Bluewater Health is embracing new legislative requirements aimed at increasing accountability and transparency. On January 1, 2012, Bluewater Health and other Ontario hospitals will become subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
As its name implies, the legislation has two distinct purposes and each of these carries with it a different set of requirements:
- To provide the public a right of access to hospital information subject to limited exemptions; and
- To protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by hospitals and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information.
Types of requests that can be made under the act include hospital budgets, minutes from various meetings as well as policies and procedures.
The Act applies to all records that came into the custody or control of the hospital on or after January 1, 2007. Certain records are excluded or exempted from the act. Types of requests that are excluded from the Act include personal health information and third-party information.
To learn more about FIPPA legislation, please feel free to contact our privacy office at (519) 464-4400 ext. 8207 or e-mail FIPPA@bluewaterhealth.ca.
Select the link to access the Act.