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Ontario|Health LawHealth Law 697 Who can access your health records?
- Who has records and which records can be accessed
Whenever you receive treatment or services by a health professional, hospital, clinic, or laboratory, there are usually records kept with your personal information. Normally, the location where the treatment was provided will keep records about the treatment, and the Ministry of Health will keep records of every service billed to OHIP. Under the law, you generally have the right to have any records held by the government kept private. You also have the right to access those records. However, this right does not necessarily apply to non-governmental offices.
- When can your health records be released to others?
There are some circumstances where your health records may be released, even from government offices. These include, if you consent to the release, if there is a court order to release records, or if the government passes a law allowing records to be released. This might happen in the case of communicable diseases, where releasing individual health records is believed to help safeguard the health of the general population.
- Health records held by the government
Records held by the Ontario government are usually kept by the Ministry of Health. These include your personal information and the details of medical treatment you have received that has been paid for by OHIP. This includes blood tests, visits to doctors, and hospital care.
You can obtain access to your records from the Ministry of Health by sending a letter to the Freedom of Information and Right to Privacy Commissioner at the Ministry of Health, together with a small administrative fee, payable to the Minister of Finance. In your letter you must state that you are making the request under the Freedom of Information and Right to Privacy Act. For additional information on requesting health records from the government, you can contact the Ontario Ministry of Health or the Privacy Commissioner for Ontario. These offices are listed in the Blue pages of the telephone book.
- Process to accessing health records held by a doctor, clinic, or hospital
If you want to access your records from a doctor, clinic, or hospital, you will need to ask if there is a procedure for making such a request. You may be required to make a request in writing and pay an administrative fee. If you need to access records for a legal matter, you should consult a lawyer.
For additional information about health records, you can contact the Ministry of Health listed in the Blue pages of the telephone book.
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