A prescription for legislative reform : Special report : a prescription for legislative reform : improving privacy protection in BC's health sector

APPENDIX A – KEY PIECES OF THE “PATCHWORK” OF HEALTH INFORMATION LAWS IN BC 53 P a g e. | 3 COMMISSIONER’S MESSAGE The purpose of this special report is encourage an informed dialogue among the public, health practitioners, researchers and government about the use of personal information in B. C.’s health care system, today and into the future. [...] Doctors treat the whole patient and not a specific condition; similarly, government needs to take a holistic approach to the collection, use, disclosure and protection of personal health information and patient data by introducing a health information law with clear and consistent rules for the public and the private sector. [...] PART 1: THE DYNAMIC HEALTH SECTOR This Part highlights how new technologies and patient expectations are changing the delivery of health services in BC and creating the opportunity for better health outcomes and more efficiencies in the health care system. [...] In BC, the term is only defined in the E-Health Act: “personal health information” means recorded information about an identifiable individual that is related to the individual’s health or the provision of health services to the individual This definition is too narrow except in one sense. [...] If the argument for genetic exceptionalism was accepted, the definition of personal health information would have to exclude genetic information to allow the law to provide for different requirements in relation to the collection, use and disclosure of genetic information.