New best care Medical Centre Privacy Policy was updated on April 2, 2019. The words and phrases used in this Policy have the same meaning as in “NBCMC” Terms of Use.
New Best care Medical Centre (“NBCMC”, “we”, “us”) uses a number of safeguards to protect the privacy of Users of the NBCMC Platform and the confidentiality of their Personal Information including Personal Health Information (collectively referred to together in this Privacy Policy as “Information”). When discussing Healthcare Services, Information typically refers to Personal Health Information (“PHI”), and when discussing Informational Services,
This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) summarizes how NBCMC collects, uses, discloses, retains, disposes of, destroys and protects Information as well as Data (information that does not identify an individual) in the course of providing our services. We are committed to complying with this Policy and with applicable Provincial and Federal privacy legislation.
Note that this Policy does not apply to the collection, use, retention, disposal, destruction, and protection of Information by Authorized Physicians or Authorized Non-Physician Providers. Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers are subject to privacy legislation and professional requirements that govern their management of Information, including Information they collect, use and retain in the course of providing services through the NBCMC Platform. Please feel free to ask any Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider to whom you are referred if you have questions about how he or she will treat your Information.
Collecting and using Information
We only collect Personal Information if non-identifying information will not suffice. We minimize our collection and use of Information to what is needed for these purposes.
Healthcare Services
Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers may collect Information about you or any Registered Dependent (as defined below) when you provide it during a Healthcare Services consultation (e.g., verbally or in texts), by viewing the Information that you have entered or uploaded to the NBCMC EMR Platform and/or by creating or compiling Information in the NBCMC Platform. Information that will be available to Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers includes: the details that you provide in your consultation request; information you’ve entered or uploaded to profiles and medical records; information created during earlier interactions through the NBCMC EMR Platform with other Authorized Physicians and/or Authorized Non-Physician Providers; the name, email address, phone number, gender and date of birth and province/territory that you provided when you registered; and your emergency contact’s name and contact information. Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers use Information to provide you with Healthcare Services and/or Informational Services and, as with any healthcare provider, must comply with the privacy legislation and medical record-keeping obligations to which they are subject. Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers may create Information such as prescriptions, sick notes and other notes about your interaction with them through the NBCMC EMR Platform. They may export or print copies of your Information that they collect.
Informational Services
Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers collect and use Information that you provide in the course of obtaining Informational Services, by viewing the information that you have entered or uploaded to the NBCMC Platform and by creating or compiling Information in the NBCMC EMR Platform. The Information that they collect and use includes: the details that you provide in your request for Informational Services and information that you provided to register to use the NBCMC EMR Platform (name, gender, date of birth and place of residence) to confirm your eligibility to receive Informational Services. Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers are bound to comply with privacy legislation applicable to providers of Informational Services.
We may use Information for loss prevention and anti-fraud purposes, and to comply with regulatory and legal requirements;
Users eligible for Healthcare Services:
To request Healthcare Services, you select any applicable symptoms relevant to your request. You may also specify whether you’re seeking to renew a prescription or obtain a sick note. We facilitate your disclosure to the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider of that information, along with age and gender to determine whether your request is eligible. We do not identify you, or, if applicable, the Registered Dependent for whom you’re seeking the Healthcare Services. Once the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider confirms that your request is eligible, we identify the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider to you. The NBCMC EMR presents to the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider the Information you provided in your consultation request, your name and, if applicable, the name of the Registered Dependent for whom you’re seeking the consultation. Unless you have elected to withhold access to information held in the NBCMC ERM about you or any Registered Dependent, the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider will be able to view it too.
We use Information that you enter to provide you with services that you request us to perform on your behalf, e.g., securely faxing your prescription to your chosen pharmacy.
We use your Information to text or email you to notify you about services that you request. For example, we notify you about the status of your consultations and other requests, such as prescription orders.
We may collect location data through the use of GPS technology and your IP address where applicable to services you have requested, e.g., ensuring you are connected to an Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider or pharmacy that is licensed or authorized to provide such services in the jurisdiction where you are located. We also use your IP address for security purposes, e.g., presenting you with information about your account activity in your account settings.
