Syantra privacy policy

Syantra’s Privacy Policy describes what information Syantra collects, how it uses, and discloses your personal information (personal data).

1. What is personal information?
Personal information is data relating to you that we can use to specifically identify you, such as your:
  • legal name
  • address
  • telephone number
  • e-mail address 
  • date of birth
  • a unique identifier such as a personal health number
  • any other government issued identification that identifies you
Data that directly identifies you (e.g. your name) and also includes data that does not directly identify you but can be reasonably used to identify you as listed above is considered personal data. Aggregate data (anonymized) is considered non-personal data for the purposes of this Privacy Policy.

2. Why we collect and use personal data
  • to verify and confirm your identity from sample collection to reporting test results to your healthcare provider
  • to provide safe, high quality laboratory services
  • to manage healthcare provider accounts
  • to monitor our service provisions and plan quality improvement activities
  • for authorized research and data analysis
  • to assist you when you contact us for information, products or services
  • to perform a contract or for contract negotiations with you
3. Syantra only collects and uses the personal health information we require to provide our services to you. We collect and use your personal health information:
  • to verify your identity 
  • to match your samples with requisitions and with your test results
  • to provide you quality laboratory services
  • to manage your account and provide you support when you contact us
  • to plan, evaluate and monitor the services we provide to you
  • for quality improvement activities (e.g. patient satisfaction surveys) 
  • for research, and statistical analysis of data, where information has been anonymized
  • for purposes as mandated by law
4. Syantra maintains the confidentiality and privacy of individuals' personal and health information while collecting, using, and disclosing information in Canada in compliance with the following laws and statutes: 
In Alberta, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta is responsible for overseeing and enforcing the following provincial access and privacy laws:
The following are the primary authorities that issue data protection guidance pursuant to the private sector privacy statutes listed above:
5. Disclosure of Personal Health Information
Syantra supports the right of individuals or their authorized representatives to access and request corrections to their personal and health information, subject to any specific restrictions in applicable legislation. We respect your rights to access your personal health information and we work to ensure that personal health information is accurate and kept confidential while in our care.
Syantra:
  • will not collect, use or disclose personal or health information in any manner that is not in accordance with the above acts and legislation. Syantra may disclose personal or health information for approved purposes as authorized by FOIP and HIA, 
  • will disclose your health information to your ordering physician and healthcare providers as members of your healthcare team who are copied on your requisition for a report. 
  • will disclose for the purposes of conducting an investigation or as permitted by law
  •  will disclose to eliminate or reduce a significant risk to another person or group
6. Consent
Your consent may be implied for some defined circumstances, e.g. 
  • when you have a requisition for a laboratory test collection from your healthcare provider and present it to a collection agency 
  • when you present your arm for actual sample collection
  • when your sample and requisition is received by laboratory for test analysis
  • use and disclosure of personal health information to share the test results with your health care provider(s)
Specific express consent provided orally or in writing, (to collect, use, or disclose your personal health information) is required in some circumstances e.g. to provide a copy of your laboratory results to an added healthcare provider who was not listed on the original requisition/ test request.

7. Data Security
  • Syantra takes security measures to ensure your personal health information is protected from loss, theft, unauthorized access, use, copying or disclosure through conformity with industry standards.
  • We have implemented safeguards to protect your personal information and these include but are not limited to:
    • Physical safeguards: restricted facility access to authorized staff, vendors, and visitors; locking office doors and/or filing cabinets 
    • Technical safeguards: assigned system access user names and passwords, encryptions and firewalls
    • Administrative safeguards: staff education, confidentiality agreements
8. Website
  • The Syantra external website may collect personal or health information when you voluntarily complete any online application, request form or survey. Personal or health information collected will only be used for the stated purposes.  Information is collected pursuant to section 33 of FOIP and sections 18–24 of the HIA. Any information collected may be used internally in an aggregate form, to help us manage and improve web content and to diagnose technical website problems.
Links 
Our websites may contain links to websites operated by other parties. We provide these links for your convenience, but we do not review, control or monitor the privacy practices operated by others. This privacy policy does not apply to such third-party websites. We are not responsible for the performance of websites operated by third parties or for your business dealings with them.

Our websites may also contain links to other websites operated by Syantra. This Privacy Policy applies only to web sites for Syantra companies located in Canada. When you follow a link from Syantra’s website to another website, even another site operated by Syantra we recommend that you view that website’s privacy practices.

Use of Web tools such as Cookies
  • Cookies are small files that a website or its service provider transfers to a computer’s hard drive through your browser (if permitted), enabling the site or service provider’s system to recognize your browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari) and capture and remember certain information, such as your browser type and address of the website from which you arrived from.
  • This helps us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity and it allows us to provide you with improved online services. We use cookies to temporarily store language and filter preferences on our site and web portals. This helps us understand visitor traffic to our sites, site interaction in order to offer a user-friendly experience and to recognize you when you return to our sites. 
  • We may contract with third party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors and record your browsing habits in order to improve our product and service offerings and customer service.
  • You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies by changing the settings in your browser. We note that if you turn cookies off, you will not have access to certain features on our site that make your online experience more efficient, and some of our services may not function properly.
  • Our website may also use a technology called “tracer tags” or “Web Beacons”. This technology allows us to understand which pages you visit on our website. These tracer tags are used to help us optimize and tailor our website for you and other future visitors to our website.
9. Contact Us
We strive to keep our records of your information accurate. If you notice that your information is incomplete or inaccurate or not current please contact us. If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy please contact us at:

Syantra Inc.
1-877-331-0516
105-32 Royal Vista Drive NW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T3R 0H9
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