Privacy Policy

Watson’s Pharmacy and Compounding Centre (“Watson’s Pharmacy”) is required (by the Personal Health Information and Protection Act, 2004 and other applicable legislation) to maintain the privacy of customers’ personal information, including personal health information. This includes medical records as well as other health and personal information that identifies the customer and includes any information we keep, use, or disclose in any form (electronic, written or verbal). At Watson’s Pharmacy and Compounding Centre, we believe that customers’ personal information is just that: personal. We are committed to keeping it private and to respecting customers’ confidentiality.

4.1 Accountability

Watson’s Pharmacy is responsible for all personal information under its control. Watson’s Pharmacy has appointed a Privacy Officer to oversee its compliance with its privacy obligations and to answer questions or concerns with respect to Watson Pharmacy’s privacy practices. All Watson’s Pharmacy staff have been trained with respect to our privacy obligations.

4.2 Identifying Purposes

Customers’ personal information, including personal health information may be collected, used and disclosed for the provision of health care and administrative purposes:

The provision of health care such as providing, coordinating, or managing a customer’s health care with one or more health care providers. Examples include when we contact a customer’s physician or other health care providers to obtain refill authorizations, ask questions about medication doses, inform them of potential drug interactions, or determine validity of prescriptions. This may happen at the time of the prescription or later during therapy. We may also use and disclose a customer’s information when his/her physician, health care provider, or another pharmacy contacts us and says that the customer has requested them to provide health care services. We may also report an adverse drug reaction to the government or a drug manufacturer.

Administrative purposes such as payment and utilization activities. Examples include obtaining payment for services, confirming health plan coverage, and billing activities. We may electronically bill a customer’s insurance company or government health plan at the time we fill his/her prescriptions. Insurance companies or government health plans may also contact us about services we provide to a customer to permit a review that will ensure cost-effective use of your drug plan. We may also look at a customer’s personal information to evaluate how well our Pharmacy provides services to the customer.

We may also use a customer’s personal information to provide the customer with refill reminders, information about medications or services a customer receives through our Pharmacy. With the customer’s permission, we may use his/her information to provide notices of health screenings, special events, or other Compounding activities we may conduct.

Watson’s Pharmacy may also disclose a customer’s personal information in the following circumstances: in response to a court decision or order, or as required by law (such as reporting the abuse of persons, infectious diseases and other dangers to public health). Any other uses and disclosures other than the above will be made only with a customer’s authorization. A customer may revoke such authorization in writing and we are required to honour and abide by that request, except for actions we have already taken relying on a customer’s authorization.

4.3 Limiting Collection

Watson’s Pharmacy will only collect that information that it actually requires in order to provide the services or products requested, and all information will be collected by fair and lawful means. A customer may always choose whether to provide us with his/her personal information, however your decision to withhold certain personal information may limit the nature of the services or products that we are able to provide.

4.4 Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention

Watson’s Pharmacy will not use or disclose a customer’s personal information for purposes other than for which it was collected, except with his/her consent or where required or permitted by law.

Watson’s Pharmacy will store a customer’s personal information in accordance with professional standards and for the period of time required by law. Following this period, Watson’s Pharmacy shall destroy a customer’s personal information in a manner that safeguards his/her privacy.

4.5 Accuracy

Watson’s Pharmacy shall confirm with a customer that his/her personal information is accurate and up to date for the purpose for which it will be used. Watson’s Pharmacy encourages customers to amend inaccuracies and make corrections to their personal information as often as is necessary to ensure that it is accurate. Where appropriate, we will provide notice to third parties who have received a customer’s personal information in order to ensure that the information provided is accurate.

4.6 Safeguards

Watson’s Pharmacy shall use appropriate safeguards to protect a customer’s personal information. Such safeguards shall include: physical measures, such as locking filing cabinets; organizational safeguards whereby only those employees who need access to a customer’s personal information in order to carry out his or her employment duties shall be granted access; and technological safeguards including, at a minimum, firewalls and passwords.

4.7 Openness

Watson’s Pharmacy shall make its privacy policies and procedures available to individuals upon request.

4.8 Individual Access

Watson’s Pharmacy shall advise individuals, upon request, of the details concerning the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information, where required or permitted by law, and the individual shall be provided with access to his or her personal information. All requests for access to information shall be made in writing and shall provide sufficient detail to permit the Privacy Officer to determine the information being requested. The Privacy Officer shall review all such requests and respond within a period of thirty days, unless otherwise permitted by law.

In addition, an individual shall be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of his or her personal information and to have it amended as soon as reasonably possible where appropriate. Watson’s Pharmacy shall provide the corrected personal information to each organization to which the personal information was disclosed during the year before the date the correction was made. The records of Watson’s Pharmacy shall reflect that such a correction was made.

4.9 Challenging Compliance

An individual may challenge Watson’s Pharmacy compliance with these privacy principles. Our Privacy Officer would be happy to discuss any questions or concerns that customers may have. All complaints shall be investigated and Watson’s Pharmacy shall respond within a reasonable period.

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time at the discretion of Watson’s Pharmacy. Please feel free to contact our Privacy Officer with any questions or concerns that you may have with respect to Watson’s Pharmacy Privacy Policy or its privacy practices.

Michael Scott Watson, Privacy Officer
Watson’s Pharmacy and Compounding Centre
192 Main St., Ottawa ON K1S 1C2