Privacy Policy.
How PhysioVille collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information and personal health information — in accordance with Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and the practice standards of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.
No. 01 About This Policy
Who we are, and what this policy covers.
PhysioVille ("we," "us," "our") is a physiotherapy clinic located at 3328 McCarthy Road, Unit 100, in the Hunt Club neighbourhood of South Ottawa. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect the personal information and personal health information of our patients, prospective patients, and website visitors.
This policy applies to information collected through in-person visits, our website (physioville.ca), phone calls, emails, appointment-booking through Jane App, and any other channel through which you interact with our clinic.
We follow the requirements of Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and the practice standards of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, our regulatory body.
By using our services or website, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you don't agree, please don't use our services — and please tell us so we can talk through your concerns.
No. 02 Information We Collect
The information we hold about you.
We collect different types of information depending on how you interact with our clinic. All of it is collected only when we need it, and only for the purposes we describe in Section 03.
Personal Information
- Full name, date of birth, and gender
- Contact information: address, phone number, email address
- Emergency contact information
- Government-issued identifiers where required for billing (e.g., Ontario Health Insurance number, WSIB claim number, motor vehicle insurance claim number)
- For pediatric patients: the same information for the child, plus contact and identifying information for parents or legal guardians
Personal Health Information
- Medical history, including previous injuries, surgeries, medications, and pre-existing conditions
- Physical assessment findings (range of motion, strength, functional testing, etc.)
- Clinical diagnoses and treatment plans
- Progress notes from each session
- Discharge summaries and referral correspondence
- Photographs of movement, posture, or physical findings — only with your explicit written consent
Insurance & Billing Information
- Extended health benefits plan information (insurer, policy and member numbers)
- Motor vehicle accident insurance details for MVA claims
- WSIB claim details for work-related injury claims
- Payment card information (processed by third-party payment providers — we do not store card numbers)
Website & Digital Information
- Basic technical data when you visit our website: IP address, browser type, pages viewed, time on site
- Information you submit through contact forms or booking requests
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 09)
No. 03 How We Use Your Information
Why we hold what we hold.
We only use your information for purposes you would reasonably expect from a physiotherapy clinic, or purposes we have specifically told you about and to which you have consented.
These purposes include:
- Providing physiotherapy assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation services
- Developing individualized treatment plans and home programs
- Communicating with you about your appointments, care plan, and progress
- Sending appointment reminders (by phone, text, or email — with your consent)
- Processing payments and submitting claims to your insurance provider, WSIB, or motor vehicle insurer
- Maintaining clinical records as required by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
- Coordinating care with your family physician, specialists, or other health professionals — with your consent
- Internal quality improvement, always de-identified where possible
- Responding to your questions and inquiries
- Complying with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
No. 04 When We Share Your Information
Who else may see your information — and only when.
We do not sell your personal information or personal health information. We share it only in the following circumstances:
With your consent
- With your family physician or the healthcare provider who referred you, for the purpose of coordinating your care
- With specialists, other physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or health professionals involved in your care
- With your extended health insurance provider, WSIB, or motor vehicle insurer for billing purposes
- With schools, community services, or family support workers for pediatric patients — only when relevant to the child's care and with parental consent
Without consent, as permitted or required by law
- Where required by court order, subpoena, or search warrant
- Where required for mandatory reporting (e.g., suspected child abuse or neglect under Ontario's Child, Youth and Family Services Act)
- In response to inquiries or investigations by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
- In response to inquiries by Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner
- To prevent a serious risk of harm to a person or the public, where PHIPA permits disclosure
No. 05 Consent
Your consent, express and implied.
Under PHIPA, consent to collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information can be either express (specifically stated by you, in writing or verbally) or implied (reasonably inferred from the circumstances).
Implied consent
When you book an appointment and attend for physiotherapy assessment or treatment, we imply your consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your personal health information for purposes directly related to providing you with care — including sharing information among members of your circle of care.
Express consent
For anything outside your direct care — such as releasing your records to a third party, using photographs or video of your treatment, participating in research, or contacting you for marketing purposes — we ask for your specific written consent.
Withdrawing consent
You can withdraw your consent at any time, either verbally or in writing. Some limitations apply: we may still be required to keep records for the retention period described in Section 07, and there are certain disclosures we're legally required to make regardless of consent.
If you withdraw consent for a specific type of information use or disclosure, we will explain any consequences to your care so you can make an informed decision.
No. 06 How We Protect Your Information
The safeguards we put around your records.
We apply reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your information from loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
Physical safeguards
- Paper records stored in locked cabinets in secured areas
- Clinic premises secured outside of business hours
- Reception and treatment areas configured to protect visual and auditory privacy
Technical safeguards
- Electronic records stored in a secure, password-protected clinic management system with role-based access
- Encrypted transmission of information between systems
- Regular security updates to devices and software
- Automatic screen locks and short session timeouts on staff devices
Administrative safeguards
- Confidentiality agreements signed by all staff and contractors with access to your information
- Ongoing privacy training for all staff
- A designated Privacy Officer (see Section 13) responsible for privacy oversight
- Written procedures for responding to potential privacy breaches
No. 07 How Long We Keep Records
Retention periods for clinical records.
