+ Website Privacy Policy

Stonewire Optometry has developed this website as an electronic resource respecting our optometry practices in Edmonton.

Stonewire Optometry is committed to providing our patients and visitors with a website that respects their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy of our site.

Stonewire Optometry does not gather personal information such as your name, phone number, or e-mail address unless you supply it voluntarily, usually through contacting us via e-mail, telephone, fax, regular mail or registering in a secure portion of our site. We do maintain server logs and web logs which automatically collect and log all incoming traffic to our website including your Internet Protocol (IP) address. However, we make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site.

Any personal information you voluntarily provide Stonewire Optometry is protected under Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act. This means that, at the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected, the purpose for which is being collected and that you have a right of access to the information.

Patient and Visitor information are not disclosed to anyone except our staff, consultants or others as noted in our office privacy policy who may require the information.

This website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the content and the privacy practices of other websites and encourage you to examine each website's privacy policy and make your decisions regarding the accuracy, reliability and correctness of materials and information found.

Our office uses an online patient booking softwware which is operated and maintained by Luxottica Canada, the owner and operator of Pearle Vision Canada. Luxottica does not have access to the inforamtion you enter online, although they will send you automated email, text messages. Whenever you share information online there is an inherent risk whenever a person shares information online or through 3rd party applications that it may be compromised. The information shared on this system is not part of your medical record and is not connected to our main patient care software. The user accepts this risk when electing to book online.

Online signatures contained on patient release forms follow the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) as outlined by the Office of the Privacy Commission of Canada. Online signatures with legally compliant e-signature software such as the Adobe EchoSign used by our organization are considered to be as valid and binding as traditional pen-and-paper documents. All information collected with be held safely and securely within your patient file in agreement with Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act.

If you are receiving our email newsletter, it is because you voluntarily provided us with your email address and consent while in our office, or through our online signup forms. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may unsubscribe at any time. Their is an unsubscribe button on the bottom of every email newsletter, please click on the link and follow the directions. If you are are receiving our eye exam recall letter it is because you voluntarily provided us with your email address and consent while in our office. You also voluntarily signed an email use release form. If you wish to remove your email address from your file, simply call us or reply, "STOP" to any email you receive.

+ Office Privacy Statement

January 1, 2019

Introduction

• The privacy of our patient’s personal information is an important principle to Stonewire Optometry and it’s optometrists. Our optometry clinic is committed to collecting, using and disclosing your personal information in a responsible manner. This document describes our privacy policy.

What is Personal Information

• Personal information is information about an individual. It includes information that relates to your personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income, home address, phone number(s), ethnic background, religion, family status, etc.), or your health (e.g., health history, health conditions, health services, etc.).
• Your business information, when used for business contact purposes (e.g., address, phone number, etc.), is not considered personal information and therefore is not affected by privacy legislation.

Collection and Use

• Personal information collected from patients of this practice shall be limited to that required to:
• Evaluate your eye health and vision status
• Determine and recommend appropriate treatment and referral
• Communicate with you about the services we provide
• To advise you about your vision care needs
• Provide you with eye-care, health or other product or treatment information
• Process payment and pursue collection of accounts receivable for services and produced received from our clinic.
• Communicate with others (e.g., other health care providers, lawyers, third party insurers, etc.) about your eye health and vision status.
• Disclosure: In the course of providing eye care services to you, your personal information may be disclosed where required or allowed by law and may also be disclosed to:

Other health care providers

• Insurers or other third party payers you have identified
• Regulatory authorities, where such information may assist in the investigation of a complaint or a review of standards of care
• Governmental bodies (e.g., CCRA, Privacy Commissioner, Human Rights Commission, etc.) who have it in their mandate to access your file
• Our practice’s lawyers, accountants, information managers or other consultants contracted to provide advice or counsel regarding the administration or management of the practice.
• On termination of sale of the practice, to a purchasing optometrist or file storage facility that agrees to serve as trustee of your personal information and only to access this information for the purpose of confirming their custody of your file, unless you initiate contact with a patient
• The disclosure of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purpose for which it is disclosed. All the above noted external parties have the same legal responsibility as this optometry practice to protect all personal information collected in the course of their activities.

Access and Destruction of Personal Information

• You have the right to access your personal information at a reasonable time (e.g., during regular office hours) and have the right to request corrections to your personal information. This applies to factual information and not professional opinions we may have recorded. Corrections are registered in your patient file. If our office does not agree with the corrections, we will include a brief statement on your file recording both opinions.
• Reasonable safeguards will be taken whenever paper and electronic documents are destroyed or deleted. Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that no record remains after destruction.
• Your optometrist may take various digital retinal images in order to aid in the diagnosis of your eye health. These images are part of your health record and are stored in accordance with best practice guidelines. If you would like a copy of any digital images, a $25.00+GST fee will apply for the time and effort, along with the cost+gst of a new USB key which the images can be transferred to (External USB keys are not allowed for virus and privacy concerns). As with all non-urgent requests we have 30-days to collect your information,

Online Signatures & Patient Release Forms

• Online signatures contained on patient release forms follow the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) as outlined by the Office of the Privacy Commission of Canada. Online signatures with legally compliant e-signature software such as the Adobe EchoSign used by our organization are considered to be as valid and binding as traditional pen-and-paper documents.

Email Addresses

• Our office collects and uses the email address for the purpose of sending information, recall letters, appointment reminders, referral information (only at the patient's request) and for our online newsletters and marketing.
• Our online newsletter and marketing materials are optional, and we allow patients to opt in or out. You may also unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on any email newsletter you receive.
• Emails sent for patient correspondence, and exam appointment reminders are sent for your personal benefit as we want you to be aware of your eye exam appointments. If you would like to be removed from receiving these emails, we ask that you contact our office directly, or reply 'STOP'. Because email is not completely secure, we never send medical information or medical attachments, except at the consent of the patient.
• If you do not subscribe to or you unsubscribe to email correspondence we cannot send any information to your via this method, which includes: copies of your eyeglass prescription, contact lens prescriptions, and receipts.
• PLEASE NOTE: Your email address is part of your personal patient file, and as such will never be sold, licensed, or otherwise distributed to a third party.

Cell Phone Numbers

• Our office collects and use cell phone numbers to send appointment confirmations, appointment cancellations and appointment reminders.
• If you would like to stop receiving text messages, simply call our office or reply 'STOP' to one of the text messages.
• PLEASE NOTE: Your cell phone number is part of your personal patient file, and as such will never be sold, licensed, or otherwise distributed to a third party.

In Office Video Recording

• Our office uses a high definition in office video recording system within the public reception area of our clinic to monitor against theft and provides safety to our office staff and doctors. All digital video is stored in a secure location for ten days before being destroyed and can only be accessed by the clinic privacy officer or at the request of law enforcement officers or mall security. The video is not used to monitor the activities of patrons or staff on a regular basis. A window label is clearly visible on the outside of our clinic notifying all customers that a CCTV system is in use.

Do you have a Question?

Our Privacy Officer is Dr. Ross McKenzie. He can be reached at 780.628.6886

More general inquiries should be directed to:

The Alberta Government Privacy Help Desk – privacyhelpdesk@gov.ab.ca