Doctor Patient Confidentiality - Questions

[ralphbart]

I live in the GTA and have a new family doctor that gives me 30 mg of hydrocodone each day when I went to him initally 2 years ago I did not tell him I was on methadone 20 MG. I you are on methadone and try to get a family doctor no such luck.A urine test told my family doctor I was on methadone, he then called the pharmacy and told them to stop my medication they had found methadone in my urine.then he called my methadone doctor to discus my methadone use and hydrocodone use. Was he right to give this information to the pharmacy and to my meth doctor? thank you for your help

ralph

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello Ralph,

Thank you for sharing your situation and questions with us. We can appreciate that you would be very concerned about this.

We have found this information on the The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Website in the Confidentiality of Personal Health Information section.

Here are some excerpts,

Disclosure of personal health information

A physician can only disclose his or her patient’s personal health information:

• when he or she has the patient’s or substitute decision-maker’s consent and it is necessary for a lawful purpose;

• where it is permitted under legislation, without the patient’s or substitute decision-maker’s consent; or

• where it is required by law.

and

Professional Misconduct

Under the regulations to the Medicine Act, 1991, it is an act of professional misconduct for a physician to:

“[give] information concerning the condition of a patient or any services rendered to a patient to a person other than the patient or his or her authorized representative except with the consent of the patient or his or her authorized representative or as required by law.” 15

We suggest that you may want to contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario directly:

416-967-2603
Toll Free: 1-800-268-7096 Ext. 603
Email: feedback@cpso.on.ca

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

=====
Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org