Personal Health Information for Screening Programs: Frequently Asked Questions

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How Does Being Contacted by Ontario Health Benefit Me? 

Ontario Health reminds you to talk about screening with your family doctor or nurse practitioner. We help increase your awareness of chronic diseases and cancer screening. We also help you become an active participant in your own health care and empower you to make important decisions about screening. 

Where Does Ontario Health Get My Personal Health Information From? 

Under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), which is Ontario’s health privacy law, Ontario Health collects personal health information from health care facilities, labs, the Ministry of Health and health professionals, such as doctors and nurse practitioners. Ontario Health stores personal health information in safe and secure databases. These databases can only be accessed by authorized employees who are required to follow our privacy and security policies and the law. 

How Can I Update My Personal Contact Information? 

1. Download the Screening Programs: Participant Information Form.
2. Fill out the Request to Change Personal Information section.
3. After you have filled out the form, fax it to 1-866-682-9534 or mail it to the address on page 1 of the form. The form has instructions and tells you how to contact us – if you need help, call 1-866-662-9233. To protect your privacy, please do not email the form. 

Also remember to update your contact information with ServiceOntario and your family doctor or nurse practitioner. 

Will Ontario Health Use My Information to Contact Me? 

Yes. If you qualify for chronic disease or cancer screening, Ontario Health may send you a letter inviting you to talk about screening with your family doctor or nurse practitioner. 

We may also tell you your test results and remind you when it is time for you to get screened again. You may choose at any time not to be contacted by us. 

Why is Ontario Health Allowed to Use My Personal Health Information? 

Ontario Health, a crown agency of the Government of Ontario, manages many screening programs in Ontario. Ontario Health collects personal health information under s. 39(1)(c) of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and in accordance with s.13(1) paragraphs 1, 6.1 and 9 of Ontario Regulation 329/04 .

Ontario Health uses personal health information to: 

• send letters inviting people to get a screening test
• send people their screening test results in certain screening programs 
• remind people when it is time to get another screening test 
• make improvements to the screening programs 
• provide screening information to health professionals about their patients 

How Long Does Ontario Health Keep My Personal Health Information? 

Ontario Health keeps personal health information in the registry of chronic diseases forever so we can track how screening affects mortality (death) rates and so we can keep reminding Ontarians about screening. 

Who Does Ontario Health Share My Personal Health Information With? 

Ontario Health shares your personal health information with you by sending you screening letters and test results for certain screening programs. We may also share your personal health information with: 

• your family doctor or nurse practitioner so they know your screening information and results for certain screening tests 
• teams at Ontario Health that work in chronic disease and cancer to help them plan and manage the health system
• healthcare researchers who meet specific privacy requirements, such as: o getting approval from a research ethics board to do their research 
• getting approval to get your information 
• making an agreement with Ontario Health 

How Does Ontario Health Protect My Personal Health hnformation? 

Ontario Health has administrative and technical safeguards in place to protect your personal health information: 

• Administrative safeguards: We describe our privacy practices in our Privacy Policy, which Ontario Health staff members must read, and privacy training sessions, which all staff members must attend. Staff members must also sign agreements saying that they understand and will follow Ontario Health’s privacy practices. 
• Technical safeguards: Access to the registry of chronic diseases is protected by authentication and authorization mechanisms (usernames and passwords), and our network security controls. It is also monitored by the Ontario Health Logging Monitoring and Auditing System. 

What Type of Information Does Ontario Health Collect For Its Screening Programs?

Ontario Health collects three types of personal health information for our screening programs: 

• your screening test and result information, including for abdominal ultrasounds, fecal immunochemical tests or FITs, colonoscopies, mammograms and cervical screening tests 
• your health information, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm history, and colon, cervical and breast cancer history 
• your contact information, such as your name, address and date of birth 

How Do The Screening Programs Contact Me? 

The screening programs may contact you by mail. Most people in these programs get 1 or 2 automatically generated letters every year. If we need to contact you right away, such as to confirm your mailing address or whether you got one of our letters, an Ontario Health representative may call you. 

What Letters Will I Get From The Screening Programs? 

You may get the following kinds of letters from our screening programs: 

• invitations and reminders to talk to your family doctor or nurse practitioner about screening for certain types of cancer or other chronic diseases 
• test results after you do a screening test 
• other personalized letters to respond to questions you send us 

Can I See My Results Or Other Information That Ontario Health Keeps About Me? 

Generally, people who want to see their personal health information will be encouraged to get it from their health care providers or other providers who are directly involved in their care and treatment, such as their doctor or other health care organizations. This process is in line with and supported by the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). 

What Do I Do if I Do Not Want To Be Contacted By Ontario Health About Screening Programs? 

At your request, we will stop sending you letters about screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. To make this request: 

• Download the Screening Programs: Participant Information Form. 
• Fill in the appropriate sections. 
• Fax the completed form to 1-866-682-9534 or mail it to the address on page 1 of the form. Detailed instructions and contact information are on the form – for help, call 1-866-662-9233. To protect your privacy, please do not email the form. 

It can take up to 30 days to process your request. Until then, you might get other letters about screening. 

Once your request is processed, we will send you 1 last letter to let you know that you were taken off the mailing list. You can ask not to get a confirmation letter in Section 2 of the form. 

What Will Change After I Ask to Stop Being Contacted About Screening? 

You will still be able to get the same health care services, including screening services. But we will no longer: 

• invite or remind you to talk with your family doctor or nurse practitioner when it is time for you to get screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm, or breast, cervical or colon cancer 
• send your screening test results in the mail 
• tell you next steps if your screening test results are not normal 

You and your family doctor or nurse practitioner will be responsible for staying up to date with your screening appointments and test results. 

What Will Happen To My Personal Health Information if I Ask Not To Get Letters?

Even if you ask Ontario Health to stop sending you letters, Ontario Health can still collect, use, store and share your personal health information, such as test results, as allowed by Ontario’s privacy legislation, the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). We use screening information to help plan and improve screening services for Ontarians. To make sure your personal health information is protected, our privacy practices are reviewed and approved every 3 years by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario as required by law. 

What if I Change My Mind About Not Getting Letters From Ontario Health? 

If you would like to start getting letters from Ontario Health again, we can add you back to our mailing list. 

Call the Ontario Health Contact Centre toll free at 1-866-662-9233 Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Have your health card (OHIP card) ready to confirm who you are.