The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario sets minimum retention periods for physiotherapy records. We follow those requirements:
- Adult patients — clinical records are retained for at least ten (10) years after the date of last contact with the patient.
- Pediatric patients (under age 18) — clinical records are retained for at least ten (10) years after the patient's 18th birthday (i.e., until age 28).
- Billing and financial records — retained for at least six (6) years as required by Canadian tax law.
Once the retention period is complete, records are securely destroyed. Paper records are shredded by a certified secure destruction service. Electronic records are permanently deleted from our clinic management system and any backups.
No. 08 Your Rights
What you're entitled to — and how to exercise it.
Under PHIPA and PIPEDA, you have specific rights regarding the personal information and personal health information we hold about you.
Right to access your records
You have the right to request a copy of your health records, or to review them at the clinic. Requests should be made in writing to our Privacy Officer. We will respond within thirty (30) days, or sooner where possible. In limited circumstances defined by PHIPA, we may need to extend the response time, deny access in part, or charge a reasonable fee for the cost of preparing and providing copies — we will explain any such situations to you clearly.
Right to correction
If you believe there's an error or omission in your records, you can request a correction. If we agree the correction is warranted, we will make it. If we do not agree, we will note your requested correction in your file so it's visible to anyone reviewing the record.
Right to withdraw consent
As described in Section 05, you can withdraw consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your information at any time, subject to legal and reasonable limits.
Right to make a complaint
If you believe we've handled your information improperly, you can make a complaint to us directly (Section 13) or to Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner.
No. 09 Cookies & Website Analytics
What our website tracks — and what it doesn't.
Our website (physioville.ca) uses cookies and similar technologies to help the site function and to help us understand how visitors use it. We do not use cookies to identify individual patients or to associate website activity with clinical records.
Types of cookies we use
- Essential cookies — required for the site to function (e.g., remembering your form entries, keeping the site secure). These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies — help us understand which pages visitors read, how they navigate the site, and where they come from. These are anonymous and aggregated.
Analytics services
We may use analytics services (such as Google Analytics or similar) to help us understand aggregate website traffic patterns. These services set their own cookies and follow their own privacy policies. Data is collected in anonymized form and does not identify individual visitors.
Managing cookies
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the website. Disabling analytics cookies will not affect your experience but will prevent us from measuring website usage.
No. 10 Third-Party Services
Trusted services we work with.
To run the clinic effectively, we use certain trusted third-party services. Where these services process personal or health information on our behalf, we have agreements in place to protect that information consistent with the standards described in this policy.
Clinic management & booking — Jane App
We use Jane App (Jane Software Inc., a Canadian company) as our clinic management system. When you book an appointment online, Jane App collects and processes your booking information. Jane App maintains its own privacy policy governing its handling of that data, which you can review at jane.app/privacy.
Payment processing
Payment card transactions are processed by third-party payment processors that comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). We do not store your full payment card details.
Communications
Email and text messaging communications may be delivered through third-party service providers. We use these services only to send communications you have consented to receive (appointment reminders, replies to your inquiries, etc.).
No. 11 Children & Youth
Consent and privacy for our pediatric patients.
A significant part of our practice is pediatric care. We handle information about children and youth with particular care.
Consent for children under 16
For patients under the age of 16, we generally obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian for assessment, treatment, and information sharing. Both parents (or all legal guardians) have the right to access their child's records unless a court order or specific circumstances direct otherwise.
Youth aged 16 and older
Under Ontario law, a young person 16 or older who is capable of making healthcare decisions can consent to their own treatment and control who accesses their health records. We assess capacity individually and respect the young person's rights, while continuing to involve family where the young person consents.
Information about children on our website
Our website is directed at parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers — not at children themselves. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through our website.
No. 12 Changes to This Policy
How we handle updates.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, in the services we use, or in applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify patients directly.
Your continued use of our services after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. Previous versions of this policy are available on request.
No. 13 Contact & Complaints
How to reach us — and what to do if we get it wrong.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights (Section 08), or want to raise a concern, please contact our Privacy Officer.
Privacy Officer
Radwa Radwan · Operations Manager, PhysioVille
Address
3328 McCarthy Road, Unit 100
Ottawa, ON · K1V 0H9
Phone
physioville.huntclub@gmail.com
We take all privacy concerns seriously. When you contact us, we will acknowledge your inquiry promptly, investigate thoroughly, and respond within thirty (30) days. If you're not satisfied with our response, or would prefer to raise the concern with an external authority, you can contact Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
The IPC is an independent officer of the Legislature responsible for overseeing compliance with PHIPA and other Ontario privacy laws.
Websiteipc.on.ca
Phone1 800 387 0073 (toll-free in Ontario)
TTY416 325 7539
Address2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON · M4W 1A8
