Privacy Policy
This policy has been developed to outline the commitment of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of PEI (the “College”) to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of information. This policy applies to all information that the College collects, receives, creates, uses, or discloses while performing its regulatory functions.
Introduction
The College is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of all information that it collects, receives, creates, uses, or discloses while performing its regulatory functions. We are responsible for all information, including personal information and personal health information, that is entrusted to us.
The College fulfills this commitment to privacy and confidentiality by complying with its statutory obligations under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA), and by following the practices outlined in this policy.
Policy
Purposes for Which Information is Collected, Used or Disclosed
The College may collect, use, or disclose information to perform its regulatory functions and fulfill its statutory objects (as outlined in section 4 of the RHPA), or where it is permitted or required by law to do so.
Examples of regulatory functions that may result in the collection, use, or disclosure of information include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Issuing certificates of registration.
- Verification of credentials.
- Investigating complaints made against registrants and conducting discipline proceedings into allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence of registrants.
- Monitoring and maintaining standards of practice though peer review.
- Administering and facilitating members’ affiliations with Canadian Universities/ Medical Schools, relevant PEI government departments, Health PEI, Medical Society of Prince Edward Island, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Medical Council of Canada, Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, the Medical identification Number for Canada (MINC) Corporation, other medical regulatory authorities, and any other entities with which a member has or seeks to have an affiliation;
- Compiling statistics.
- Demographics: research, analysis, and planning.
- Establishing and maintaining updated physician listings to publish on the College website and make available to the public.
- Providing information and documents to third parties as needed to fulfill the College’s objects.
The College collects information only to the extent necessary for the purposes identified. Information is collected in a fair and lawful manner.
Consent
The College will collect, use, or disclose information without consent only when it is permitted or required by law to do so.
Examples of situations where the College is permitted or required by law to collect, use, or disclose information without consent include, but are not limited to, investigations related to professional discipline, disclosure of information that is in accordance with the College’s objectives, and disclosure of information that is required pursuant to Section 18 of the RHPA.
Accuracy
The College requires that all information it receives or collects from others is accurate. Should the College have reason to believe information is inaccurate, it will take reasonable steps to verify its accuracy. Members are required to contact the College and update any changes in their personal information.
Access
The College is committed to keeping all information that comes to its knowledge confidential and is not permitted to communicate this information to any other person unless the information is public and/or the College is required or permitted by law to share the information. Individuals can gain access to public information on the College’s website.
Public information includes, but is not limited to, registration information about physicians, such as name, business address, and qualifications; any terms and conditions placed on the member’s registration; and, the date and circumstances of any suspension, cancellation, or reinstatement of the member’s registration or other result of a disciplinary proceeding involving the member.
An example of a situation where the College is required by the RHPA to share information with a third party would be providing a professional regulatory body with information regarding the nature of any ongoing complaint, investigation, or hearing respecting a member or former member.
Safeguards
The College takes reasonable steps to protect information against loss, unauthorized access, use, disclosure and alteration, no matter what form the information is in (for example, electronic version or physical copies).
The safeguards used by the College include:
- Information is stored in a secure manner. This may include keeping information in secure or restricted access storage rooms and maintaining information in password protected databases.
- Information which is no longer needed will be destroyed or shredded through a professional and confidential service.
- Access to the College building will be restricted to College staff, and authorized individuals.
- Staff, members of Council, members of Investigation and Hearing Committees, and other individuals who conduct work for the College are made aware of their obligations to keep information confidential and understand the importance of upholding this obligation at all times.
- Disclosure of personal information will only be done with appropriate safeguards regarding a member’s personal information, which may include a data sharing agreement.
Accountability, Openness and Compliance
The College is accountable for all information under its control, including information which it may transfer to a third party. The College collects, uses and discloses information in accordance with its obligations under the RHPA.
The College is committed to implementing the principles described in this policy, and to ensuring that members of the public and physicians are aware of the College’s privacy practices. The Registrar is responsible for making sure the College follows this policy.
Please contact the College for more information about this policy or any of your privacy concerns.
Website
When you visit the College’s website (www.cpspei.ca) certain information is automatically collected from you. This is not personal information and cannot directly identify a specific person. For example, we track the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or browser type of users who access our website. This is necessary for the operation and security of our website.
In addition, we analyze non-identifiable website traffic data and collect cookies to improve our services. A “cookie” is a piece of text that our webserver can store on your computer. The cookies we use log your progress through the site and record how you accessed the site. They do not collect any personal information about you or about any other use of your computer.
Our website may include links to websites managed by other organizations. The College is not responsible for the protection of any information you give to these websites or the content on these websites. Please ensure that you read the privacy policy on any other website you link to, to understand how your personal information is collected, used and disclosed on such sites.
Applicable Legislation
Regulated Health Professions Act sections 17, 18 and 82
Document History
Approval Date: June 4, 2024