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By rdnewsNOW Staff

SNOOPING, ABANDONED RECORDS

Information and Privacy Commission annual report notes concerns around health care information

Dec 6, 2024 | 12:47 PM

The 2023-2024 Annual Report of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta has found a spike in instances of abandoned health records and snooping into health information.

The report was tabled Nov. 28 in the Legislative Assembly and is also published online.

The report notes an increased reporting of abandoned health records, which are digital or physical records left unattended by doctors or other health care providers who have retired or moved to another practice.

Additionally, it found a rising trend in snooping in health information systems by employees of custodians, and a use of health information for unauthorized purposes.

“Abandoned health records put the health information of Albertans at risk and we are continuing our discussions with Alberta Health to find solutions,” said commissioner Diane McLeod.

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“In regard to snooping and other potential offences under Alberta’s Health Information Act, we believe that a part of the solution would be to empower the commissioner to issue administrative monetary penalties for serious and significant violations of the legislation.”

rdnewsNOW reached out to the Alberta Medical Association for a comment on these findings but did not receive a response in time for publication.

McLeod commented on other characteristics of the report as well.

“The 2023-24 year can best be characterized as a year of change and engagement for the office as we worked to tackle the goals set out in our Strategic Business Plan 2024-2027,” said McLeod.

“We worked to re-design a number of our internal processes to ensure our work is completed in more timely and efficient ways and we have seen some success on these fronts. We also spent considerable time and energy to consult with stakeholders and government in order to formulate recommendations for modernization of all three of Alberta’s access and privacy laws, work which is highlighted in the annual report.”

Officials remind that through the OIPC, the commissioner performs the responsibilities set out in Alberta’s three access to information and privacy laws, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act), the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The Commissioner operates independently of government.