Your Privacy
- Personal Health Information Act (PHIA)
- Requests for Personal Health Information
- Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
Personal Health Information Act (PHIA)
The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIA) is a provincial law that governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information within the health care system. In accordance with the Act, all your personal health information is collected and used in a confidential manner.
Riverview Health Centre is committed to meeting our privacy obligations with respect to your health information. Whether the information is on paper or electronic, it is our legal responsibility to adhere to the PHIA. Acting as a trustee or an information manager, Riverview Health Centre is obligated to follow standards in the collection, maintenance, use and sharing of personal health information to protect your privacy.
Personal health information includes:
- Your name, age, address and Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN)
- Details about your health, history and the care you have received
- Details about payment for the health care you receive.
We only share your personal health information with those who need to know it, in order to provide your care:
- Those at Riverview Health Centre or in the community who are directly providing, monitoring or evaluating your health and health care.
- Learners who are members of your health care team.
- Those who require such information to conduct health or illness-related research, or to plan and evaluate care in Manitoba.
- Demographic information will be shared with Spiritual Care providers in the community and the Riverview Health Centre Foundation, unless you request that it not be shared.
Your rights related to your personal health information include:
- Making a complaint to the Provincial Ombudsman’s Office about access to or about collection, storage, use or disclosure of your personal health information.
- Examining your personal health information.
- Receiving a copy of your personal health information upon request (photocopying costs apply).
- Requesting your personal health information be corrected.
- Giving permission for your personal health information to be shared with others when this is required by the Act (PHIA).
- Making a complaint to the Provincial Ombudsman’s Office about access to or about collection, storage, use or disclosure of your personal health information.
Requests for Personal Health Information
By law, you have the right to access your personal health information with limited exceptions. The Personal Health Information Act ensures that you get timely access to your medical records and also requires that we keep your information private, safe and secure.
The privacy officer is responsible for dealing with requests from individuals who want to look at, receive a copy of or request a correction to their personal health information. The privacy officer is also responsible for facilitating Riverview Health Centre’s compliance with PHIA.
To access your own health information or to request disclosure of personal health information please complete the Request to Access Personal Health Information form.
To obtain records on an individual who is not capable of providing consent, we require a Request to Access Personal Health Information form signed by a person permitted to exercise the rights of an individual. For a complete list of representatives, see section 60(1), 60(2), and 60(3) of The Personal Health Information Act.
To obtain records on a deceased individual, we require a Request to Access Personal Health Information form signed by the personal representative (e.g. executor/executrix) prior to providing access to the information.
If you would like the information released to family, a lawyer, insurance company, or any other person who will not be providing care to you, we will require that you provide us with a signed Consent to Disclose Personal Health Information form.
Submit a completed request form by mail or fax to:
Riverview Health Centre
Health Information Services
One Morley Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3L 2P4
PHONE: 204-478-6242
FAX: 204-478-6190
Fees
If your request is to have information sent to another physician or health care provider, there is no charge. If you are requesting to view your record or obtain copies to your record, there is an administrative fee and photocopy fee. The fees are as follows:
Patient & Family
- Access or disclosure request under PHIA – $25.00
- Dates of admission & discharge (written) – $15.00
- Date of admission & discharge (verbal) – No Charge
Copy Fees
Document per page – $0.50/side
Corrections to Personal Health Information
If, after obtaining access to your health records, you believe there is an error or omission in the information, you may request a correction to that information by completing the Request to Correct Personal Health Information form.
Submit a completed request form by mail or fax to:
Riverview Health Centre
Health Information Services
One Morley Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3L 2P4
PHONE: 204-478-6242
FAX: 204-478-6190
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
This act provides you with the right to access records we hold and regulates how we manage personal information. FIPPA also provides an independent review process for people who disagree with access and privacy decisions made by public bodies under the Act. You have the right to request your documents in the official language of your choice.
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) provides you with the following rights:
- the right of access to your personal information maintained by the Riverview Health Centre
- the right to request a correction to any information maintained about you by Riverview Health Centre
- the right of access to information in records maintained by Riverview Health Centre
FIPPA also protects your personal information. It establishes rules for how we are permitted to collect, use and disclose your personal information.
FIPPA does not apply to information contained in health records/medical records. For information about accessing your personal health information, refer to our section on the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) above.
To submit a request for information through FIPPA use the Application for Access form (instructions for how to complete and submit a request are located on the form).
Privacy Code / Anonymous Stay
A privacy code means that if individuals inquire about you, whether over the phone or in person, we will not divulge that you are a patient. Please declare your wish for a privacy code upon admission, or discuss it with a member of your health care team on the ward.
Additional Resources
- Manitoba Health – PHIA – provides detailed information about PHIA
- Manitoba Health – FIPPA – provides detailed information about FIPPA
- Manitoba Ombudsman – information about the different kinds of investigations the ombudsman can conduct, what you need to know about submitting a complaint, complaint forms, and a variety of other resources
- WRHA Access & Privacy, PHIA – provides information on PHIA from the WRHA