Privacy statement

At Lumea, we are committed to protecting the privacy of your health information, as federal and provincial laws require. When we say “health information,” we mean personally identifiable information that we collect about you when we treat you, and includes payment information. Attached is Lumea’s “Notice of Privacy Practices” (“Notice”) The Notice explains how we meet this commitment. The Notice also explains what is in your health record and your rights under federal and provincial laws. All people and places that make up Lumea must follow the Notice.

This Summary tells you in brief what the Notice says. If you have a question about your health information in this summary, you should review the full Notice of Privacy Practices or ask a Lumea staff member for more information. Lumea has the right to change this Summary and the Notice without first notifying you.

How Lumea may use and share your health information

Without your consent, Lumea can use and share your health information to:

  • Provide you with treatment and other services.
  • Receive payment from you, an insurance company, or someone else for services we provide to you.
  • Coordinate your care, which may include such things as giving you appointment reminders and telling you about other treatment options.
  • Manage Lumea’s business (called “Health Care Operations”).
  • For certain marketing and fundraising activities.
  • Comply with the law.
  • Meet special situations as described in the Notice, such as public health, safety, and research.

Unless you object, Lumea can:

  • Include your name and other information in the hospital directory.
  • Share your health information with those involved in your care, such as a family member or a close personal friend.

All other uses and sharing of your health information will be done only with your specific written permission or as permitted or required by law.

Your legal rights about your health information

  • Right to ask to see and request a copy of your medical record.
  • Right to ask that incorrect or incomplete information in your medical record be corrected.
  • Right to ask for a list of all people and organizations who Lumea disclosed your health information to, subject to limits permitted by law.
  • Right to ask Lumea to limit how we use and share your health information without your consent.
  • Right to ask for confidential communications.
  • Right to ask for a paper copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices.

In the event that a breach of your protected health information occurs at Lumea or one of its Business Associates, you will be provided with notification as required by law.

Full Notice

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION SUBJECT TO THE PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION AND ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS ACT (PIPEDA) AND SIMILAR LAWS MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED (SHARED) AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO (SEE AND COPY) THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.

Background

Lumea creates and maintains a record of health information about the care and services you receive at Lumea. This includes health information that we receive from other doctors and medical facilities that are not part of Lumea, but that Lumea keeps providing care to you. Lumea may share and use your health information as described in this Notice, including for purposes of treating you, obtaining payment for services provided to you, health care operations, as well as purposes authorized by you, permitted by law, or otherwise described in this Notice. You can learn more about Lumea at www.lumea.io.

What Is a Notice of Privacy Practices (Notice)?

The Notice tells you about the ways Lumea may use and share your health information, as well as the legal duties we have about your health information. The Notice also tells you about your rights under federal (Canada) and provincial laws.

What is Covered Under Lumea’s Notice of Privacy Practices?

A list of entities that are bound by this Notice can be found within the privacy information section of www.lumea.io. This includes hospitals, doctors, rehabilitation services, skilled nursing services, home health services, pharmacy services, laboratory services, and other related health care providers. This also includes departments, units, and staff within these entities, health care professionals permitted by us to provide services to you, and students, residents, trainees, volunteers, and others involved in providing your care whether or not these individuals are employed by Lumea. In this Notice, the words “we,” “us,” and “our” mean LUMEA and all the people and places that follow this Notice.

This Notice does not apply to health information that is not subject to PIPEDA or similar provincial health information privacy laws, or information used or shared in a manner that cannot identify you.

Our Duty to Protect Your Health Information

We are required by law to:

Make sure that your health information is used in accordance with this Notice (as currently in effect). Make available to you this Notice that describes the ways we use and share your health information as well as your rights under the law.

How We May Use and Share Your Health Information

We may use and share your health information in certain ways, such as when we receive your written permission, to help treat you, or as permitted or required by the law. The following list describes different ways that we may use and share your health information, along with examples for each.

Ways We Are Allowed to Use and Share Your Health Information Without Your Consent or as the Lumea Consent for Treatment, Payment, and Health Care Operations Provides:

Treatment: We may use your health information to provide you medical treatment or related services including coordination of care and case management. We may also share your health information with others that provide treatment to you. We may share your health information with others who may provide follow-up care to you, such as your primary care physician, physical therapist, long term care facility and home healthcare agencies. At all times, we will comply with any laws that apply.

