Canadian Health Information: A Practical Legal and Risk Management Guide, 4th Edition

"Canadian Health Information: A Practical Legal and Risk Management Guide, 4th Edition provides a comprehensive and insightful review of the broad range of legal and practical issues that relate to health information. While the book focuses on Canadian health information, it references U.S. and E.U. legislation and regulations, such as the GDPR. Much of the material applies to the U.S. and other countries, although legal precedents and fine points will vary across borders."

Reviewed by Norman M. Goldfarb
Chairman of MAGI

See the review in Journal of Clinical Research Best Practices – Volume 15, Number 11, November 2019

In the foreword to Canadian Health Information, 4th Edition, Dr. Ann Cavoukian from the Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence at Ryerson University, succinctly describes the valuable insight this volume offers: “This textbook, and especially this edition, helps the reader understand the health information world and its closely linked healthcare system from a legal perspective, and to navigate through issues … in a practical way.”

 Since it was first published in 1984, this book has become the leading authority and the standard desk reference in the Canadian health system. The authors address the various issues that health facilities face when dealing with gathering, maintaining and using confidential patient information and provide an overview of the provincial and federal access and privacy legislation that applies to health information in the public and private sectors, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. They also provide guidance on best practices for implementing appropriate policies and procedures.

Significantly updated
Now in its fourth edition, Canadian Health Information has long been the go-to resource for healthcare professionals, organizations and lawyers. This latest version includes: 

• Practical information and sample policies and procedures for effective health information systems
• A discussion of recent technological advancements and their impact on the gathering, use and storage of health information
• Significant updates to reflect major changes in legislation and case law
• Commentary on new healthcare practices, with pointed “best practice” advice and recommendations
• A brand-new chapter containing real case studies, with contributions from The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO)
• New and revised policies and forms, including a new information security policy, a data and biological sample transfer agreement and a privacy compliance checklist
• A new section that discusses the ownership of data from a clinical study, such as bio samples, personal health information, study data, genetic data and medical records
• Information about Accreditation Canada and its accreditation ratings
• Details of updated guidelines and standards for retention of records
• An in-depth discussion of what qualifies as privileged information
• An examination of new developments in the case law related to suing for breach of confidentiality under common law
• Updated legislative requirements for confidentiality and privacy
• Completely revised chapters on digitization and information linkage, and electronic communications and health information
• Practical considerations for the method of recording or documenting information
• An analysis of the issues surrounding insurers’ access to health information
• An exploration of important confidentiality concerns related to human health research projects

A must-have reference
Canadian Health Information, 4th Edition would be an invaluable acquisition for:

• Healthcare professionals and administrative staff who must understand and deal with legal issues affecting the practical day-to-day use of health information in health organizations and corporations dealing with health data
• Health organizations that deal with health data as it will help them identify, avoid and control potential legal and practical problems, including cybersecurity and ransomware
• Professors and students who seek to understand legal and industry concerns related to health information
• Health law lawyers so they can minimize and prevent the risks of lawsuits, class actions and other legal proceedings, and to provide risk management techniques
• In-house counsel so they can provide advice about the legal risks and implications that arise when dealing with health information in health organizations