We are committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. This Privacy Notice describes how the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation® (OMSC®) program collects, uses, and discloses your personal information. Your personal information will only be used in compliance with this notice.
1. About the OMSC program
The OMSC® program is led out of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (Heart Institute).
The OMSC® program supports health care providers to implement this program that helps patients like you manage your nicotine addiction.
Your health care provider may offer you OMSC® follow-up support to manage nicotine addiction. Some follow-up phone calls or emails are automated and kept in the OMSC® database. Some follow-up phone calls are live and made by counselors from your health care provider, the Heart Institute, or other designated organizations
You can remove yourself from the program at any time by contacting your health care provider’s privacy office or emailing omsc@ottawaheart.ca.
2. How the OMSC® Program Uses Your Personal Information
Your personal information is specific information about you, like your name, date of birth, health issues, health history, treatments and more.
Your personal information is entered into the OMSC® database by your health care provider after your health care provider has discussed managing nicotine addiction with you and obtained your consent. The OMSC® database is run by TelASK Technologies Inc.
Personal information that is collected through the OMSC® program is only available to staff from your health care provider, the Heart Institute, or other designated organizations, who are involved in your care directly or in a supporting role, such as the OMSC® database manager.
The OMSC® program collects, uses, discloses and retains your personal information to:
-
Provide you with care and support to treat nicotine addiction
-
Administer and manage the OMSC® program
-
Monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of the OMSC® program
-
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Your personal information will only be shared with your health care provider and organizations involved in the OMSC® program. Your personal information may be stored in the OMSC® database for up to 28 years, or longer if required by law.
3. How the OMSC® Program Uses De-Identified Information
De-identification means that the details about you, like your name, date of birth and contact information, are left out of information or data. The goal of de-identification is to make it so that even someone who knows you probably would not know that the information is about you.
The OMSC® program uses de-identified information to:
-
Prepare reports for your health care provider, the Ontario Ministry of Health and its funders
-
Publish articles and presentations about the OMSC® program
4. How the OMSC® Program Safeguards and Protects Your Personal Information
We take steps to keep your personal information safe from theft, loss and unauthorized access, modification, use, disclosure and disposal.
The OMSC® database is encrypted. When information is encrypted, this means it is changed to computer code to make it hard for others to steal and read. TelASK Technologies Inc. runs the OMSC® database and must follow privacy laws.
As part of the OMSC program, your health care provider must audit the OMSC® database to make sure that your personal information stored in the database is accurate.
5. How to Correct Your Personal Information
You can make corrections to your personal information stored in the OMSC® Database at any time by contacting your health care provider’s privacy office or emailing omsc@ottawaheart.ca.
6. How to Make Suggestions or File a Complaint
You may contact your health care provider’s privacy office, the OMSC® office, or your provincial privacy commissioner to get more information, provide suggestions, or file a complaint.
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation®
613-696-7000 ext. 18981
