Privacy

East Toronto Health Partners Ontario Health Team (ETHP OHT)  respects and honours the privacy and confidentiality of the patients and clients it serves. ETHP OHT ensures all its member organizations take appropriate measures to ensure the proper protection and security of patient and client information in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and all other applicable laws.

Data Sharing Agreement

As part of this process, ETHP OHT has established a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) to govern how personal health information is shared between members of ETHP OHT.

See a full copy of the DSA (Download PDF). Highlights from the DSA include:

  • Personal health information will only be collected and shared for the purposes of providing, or assisting in the provision of, patient and client healthcare; and/or patient safety and quality improvement activities.
    • For evaluations, research and surveys, de-identified data of patients and clients may be used. For research involving personal health information, express consent from patients and clients will be sought.
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  • Collected information will be limited to only that which is necessary for the purposes.
  • No patient or client personal health information will be accessed, used, modified, copied, destroyed or disclosed to any third party outside of ETHP OHT except to the extent necessary to serve the healthcare needs of the patient or client and with the consent of the patient or client or as otherwise permitted or required by law.
  • Each member of ETHP OHT shall use appropriate administrative, technological and physical safeguards for the storage and handling of patient and client information that ensures its security and confidentiality are maintained in accordance with PHIPA and consistent with good practice in the health sector.
  • All ETHP OHT member personnel undergo privacy and security training and are subject to confidentiality agreements.
  • Patients and clients have the right to withhold or withdraw consent, as appropriate.
  • Participants engaging in ETHP OHT initiatives must confirm their obligation to adhere to the DSA before any patient or client information is shared with them.

ETHP OHT also has a Privacy Working Group that seeks to ensure ETHP OHT privacy compliance and monitor and create a privacy governance structure for all ETHP OHT programs and services, including proper implementation of the DSA obligations. To learn more about privacy at ETHP OHT, please contact info@ethp.ca noting "Privacy" in the subject line. 

ETHP OHT’s programs and services include:

  • MGH2Home, an enhanced care program that provides time limited home care services to patients and clients on behalf of ETHP OHT to help them transition home safely when they leave Michael Garron Hospital; and
  • Integrated Neighbourhood Home Care Program, an initiative in Thorncliffe Park and Taylor-Massey that provides home care services to patients and clients on behalf of ETHP OHT.

ETHP OHT’s anchor partners are either health information custodians (HICs) or agents of HICs as defined by the PHIPA, 2004.

Below is a list of ETHP OHT's anchor partners with links to their respective organizational privacy webpages, which includes their privacy policies. If you have any questions regarding any ETHP OHT partner’s privacy policy, please contact that organization directly using the contact listed in their policy.

*East Toronto Family Practice Network (EasT-FPN) is an association of primary care physicians who are part of ETHP. The individual physicians who are part of the EasT-FPN follow their own individual privacy policies that govern their practice in accordance with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and PHIPA. If your primary care provider is part of the EasT-FPN, please ask them for information about their practices.