Payment: To receive payment for the services we provide to you, we may use and share your health information with your insurance company or a third party who is paying for your care. We also may share your health information with other health care service or product providers who need to pre-approve or provide follow-up care to you, such as your physicians, other providers, EMS providers ,nursing homes and home care agencies so they can bill you, your insurance company, or a third party.
For example, some health plans require your health information to pre-approve you for surgery and require preapproval before they pay us.

Health Care Operations: We may use and share your health information for business and other operational purposes. For example, we may use your health information to evaluate the quality of the treatment that we provided. We may share your health information with our researchers, so they can develop plans to conduct research. We may share information with our students, trainees, and staff for review and training purposes. We may share your health information for case management and care coordination purposes. However, we will not sell your name or any identifiable health information to others without your authorization.

Health Information Exchanges: We may share your health information using various Health Information Exchanges that Lumea participates in both on a regional and a national basis. If you choose not to participate in these exchanges, your health information will no longer be provided through the exchange. However, your decision does not affect the information that was exchanged prior to the time you chose not to participate.

Business Associates: We may share your health information with others called “business associates,” who perform services on our behalf. The Business Associate must agree in writing to protect the confidentiality of your health information. For example, we may share your health information with a billing company that bill’s for the services that we provided.

Appointment Reminders: We may use and share your health information to remind you of your appointment for treatment or medical care. For example, we may call, text, or e-mail you to remind you of a scheduled appointment. We may also use and share your health information to confirm the time, place, and attendance of your appointment for treatment with third-party transportation services and any other related services (including but not limited to third parties involved in your treatment).

Treatment Options and Other Health-Related Benefits and Services: We may use and share your health information to tell you about possible treatment options and other health-related benefits and services. For example, if you suffer from a chronic illness or condition, we may use your health information to assess your eligibility and propose newly available treatments.

Marketing Activities, Cookies, and Online Services.

We may use or share your health information to promote our own products and services. We may also use or share your health information for marketing purposes when we discuss products or services with you. face to face or to provide you with an inexpensive promotional gift related to the product or service. For example, you may receive samples of products or drugs during a visit to a Lumea hospital or facility.

When you visit and use the Lumea website, we may collect and share information about your use of these websites and applications through cookies and other similar technologies. This information can include technical information about your device or browser (such as, for example, your internet protocol (IP) address, operating system, device information, browser type and language, and referring URLs) as well as information about your activities or use of the websites and mobile device applications (such as, for example, access times, pages viewed, links clicked and similar information). You should review the terms contained on the Lumea website or application that you use, including Lumea’s Website/Email Terms of Use, for detailed information on the types of cookies and other technologies we use, what information we collect, the reasons why we use these technologies, as well as the terms associated with that website or application.

Lumea and you may agree to use a third-party website, application, or electronic messaging service (for example, with chat, video, or audio capabilities) for you to receive remote health care services from Lumea. These third-party services may have separate terms and conditions and privacy policies that you must agree to instead of or in addition to Lumea’s Website/Email Terms of Use. However, when you use the third-party service, the health information that you choose to share may be covered by this Notice.

Research.

We may use and share your health information with a Lumea researcher if certain parts of your health information that would identify you are removed before we share it with the Lumea researcher. This will only be done if the researcher agrees in writing not to share the information, not to attempt to contact you, and to obey other requirements that the law provides. We may  also  share  your  health  information  with  a  Business  Associate  who  will  remove  information  that  identifies  you  so  that  the remaining information can be used for research.

Special Situations.

In the following situations, the law either permits or requires us to use or share your health information with others. However, laws governing sensitive information (including behavioral health information, drug and alcohol treatment information, and HIV status) may limit these disclosures.

As Required by Law.

We may share your health information when required or permitted by federal, provincial, or local law. For example, if we believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, we may share your health information with an authorized government agency. If we share your health information for this purpose, we will tell you unless we believe that telling you would put you or someone else at risk of harm.

To Prevent a Serious Threat to Health or Safety.

We may use and share your health information with persons to prevent or lessen the threat of serious harm to the health and safety of you, the public, or another person. Provincial laws may require such disclosure when an individual or group has been specifically identified as the target or potential victim.

Workers’ Compensation.

We may share your health information for Workers’ Compensation or similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illness.

Public Health.

