Privacy Policy
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Gold House Dental ("we", "us" or "our") operates dental offices in Burnaby and Vancouver, British Columbia. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it and the choices you have. It applies to our website, to the forms you send us and to the records we keep as a dental practice.
Who is responsible for your information
Our privacy officer oversees how personal and health information is handled at both offices. Questions about this policy, about your own record, or about a concern you would like reviewed can be sent to the contact address at the end of this page, and we will answer in writing.
What we collect
Contact details such as your name, phone number, email address and mailing address.
Health information including your medical and dental history, medications, allergies, clinical notes, X-rays and photographs taken for treatment planning.
Insurance and billing details such as your plan number, coverage limits and payment records.
Website information such as pages visited, approximate region and browser type, collected in aggregate through our analytics tools.
Why we collect it
We use personal information to provide dental care, to plan treatment, to confirm and remind you about appointments, to submit claims to your insurer, to meet the record-keeping obligations that apply to us as regulated health professionals, and to answer the questions you send us. We do not sell your information, and we do not use health information for marketing.
Consent
We collect, use and disclose personal information with your consent, except where the law allows or requires us to act without it, for example in an emergency or when a regulatory body requires disclosure. Subject to legal and treatment limits, you may withdraw consent for a particular use at any time by writing to our privacy officer. Withdrawing consent may mean that we can no longer provide certain services.
Who we share it with
Information may be shared with specialists we refer you to, with dental laboratories preparing your restorations, with your insurer when you ask us to bill directly, and with service providers who host our records under written confidentiality agreements. Where a service provider stores data outside Canada, that information may be accessible to the courts and authorities of the country it is stored in.
How long we keep it
Clinical records are retained for at least the minimum period set for dental practices in British Columbia, and longer where the patient was a minor at the time of treatment. Website analytics data is kept in aggregate form only. When records are no longer needed, paper files are shredded and digital files are securely deleted.
How we protect it
Paper charts are stored in locked areas, digital records sit behind individual accounts with role-based access, and information sent through this website travels over an encrypted connection. Staff receive privacy training and open only the records they need for their work. If a breach were to create a real risk of significant harm, we would notify the people affected and the appropriate authorities.
Your rights
Under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), you may ask to see the information we hold about you, ask us to correct anything inaccurate, and ask how that information has been used and disclosed. We will respond within the timelines those statutes set. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.
Children and family accounts
For patients under the age of majority, a parent or guardian normally gives consent and may see the record. As a young patient becomes capable of making their own treatment decisions, we follow their instructions about who may see their information.
Changes and contact
We review this policy periodically and will publish any update on this page with a new effective date. To reach our privacy officer, use the details on our contact page or speak with the front desk at either office.