Island EMS Privacy Statement

This notice describes how information about you may be collected, used, and disclosed by Island EMS and how you may access that information. Everyone working within Island EMS is required to follow the terms of this notice.

Island EMS is subject to the PEI Health Information Act and its regulations. This legislation applies to all personal health information that we collect, use or disclose or that is within our custody or control. This includes information in oral or recorded form pertaining to your health or health services provided to you, as well as personal information such as your name, address, and Medicare number when it is collected and retained by Island EMS in connection with these activities.

Privacy of your Personal Information

Each time we collect, use or disclose your information, we do so for a specific purpose in accordance with our mandate within the health-care system and in compliance with Prince Edward Island privacy legislation. We will not collect, use or disclose your information for purposes not reasonably connected to those outlined in this notice without your express written consent.

We value your personal privacy. We are committed to managing it with the greatest of care, in a manner that, to the best of our ability, is accurate, secure and private. We have a number of policies and practices in place to protect the privacy of your information. For example, information that you provide when you receive services is maintained in a secured location and access is restricted to specific individuals who need to know a certain component of your information to perform their role.

How We Collect Information About You

We collect information that you give us when you receive services in order to provide you with care and service and to process any payments for health-related services. This information includes, for example, your name, address, and Medicare number as well as facts about your health, health care history and the care and treatment you have received. By virtue of seeking care from us and reviewing this notice, we are generally entitled to assume that you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information. If we determine that you are incapable of providing pertinent information about yourself, such as when you are seriously ill, information may be collected from others in order to provide you with health care in a timely manner. You have the right to withdraw or limit your consent to the use and sharing of your personal health information, unless otherwise provided in the legislation. Withdrawing consent protects your information from further use or disclosure but may affect the provision of health care.

How We May Use and Disclose Information About You

We may use and disclose your information for one or more of the following purposes:

1. Provision of health care and health-care services
Island EMS uses the information that you provide to respond to your health care needs based on the situation and to treat you appropriately. We also share your information with other health-care providers to the extent necessary to provide you with care. For example, if you use ambulance service, we may be required to discuss your medical situation with other health care providers on route to the hospital and we will provide the receiving hospital with a copy of the record we create in the course of providing you with treatment and transport. If you use the services of the Mobile Integrated Health (MIH), details of the treatment(s) provided to you and your medical condition may be shared with other health care providers that are in your circle of care to the extent necessary to ensure you receive appropriate care and services.

2. Billing and payment (Ambulance Service Only)
We use information we collect from you when you use ambulance services to present you with a bill for those services, to process payments, and to collect any outstanding amounts. Following three late notices, outstanding invoices may be sent to a third-party collections agency for pursuit of payment. We may also use information that you provide about your financial circumstances to determine if you are eligible for specialized billing arrangements.

3. Planning, management, and quality assurance
We use information related to your care for administration, management, quality assurance and decision-making purposes and to respond to or investigate complaints. For example, we may use your information to evaluate our services, including the performance of our staff in caring for you. This is necessary to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the healthcare services that we provide. Information about our operations, which may include identifiable information about your care, is also disclosed to the Prince Edward Island Department of Health for health oversight activities including audits, to ensure that our personnel meet pre-determined standards of care and follow established policies and procedures.

4. Other purposes as required by law
Island EMS may be required by law to disclose your information. For example, we may release personal health information to coroners and medical examiners for identifying a deceased person, determining cause of death, or carrying on their duties as authorized by law. If you are an organ donor, we may release health information to organizations that handle organ procurement or organ or tissue transplantation. We may also be required to release your information in response to a court order, subpoena or other legal process and for law enforcement activities in limited situations, such as when the information is needed to locate a suspect or stop a crime. How long we keep information about you Records created during the provision of ambulance service are maintained in accordance with the Regulation under the Ambulance Services Act.

How Long We Keep Information About You

Records created during the provision of ambulance service are maintained in accordance with the Regulation under the Ambulance Services Act.