Privacy & Access to Information

In many cases family members wish to obtain health information about a family member, particularly about a person for whom they are the primary caregiver and/or substitute decision-maker. Some professionals are hesitant to provide information because they do not want to violate privacy legislation. Unfortunately, the fear of breaking the law and breaching patient confidentiality sometimes results in health care professionals’ refusal to share information even where it is legally permissible to do so. This can make the role of the family member incredibly challenging. Depending on the circumstances, it can also be dangerous if there is a risk that a particular patient will harm himself/herself or others.

We can assist you with the following types of matters:

• Obtaining access to health information
• Understanding your rights to information
• Negotiating with health care providers
• Correcting medical records
• Reviewing consent forms
• Preventing access to information by certain individuals
• Obtaining hospital records
• Making formal complaints about health care providers’ refusals to provide information