Introduction

 At EmpowerFit Fitness & Wellness, we are committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information. We will not disclose your personal information without consent or reasonable and lawful notice except when required or permitted by law. 

Our privacy commitment

 At EmpowerFit Fitness & Wellness, we protect patient privacy by: 

  • Collecting only the personal information required to provide physiotherapy services. 

  • Advising you how your information might be disclosed and obtaining your consent. 

  • Safeguarding your personal information. 

  • Sharing your personal information only for the purposes stated and agreed to in a signed consent form or otherwise permitted by law. 

  • Ensuring any contractors we hire who may have access to your information also protect the privacy of your information. 

  • Training staff and adapting the office space to ensure maximum protection of your privacy. 

  • Ensuring personal information is current, complete and accurate. 

  • Providing you access to your personal information and a mechanism for requesting corrections. 

  • Having our privacy officer available to answer your questions. 

  • Periodically reviewing our privacy policy to ensure it provides adequate protection for your personal information. 

Information collected 

The personal information collected is required to provide you with physiotherapy services and facilitate payment for services rendered. 

  • Contact information: your name, phone number, address, email address and an emergency contact person. 

  • Health information: your health history, treatment received, names of other health-care providers, family medical history, your subjective complaints, objective findings, diagnoses, reason for discharge, and discharge plan. 

  • Financial information: your insurance benefit coverage information, credit card information, employer’s name, and other information to facilitate payment for services provided.

What do we use your information for…

We use contact information to open and update your patient file, invoice for services, remind you of appointments and/or the need for further treatment, and to provide informational materials about our clinic. We use health information to assess, diagnose, provide, and evaluate physiotherapy treatment. We use financial information to arrange payment for physiotherapy services rendered. 

With whom do we share your information? 

  • Contact information – may be disclosed to third-party health benefit providers/insurers when reimbursement claims for all or part of the treatment cost have been submitted. May also be disclosed to third-party booking and payment services used within the company.

  • Health information – may be disclosed to: 

    • Third-party booking and payment services used within the company.

    •  Third-party health benefit providers and insurance companies when a claim is submitted for reimbursement or payment of all or part of the cost of treatment or we have been asked to submit a claim on your behalf. 

    • The WCB or your employer if you made a WCB claim. 

    • Other health-care professionals also providing you with treatment. 

    • Your lawyer, if you were injured in an accident. 

  • Financial information – may be disclosed to your insurer or credit card company as required to facilitate payment. Third-party booking and payment services used within the company.

Note: Personal information can also be disclosed without your consent if we are required to do so by law. 

Information stored outside of Canada 

Not Applicable

How we protect your personal information

  • We store physical records containing your personal information in a secure place. 

  • We store electronic records on secured hardware, use antivirus software and passwords on all computers, and take care to protect screen monitors from public viewing. 

  • We transfer physical records outside our office in sealed envelopes by secure methods. 

  • We conduct telephone discussions with sensitivity to ensure that your personal information is not inadvertently disclosed. 

  • Electronic information is transferred in secure files and made anonymous wherever possible. 

  • We do not share your personal information outside our office for any marketing, promotional, publicity, educational, or research purposes without your consent. 

  • We train staff to handle your information only through the protected measures outlined in our privacy procedures. If consultants or contractors are hired, we take steps to ensure the consultant or contractor also protects your privacy. 

Accessing and correcting your personal information

You can get access to view your personal information by asking a staff member who may refer you to our privacy officer. We will attempt to help you understand the reasons we collect, store and use the information in your records. You may request a change to your personal information if it is inaccurate, incomplete, no longer current, or if you believe there is a factual mistake. You can also request a copy of your patient record. Requested copies will be provided in a reasonable period. If there is a charge for the cost of producing a copy, we will advise you of the cost in advance. 

How long is information kept? 

We are required by legislation to keep records containing personal information for 10 years from the last date of service. Or in the case of a minor, 10 years past the minor’s eighteenth birthday. After that time, we shred paper records and delete electronic ones. When discarding hardware, we ensure the hard drive is destroyed. 

More information

If you have a concern about your personal information, please feel free to ask the physiotherapist treating you or another staff member. If your question/concern is not resolved, please address it in writing to our privacy officer: 

Christy Amason
Empowerfit Fitness & Wellness
176 Chippewa Rd. 
Sherwood Park, AB 
T8A 4G7

780-417-5725

empowerfit@icloud.com

Privacy policy