Glossary

Policies and procedures in place to safeguard health information.
For example, requirement for all clinic staff and affiliates to review clinic policies and procedures and sign an oath of confidentiality.

An individual employed by a custodian; a person who performs a service for the custodian as an appointee, volunteer or student under a contract or agency relationship with the custodian; and a health services provider who has the right to admit and treat patients at a hospital as defined in the Hospitals Act[1].
[1] Health Information Act Guidelines and Practices Manual 2007 - pg. 13

Affiliates are defined, in section 1(1)(a) of the Health Information Act, as employees, volunteers, contractors and agencies under contract to a custodian of health information.

The electronic health record is a shared electronic health information system that aggregates information from various systems/sites and presents it in a clinician-friendly manner. The EHR will give authorized users timely access to accurate, region-wide, patient-centered data to support clinical care. It is also known as Alberta Netcare.

A person who makes a request for access to a record (with the meaning of this term as defined in the Alberta Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIP).

Hosting electronic medical record system from an approved central data centre.  Data and EMR application software is hosted offsite and not within the clinic.

In the context of medical records, the preservation of records or primary documents that have been accumulated over the course of a physician's practice and have enduring medico-legal significance. Archives must be maintained as per guidelines under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.

The encounter/care event that takes place between the provider and the patient; it may or may not occur in person.

Financial, clinical or other formal or systematic examination or review of a program, portion of a program or activity[2].
[2] HIA section 1(1)(c)

Refers to the process of determining, with a sufficient degree of reliability, the source of certain data and possibly the identity of the data source.

Authority is the official power given to someone to do something. Administrative bodies are limited to acting within the scope of the official powers-or authority-given to them by law. In many access and privacy laws, public bodies are permitted to collect, use or disclose personal information if they have the lawful authority to do so.

Any person who can exercise the rights or powers conferred on an individual under applicable privacy legislation.  This includes the right of access to an individual's health information and the power to provide consent for disclosure of such information.

To apply health information to a particular purpose. The two most common uses of health information are:
- to provide a health service
- to determine eligibility to receive a health service

In addition, health information may be used to:
- conduct research
- conduct investigations
- teach
- manage internal operations