Access & Privacy

PMH uses your information to provide care to you, for evaluation and planning of PMH services and programs, research, teaching, statistics, and to meet legal and regulatory requirements. PMH only uses your information where it is authorized by law and use is limited to the minimum amount necessary.

PMH is required to provide information to various departments of Manitoba Health, the Vital Statistics department, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Only the minimum amount of information required is shared and in some cases identifying information is removed. When we send this information, safeguards are in place to protect the confidentiality and security of the information.

PMH requires your consent or a court order prior to releasing information to any organization or person not directly involved in your treatment/care or payment for health care. PMH will ensure that only the information you have authorized is released.

You have the right to access your personal health information and PMH has an obligation to make it available to you, with limited exceptions. An exception may include protecting the identity of a third person. PMH may choose not to give you access to part of or all of your information and will provide you with a reason if access is refused. Please go to Access to Your Records (hyperlink to page 3) for information on how to make a request.

Your right to access your health information does not automatically extend to your family members and/or friends. If you consent to let a friend or a family member see your health record, then the friend/family member may access the part(s) that you have consented to let them view.

If you are unable to give consent for a friend or family member to access your health information due to reasons of competency or consciousness, the consent decision will be appointed to an Alternate Decision Maker who can act on your behalf. This person may be a proxy named in a Health Care Directive or a spouse or parent. The person who will act on your behalf must make decisions based on their belief of what you would wish done if you were able to decide.

Access to your health information is only allowed where the employee requires the information to provide treatment or care to you or as a requirement as part of their job. For example, some information is taken from your health record, for statistical purposes, and sent to Manitoba Health. All PMH employees are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement, which is signed as a condition of employment. This agreement requires that employees only access information on a need-to-know basis.

PMH does release information to your family physician so that they may continue to provide health care to you.

When you call, employees may have no way to verify that you are who you say you are. Therefore, in order to protect the privacy of the patient or resident, only a minimal amount of information is given out over the phone. PMH employees will not release any information if your family or friend has requested that no information be released.

There are situations where the location or circumstances make it difficult for employees to have a private conversation. All employees make every effort to discuss health information privately. Should you overhear information about one of our patients, please respect their privacy and do not repeat this information.

PMH is committed to protecting all personal health information (PHI) to ensure the confidentiality, security, integrity and availability of the information. This includes the lifecycle of our client’s health records, from the point the record is first created to the secure destruction. All client visits to health care programs are retained in accordance with applicable laws and PMH’s ‘Retention and Destruction of Health Records’ policy, which may be for different lengths of time depending on the type of program or service. PMH is committed to protecting all personal health information (PHI) to ensure the confidentiality, security, integrity and availability of the information. This includes the lifecycle of our client’s health records, from the point the record is first created to the secure destruction. All client visits to health care programs are retained in accordance with applicable laws and PMH’s ‘Retention and Destruction of Health Records’ policy, which may be for different lengths of time depending on the type of program or service.

Below is a summary of the PMH Health Record Retention timeframes, from the date of last visit, based on PMH Program/Service:

Note: For any client visit to health care programs when under 18 years old on the date of their visit, the client visit is retained until the age of majority is met, plus the additional retention period.

Transitional care is the care of a patient who does not require 24/7 medical supervision by a physician but still requires some 24/7 nursing care. These type of patients may include: patients who are waiting to be placed in a personal care home, patients who need to be admitted to provide their caregiver with a break (respite care), and patients who are recovering but no longer require the 24/7 medical care only available at acute care sites.

Transitional sites within PMH include:

• Baldur Health Centre
• Birtle Health Centre
• Erickson Health Centre
• McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre
• Reston Health Centre
• Rossburn Health Centre
• Shoal Lake/Strathclair Health Centre
• Wawanesa Health Centre

Prior to work placement or practicum within Prairie Mountain Health, students are required to complete the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and Confidentiality orientation:

1. Complete the “PHIA for Health Care” Learning Module – This module may be available on the institution’s Learning Management System. If not, this can be coordinated by emailing [email protected].
2. View the PMH Confidentiality Video
3. Read the PMH Confidentiality Policy
4. Sign the PMH Pledge of Confidentiality

Once complete, email all signed pledges to [email protected]. Please include:

School address

Designation of the student group

Typed student list (to avoid spelling errors)

Cards certifying completion of the orientation will be sent to the school upon receipt of the signed pledges.

Students are required to have this card on their person when working in PMH facilities