OPC satisfied with actions taken by RESP company since misuse of patient maternity data

The Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) company whose employee improperly collected and used personal health information of Ontario hospital patients has implemented recommendations from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).  A recently completed third-party audit determined that Global RESP Corporation has put in place appropriate accountability measures to ensure the protection of personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

The OPC’s investigation was conducted in cooperation with the IPC’s investigation, which found the hospital had failed to put in place reasonable technical and administrative safeguards to protect patient information. The hospital has since taken steps to rectify the deficiencies uncovered by our investigation and has satisfied the terms of our Order.

The cooperation between the two offices demonstrates the ability of federal and provincial authorities to work together to address serious privacy issues affecting the public.  For more information, please see the OPC's website.