Freedom of Information: A Primer for Ontario Hospitals

Last week I had the fortune to attend one of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) sponsored event titled - Freedom of Information: A Primer in downtown Toronto and I am so glad I could make it. I thought the planning committee for this event did an excellent job in putting this together and pulling off such a useful event in short order given the Government of Ontario brought about the new changes as part of the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act late last year.

It seemed the Agenda was very well thought through and the speakers were carefully chosen to cover all aspects of the new legislation as it pertains to Ontario Hospitals while also recommending a way forward from the experience they have gained successfully dealing with this act in Ontario and similar regulations in other jurisdictions.

The requirement to comply with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or FIPPA is expected to increase the challenges that are currently faced by Ontario Hospitals in terms of resources/workload, learning period and reporting. But I really got the sense that events like this, where experiences and best practices are shared, do’s and don’ts are discussed, will make the adoption, implementation and ongoing sustainability of the Acts easier. 

One of the key elements in ensuring success is using the right technology to process the anticipated deluge of requests so the greater public is served in time and Ontario Hospitals stay in compliance as well as avoid fines/penalties that may occur. All institutions covered by FIPPA are subject to the oversight of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario so compliance will be an important factor.

Given the breadth of FIPPA, one cannot underestimate the importance of having the right combination of resources, processes and technology solution that will guarantee compliance with the obligations of the Act. 

As a trusted partner, Privasoft will be there to help you navigate the tricky implementation phase. We have been helping a number of organizations in Ontario and Canada comply with this and other similar acts for nearly 20 years. Privasoft’s AccessPro solution is a perfect fit for implementation of FIPPA requirements for Ontario Hospitals and provides an opportunity to stay ahead of the game and be ready well before January 2012. To learn more register for our web seminar.

Contributed by Phaneendra Rao, Director of Product Management