Privacy Policy

Our commitment

Aurora Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre is a health information custodian under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). We are committed to keeping your personal health information private and secure, and to collecting, using and sharing it only as the law allows.

This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, who we may share it with, and your rights. It applies to information collected in the clinic, by phone, by email, through online booking and through this website.

Our Privacy Officer

Our Privacy Officer is responsible for our privacy practices and for answering your questions or concerns. You can reach Kaitlin Hargrave, DCh, at 905-727-1446, at info@aurorafootclinic.com, or by mail at 372 Hollandview Trail, Suite 301, Aurora, ON L4G 0A5.

What we collect

• Contact details: your name, address, phone number, email address and date of birth
• Health information: your health history, medications, symptoms, assessment findings, foot scans, photographs taken for your care, treatment notes and treatment plans
• Billing information: fees, payments and receipts, and extended health plan details you choose to give us
• Information from other providers, such as your family doctor, with your consent or as the law allows

Why we collect it

We collect, use and share your information for the following purposes:

• To assess, treat and care for you, and to plan and follow up on your care
• To communicate with you about appointments, results and your care
• To prepare receipts and documents you need for insurance claims
• To keep complete and accurate records, as required by the College of Chiropodists of Ontario
• To meet our legal and regulatory obligations
• To improve the quality of our services

Your consent

When you give us your information for your care, we rely on your implied consent to use it within the clinic for that care and to share it with other health care providers involved in your care (your circle of care), unless you tell us not to.

We ask for your express consent before sharing your information with anyone outside your circle of care, such as an insurance company, your employer or a lawyer, unless the law requires or allows the disclosure without consent.

You may withdraw or limit your consent at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer. We will explain how this may affect your care. If you ask us not to share certain information with another provider, we may tell that provider that some information has been withheld.

When we may share information without consent

PHIPA permits or requires disclosure without your consent in limited situations, for example:

• To the College of Chiropodists of Ontario, for regulatory purposes
• When required by law or a court order
• To reduce a significant risk of serious bodily harm to you or another person
• To report suspected child abuse or neglect, as the law requires

Online booking, email and this website

We use Jane, an online booking and records system, to schedule appointments and keep clinic records. Jane acts as our service provider under an agreement that requires it to protect your information. When you book online, your information is entered directly into Jane. Our clinic records in Jane are stored on secure servers in Canada.

Regular email and text messages are not fully secure. If you contact us by email or text, we will assume you agree to receive replies by the same method, and we will keep health details to a minimum. Please do not send urgent or detailed health information by email.

This website uses cookies and Google Analytics to make the site work and to understand, in a general way, how visitors use it, such as which pages are viewed most. Google Analytics does not tell us who you are, and we do not use it to collect health information. Google may process this website data outside Canada. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or opt out of Google Analytics with Google's browser add-on. Links to other websites, including online booking and maps, are governed by those sites' own privacy policies.

How we protect your information

• Paper records are kept in a secure area with access limited to clinic staff
• Electronic records are password-protected and stored with a secure, encrypted service
• Staff are trained in privacy and sign a confidentiality agreement
• Records are destroyed securely when they are no longer required

How long we keep records

As required by the College of Chiropodists of Ontario, we keep patient records for at least 10 years after your last visit. For patients who were under 18 at their last visit, we keep records for at least 10 years after their 18th birthday.

Your right to access and correct your records

You have the right to see and receive a copy of your health record, with limited exceptions set out in PHIPA. Please make your request in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will respond within 30 days. We may charge a fee for copies, as permitted under PHIPA, and we will tell you the amount in advance.

If you believe something in your record is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us in writing to correct it. If we do not agree to the correction, you may attach a statement of disagreement to your record.

If a privacy breach happens

If your personal health information is stolen, lost, or used or disclosed without authority, we will notify you at the first reasonable opportunity, and we will report to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario when the law requires it.

Questions and complaints

Please contact our Privacy Officer first with any question or concern, and we will do our best to resolve it.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8. Phone 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073. Website ipc.on.ca.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always posted on this page, with its effective date.