Users eligible for Informational Services:
We use your Information to text or email you to notify you about services that you request, for example, about the status of your request for Informational Services.
We may collect location data through the use of GPS technology and your IP address to support you in receiving services, e.g., ensuring you are connected to an Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider who is authorized to provide such services in the jurisdiction where you are located. We also use your IP address for security purposes, e.g., presenting you with information about your account activity in your account settings.
Communicating with you
Medical emergencies associated with requests for Healthcare Services. Should you submit Information about a medical issue, which is deemed an emergency by an Authorized Physician or an Authorized Non-Physician Provider prior to their acceptance of your request for Healthcare Services, NBCMC reserves the right to contact you at any time using any of the contact information you have provided. This contact is strictly for the purpose of informing you that an Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider has viewed your anonymized request and has declined the request based on their belief that your symptoms may represent a medical emergency.
Updates and marketing. From time to time, we may send you service announcements, including policy updates and updates to our Terms of Use and software and keep you posted on our latest products and any upcoming events that may be of interest to you or apply to you. You may opt-out of receiving non-essential communications by logging in to your User Account and updating your preferences. For clarity, service announcements including updates to our policies and Terms of Use and software are not considered non-essential communications.
Customer support. If you email, fax, write to us or complete a ‘contact us’ form on the NBCMC Platform, we will collect the name and contact information that you provide to us and will use it to respond to you.
We only permit our Personnel to access Information to the extent necessary to perform their designated functions. We require them to protect the Information and maintain its confidentiality by complying with our policies, procedures and applicable law.
Disclosing Information
We will not disclose, share, sell or rent your Information with or to any third party (except to the extent we disclose to Authorized Physicians or Authorized Non-Physician Providers, emergency contacts and in compliance with regulatory and legal requirements as set out in this Policy), except with your consent, or to the extent necessary, in our good faith judgment, to: comply with applicable laws or regulations, respond to a subpoena, order, or similar obligation to produce information; establish or exercise NBCMC’s legal rights or defend against legal claims; or investigate, detect, suppress, prevent or take action regarding illegal or prohibited activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the reputation or safety of any person.
Retaining and disposing of Information
Unless we otherwise give you notice, we will retain your Information on the NBCMC Platform on your behalf. On termination, you will have an opportunity to print or make copies of your Information subject to the following. To ensure that Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers may exercise any authority they have to withhold Information they compile in connection with Healthcare Services from patients under the law, you will be required to request any access you would like to notes made by an Authorized Physician or an Authorized Non-Physician Provider about your consultation from the Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider. As mentioned above, NBCMC is not the custodian of Information held on the NBCMC EMR system; rather it holds Information on behalf of Users or Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers.
Accessing and correcting Information
Healthcare Services
You can access your Information or that of your Registered Dependents to check that it is accurate, complete, and up to date by making a request to NBCMC.
You may update and edit any of your Information except Information an Authorized Physician or Authorized Non-Physician Provider has viewed or created Information during a Healthcare Services consultation.
Your choices
When seeking Healthcare Services, you may withhold Information, e.g., consultation information and medical records from Authorized Physicians and/or Authorized Non-Physician Providers. Please be aware that Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers may be unable to provide you with Healthcare Services as a result. They will advise you of the implications of your choice.
Safeguarding Information
NBCMC takes the security of your information seriously. We store your information in electronic format within Canada, using computer systems with restricted access and web based facilities using physical security measures provided by third party. More generally, we have in place appropriate physical, technological, and organizational safeguards to protect Information against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, use and disclosure.
You also play an important role in protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your Information. For example:
Choose a quiet, private location from which to receive services from Authorized Physicians and Authorized Non-Physician Providers.
Collecting, using and sharing Data
Links and third party websites and applications
The NBCMC Platform may contain links to other websites that we do not own or operate. These links are not intended as an endorsement of or referral to the linked websites. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policies applicable to any site you visit. This Policy does not apply to such linked pages or other sites, and we are not responsible for the content or practices of any linked websites or their operators which are provided solely for your convenience.