 OUR PRIVACY POLICY
WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION: RELATED AND SECONDARY PURPOSES
Like
most organizations, we also collect, use and disclose information for
purposes related to or secondary to our primary purposes. The most
common examples of our related and secondary purposes are as follows:
· To invoice clients for services that were not paid for at the time, or to collect unpaid accounts.
· To advise clients that their service should be reviewed
· To advise clients and others of special events or opportunities (e.g., a seminar development of a new service) is available.
·
We review client and other files for the purpose of ensuring that we
provide high quality services. In addition, external consultants (e.g.,
auditors, lawyers, practice consultants, voluntary accreditation
programs) may on our behalf do audits and continuing quality
improvement reviews of our practice, including reviewing client files.
·
Occupational Therapists in Ontario - such as Suzette Phillips - are
regulated by the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO).
COTO may inspect her records as a part of their regulatory activities
in the public interest. COTO also requires her to retain client
records. In addition, as a professional, she will report serious
misconduct, incompetence or incapacity of other practitioners belonging
to other organizations, and report information suggesting serious
illegal behaviour to the authorities. External regulators have their
own strict privacy obligations. Sometimes these reports include
personal information about her clients, or other individuals, to
support the concern (e.g., improper services).
·
Like all organizations, various government agencies (e.g. Canada
Customs and Revenue Agency, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Human
Rights Commission, etc.) have the authority to review our files and
interview ourselves as a part of their mandates. In these
circumstances, we may consult with professionals (e.g., lawyers,
accountants) who will investigate the matter and report back to us.
·
The cost of some services provided by ourselves to clients is paid for
by third parties (e.g., EAP, organizations, others institutions). These
third parties payers often have your consent or legislative authority
to direct us to collect and disclose to them certain information in
order to demonstrate client entitlement to this funding.
·
Clients or other individuals we deal with may have questions about
services after they have been received. We also provide ongoing
services for many of our clients over a period of months or years for
which previous records are helpful. We retain client information for a
minimum of ten years after the last contact to enable us to respond to
those questions and provide these services.
You
can choose not to be part of some of these related or secondary
purposes (e.g., by declining to receive notice of special events or
opportunities, by paying for your services in advance). We do not,
however, have much choice about some of these related or secondary
purposes (e.g., external regulation).
NEXT: PROTECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
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