As permitted or required by law, including the National Emergencies Act, we may share your health information with public health authorities for public health purposes to prevent or control disease, injury, or disability.

People Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care.

We may share your health information with a friend, family member, or another person identified by you who is involved in your medical care or the payment of your medical care. We may share your health information with others if you are present or available before we share your health information with them and you do not object to our sharing your health information with them, or we reasonably believe that you would not object to this. If you are not present and certain circumstances indicate to us that it would be in your best interests to do so, we will share information with a friend or family member, to the extent necessary. This could include sharing information with your family or friend so that they could pick up a prescription or a medical supply.

Your Rights Concerning Your Health Information

The law gives you the following rights about your health information:

Right to Ask to See and Request a Copy.

You have the right to ask to see and request a copy of the health information maintained in your “designated records set” (as defined by PIPEDA) – which includes medical and billing records about you and other records we use to make decisions about your care. This includes your right to request electronic access to your medical records or request to receive a copy of your electronic medical records in electronic form. Lumea provides patient portals as one option for patients to electronically access their health information.

You can either visit www.lumea.io or call your doctor’s office or the place where you were treated to find out how to make a request. You may also request that the information be provided to a designated third party. You may have to pay fees as permitted by law for other requests to inspect, electronically access or receive a copy of your information, including where you designated a third-party recipient. If we are concerned that your request may cause harm, we may tell you that you cannot see or have a copy of some or all your health information. If we tell you this, in certain circumstances you may ask that someone else at Lumea review this decision. A licensed health care professional chosen by Lumea will review those that can be reviewed. This person will not be the same person who refused your request.

Right to Ask for a Correction.

If you feel that health information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to correct the information. You have the right to ask for a correction for as long as the information is kept by or for Lumea. You must put your request in writing and give it to your doctor or the place where you received care. If you do not ask in writing or give your reasons in writing, we may tell you that we will not make the change. We also have the right to refuse your request if 1) we determine that the information is correct and complete; 2) the information is not part of the health information created or kept by or for Lumea; 3) the person or place who created the information is no longer available to make the correction and we believe the information to be correct; or 4) the information is not part of the information that you are permitted by law to see and/or copy.

Right to Ask for an “Accounting of Disclosures.”

You have the right to ask us for an “accounting of disclosures.” This is a list of those people and organizations who have received or have accessed your health information. This right does not include information made available for treatment, payment, or health care operations, or made available when you have provided us with permission to do so. You must put your request in writing and give it to your doctor or the place where you received care. You can call your doctor’s office or the place where you received care to find out how to ask for the list. You must include in your written request how far back in time you want us to go, which may not be longer than six years.

Right to Ask for Limits on Use and Sharing.

Generally. You have the right to ask us to limit the health information we use or share with others about you for treatment, payment, or health care operations. You also have the right to ask us to limit health information that we share with someone who is involved in your care or payment for your care, like a family member or friend. You can call your doctor’s office or the place where you received your care to get instructions on how to submit such a request. In your request, you must tell us 1) what information you want to limit; 2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both; and 3) the person or institution the limits apply to (for example, your spouse). For example, you could ask that we not use or share information about a surgery you had. You must put your request in writing and give it to your doctor or the place where you received your care. We are not required to agree to your request. If we do agree to your request, we still may provide information, as necessary, to give you emergency treatment.

Services Paid for by You.

Where you have paid for your services out of pocket in full, at your request, we will not share health information about those services with a health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations. “Health plan” means an organization that pays for your medical care.

Right to Ask for Confidential Communications.

You have the right to ask that we contact you about your health information in a certain way or at a certain location that you believe provides you with greater privacy. For example, you can ask that we contact you at work or by mail. Your request must state how or where you wish to be contacted. You must make your request in writing to your doctor or the place where you received care. You do not need to provide a reason for your request. We will try to comply with all reasonable requests.

Right to Ask for a Paper Copy of This Notice.

You may ask us to give you a copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically (for example, through the computer), you still have the right to a paper copy of this Notice. You can also get a copy of this Notice at our website. To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, contact your doctor’s office or the registration department of the place where you received care.

Violation of Privacy Rights

If a breach of your health information occurs at Lumea or one of its Business Associates, you will be provided with written notification as required by PIPEDA and its regulations.
If you believe your privacy has been violated by us, you may file a confidential complaint directly with us. You can do this by emailing us at info@lumea.io.