Privacy Policy

Introduction

At Country Plaza Medical Centre, we are committed to protecting your personal and health information and to respecting your privacy at all times. This policy explains how we collect, use, share, store and safeguard your information when you visit our clinic, book an appointment, contact us or use our website. We value your trust and want to be open about how your information is handled.

By using our services or our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you have any questions, please contact us using the details at the end of this page.

Personal and health information

“Health information” means information about you that relates to your health care, such as your medical history, test results, diagnoses, treatment and your Alberta Personal Health Number. Health information held by our physicians is protected by Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA).

“Personal information” means other information about you that is not part of your health care, such as the details you send us through our website or with a job application. It is protected by Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

We handle all of your information in line with these laws.

Information we collect

When you visit the clinic. At check-in, especially at your first visit, we ask for details such as your name, date of birth, address, phone number and health card. Our physicians and staff also record your medical and family history, the reason for your visit, test results, referrals, prescriptions and other information needed for your care. Paper check-in forms are uploaded to our secure electronic medical record (EMR) and then securely shredded.

Digital medical scribe. Your doctor may use secure AI-based scribe technology to help write the summary of your visit. Your physician reviews and approves the summary before it is added to your record, and no audio or transcripts are stored. Participation is optional: please tell our team if you prefer not to use it.

Forms on our website. When you use our contact, new patient or returning patient forms, we receive the details you enter: your name, email address and phone number and, depending on the form, your preferred contact time, the reason for your request, and your acknowledgements and consent. Please do not send detailed medical information through these forms.

Online booking and the patient portal. Online booking and the Ava Connect patient portal are provided by our electronic medical record provider. We use the details you enter there to manage your appointments and to give you access to parts of your health information.

When you contact us. When you call, email or send us feedback or a complaint, we keep your name, contact details and the content of your message so we can respond and follow up.

Job applications. If you email us a job application, we use the information in it to review and respond to your application.

Our website. Our website host may collect technical information such as your IP address, your browser and device type, and the pages you visit. See “Our website, cookies and Google services” below.

Confidentiality isn’t just a policy – it’s our promise.

How we use your information

We use your information only for the purposes it was collected for, including to:

• Provide, coordinate and follow up on your care, including test results and referrals
• Schedule, confirm and remind you about appointments
• Bill the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) and, for uninsured services, bill you or a third party
• Reply to your messages, forms, feedback and complaints
• Plan, manage and improve the quality and safety of our services, and train our staff
• Understand how our website is used and improve it
• Meet our legal, professional and regulatory obligations

Sharing your information

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal or health information. We share it only when you consent, when the law requires or allows it, or in the limited cases below, and we share only what is needed:

• Other health care providers involved in your care, such as another physician at our clinic who covers for your doctor, specialists, hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic imaging and pharmacies, including through Alberta Netcare, the provincial electronic health record
• Alberta Health and other payers, to bill for the services you receive and when required by law
• Service providers who help us run the clinic and this website, such as our electronic medical record and booking provider, our website form service, our website host and Google (maps). They may use your information only to provide their service to us.
• Legal and regulatory reasons, such as a court order, a request authorized by law, or a report to the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta or public health when required

Your consent

Alberta’s Health Information Act allows us to collect, use and share your health information with others involved in your care without asking you each time. For other purposes, we ask for your consent when the law requires it.

You may withdraw or limit your consent at any time, subject to legal and professional requirements. Withdrawing consent does not undo sharing that has already happened, and it may affect the care or services we can provide. Please speak to your physician or contact us.

Children and young people

A parent or legal guardian usually makes health care decisions for a child. A young person who understands their care and its consequences (a “mature minor”) may make their own decisions. When a young patient is able to do so, we respect their privacy and ask for their permission before sharing their health information with others, including their parents, unless the law requires otherwise.

We do not knowingly collect information from children through our website without the involvement of a parent or guardian.

Where your information is stored

Your medical record is kept in our secure electronic medical record system. Some of our service providers, such as our website host, our form service and Google, may store or process information outside Canada. When that happens, the information is subject to the laws of that country, which may allow its authorities to access it.

Our website, cookies and Google services

Our contact page shows a Google Map so you can find the clinic. Google may set its own cookies when the map loads. Google’s Privacy Policy explains how Google uses this information.

Our website links to sites we do not own or control, such as our online booking page, Google Maps, and government and health resources. Their own privacy policies apply, and we encourage you to read them.

Information sent over the internet, including through our forms and by email, can never be fully secure. Please do not include detailed medical information.

Data security measures

Your personal and health information is stored securely and protected against loss, theft and unauthorized access, use or disclosure. We use administrative, technical and physical safeguards, including:

• Administrative: confidentiality commitments from our physicians and staff, privacy training, and access only on a “need-to-know” basis
• Technical: a secure electronic medical record, passwords and access controls, and encrypted (HTTPS) connections to our website
• Physical: restricted areas of the clinic, secure storage, and secure shredding of paper records

Only the people who need your information to do their jobs can access it. While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we review our safeguards regularly to protect your information as effectively as possible.

How long we keep your information

We keep your medical record for as long as Alberta law and the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta require. Other personal information is kept only as long as needed for the purposes in this policy or as required by law. When information is no longer needed, we destroy it securely.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for access to your personal and health information and to ask us to correct it if you believe it is wrong or incomplete, subject to limited exceptions in the law. You may also withdraw your consent, as described above, and ask how your information is handled.

To make a request, please contact us. We may ask you to confirm your identity, or your legal authority if you are asking for someone else (for example, as a parent, a guardian or under a power of attorney). Copying and transferring medical records is an uninsured service, so a fee may apply; we will tell you the fee before we provide the copies.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (toll-free 1-888-878-4044).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the law, our services or our practices. The updated policy will be posted on this page with its effective date. We encourage you to review it from time to time.

Contact us

If you have questions, concerns or requests about this policy or your information, please contact: