall be granted access; and technological safeguards including, at a minimum, firewalls and passwords.
  8. Openness. Kinnect shall make its privacy practices and policies available to individuals upon request.
  9. Individual Access. Kinnect shall advise individuals, upon request, of the details concerning the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information, where required or permitted by law, and the individual shall be provided with access to his or her personal information. All requests for access to information shall be made in writing and shall provide sufficient detail to permit the Privacy Officer to determine the information being requested. The Privacy Officer shall review all such requests and respond within a period of thirty days, unless otherwise permitted by law. In addition, an individual shall be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of his or her personal information and to have it amended as soon as reasonably possible where appropriate. Kinnect shall provide the corrected personal information to each organization to which the personal information was disclosed during the three months before the date the correction was made. Kinnect’s records shall reflect that such a correction was made.
  10. Challenging Compliance. An individual may challenge Kinnect’s compliance with these privacy principles. Our Privacy Officer is available to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have. All complaints shall be investigated and Kinnect shall respond within a reasonable period.

This PRIVACY POLICY may be updated from time to time at Kinnect’s discretion. Please feel free to contact our Privacy Officer with any questions or concerns that you may have with respect to Kinnect’s Privacy Policy or its privacy practices.

Tina Treitz, Privacy Officer
Kinnect to Wellness
1764 Regent Street, Sudbury ON P3E 3Z8

705-522-9393