Glossary

An Alberta project that provides physicians and clinics with resources to improve patient care and update office practices to enhance efficiencies.

Policies and procedures in place to safeguard health information.
For example, the requirement for all clinic staff and affiliates to review clinic policies and procedures and sign an oath of confidentiality.

An individual employed by a custodian; a person who performs a service for the custodian as an appointee, volunteer or student under a contract or agency relationship with the custodian; and a health services provider who has the right to admit and treat patients at a hospital as defined in the Hospitals Act.

Source: Health Information Act Guidelines and Practices Manual 2011, pg. 16

The ministry of the Alberta Government responsible for administering the Alberta healthcare system. Formerly known as Alberta Health and Wellness.

The provincial health authority responsible for overseeing the planning and delivery of health supports and services to Albertans.

The former name of the ministry of the Alberta Government responsible for administering the Alberta healthcare system.

A professional association of physicians in Alberta.

Alberta’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a shared electronic health information system that aggregates information from various systems/sites and presents it in a clinician-friendly manner. The EHR gives authorized users timely access to accurate, region-wide, patient-centered data to support clinical care.

A person who makes a request for access to a record (as defined in the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act).

Hosting of an EMR from an approved central data centre. Data and EMR application software is hosted offsite and not within the clinic.

A plan that guides the implementation of the EMR solution under the vendor agreement. It is developed to understand requirements, set timelines, manage expectations, review and manage risks, escalate issues and ensure that the required resources are engaged to successfully implement the EMR solution.

In the context of medical records, the preservation of records or primary documents that a physician has accumulated and which have enduring medico-legal significance. Archives must be maintained as per guidelines under the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta.

The encounter/care event that takes place between the provider and the patient; it may or may not occur in person.

A financial, clinical or other formal or systematic examination or review of a program, portion of a program or activity.

Source: Health Information Act, Section 1(1)(c)

The process of determining, with a sufficient degree of reliability, the source of certain data and possibly the identity of the data source.

The official power given to someone to do something. Administrative bodies are limited to acting within the scope of the official powers or authority given to them by law. In many access and privacy laws, public bodies are permitted to collect, use or disclose personal information if they have the lawful authority to do so.

Any person who can exercise the rights or powers conferred on an individual under applicable privacy legislation. This includes the right of access to an individual’s health information and the power to provide consent for disclosure of such information.

To apply health information to a particular purpose. The two most common uses of health information are to provide a health service or to determine eligibility to receive a health service. Health information may also be used to conduct research and investigations and to teach and manage internal operations.