Two-Tier Healthcare; Two-Tier Privacy

“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Rich Boy”, 1926 In healthcare, they have more privacy.

UHN. Encryption. Devil. Details.

Another lost laptop; another press release, something entirely too common these days. But one press release issued last week had an element that caught my eye and serves as a reminder that encrypted laptops are not a panacea for those who want to have data readily at hand in a portable device.

Privacy Impact Assessments: The Next Generation?

A couple of weeks ago, Chantal Bernier, Assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada, made a presentation in Toronto that included something that strikes me as a positive and noteworthy development. It was about how the federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (“OPC”) now looks at privacy impact assessments (“PIAs”).

Privacy Officers: A Regulated Profession?

A conversation about privacy and ethics last week led to an intriguing thought: should privacy officers become self-regulated?

Kindergarten Interview

A previous post, Kindergarten Privacy, caught the attention of ITWorldCanada. This led to an conversation with Dave Webb of ComputerWorld Canada on a variety of topics. The interview is presented here.

Ontario’s Diabetes Initiative, Part 2

This post was co-written by Michael Power and Anita Fineberg. Ontario’s Diabetes Initiative raises more troubling questions than could be addressed in one posting, so here’s Part 2.

“…About Your PHR”: A Response

A little over a month ago a post, written by Michael Martineau and Michael Power, was published on this blog (as well as eHealth Musings and ITWorld Canada) entitled “Dear McGill University Health Centre … About Your PHR”.  Shortly after it appeared, the authors were contacted by Philippe Panzini, Chief Technology Officer at MEDICAL.MD EHR […]

Ontario’s Diabetes Initiative: Big Brother Carries a Stethoscope

Hi there. We’re the Ontario Government. We know you have diabetes but don’t worry we’re here to help. We’re going to send “The Diabetes Testing Report” to your doctor. It will tell him or her when you last had three important tests: blood sugar test (A1C), cholesterol test (LDL), and retinal eye exam. If you […]

Kindergarten Privacy

I was asked a most intriguing question the other day.  How would I describe privacy concepts…to a four year old?

EHR Regulation in Canada: Did They Get It Right?

On 31 August 2009, Health Canada issued a Notice indicating that “patient management software” is subject to the Medical Devices Regulations (“MDRs”) and regulated under Canada’s Food and Drugs Act. While this action is laudable, the approach taken by Health Canada raises questions as to whether privacy and security are sufficiently addressed in this new […]

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