Privacy policy

1. Person in charge of the protection of personal information

The person in charge of the protection of personal information at ZH-ISTMED is [To be completed : name of the person in charge], [To be completed : title of the person in charge]. You can reach them by email at [To be completed : email of the person in charge] or by mail at the following address: [To be completed : mailing address].

2. Information we collect

When you fill out the appointment request form, we collect:

• your first and last name;
• your email address and phone number;
• how you prefer to be contacted;
• the specialty you need, the consultation language, and the days and times you are available.

The form does not ask for any medical information. Please do not write your symptoms or the reason for your visit: you will discuss them directly with the healthcare professional.

We do not collect any information without your knowledge: the site uses no audience measurement tools, no targeted advertising and no embedded social media.

3. Why we use it

Your information is used only to:

• process your request and contact you to schedule your appointment;
• refer you to a healthcare professional in the specialty and language you requested.

We never use it for advertising, and we never sell, rent or trade it.

4. Your consent

Before sending your request, you check a box to consent to the use of your information for the purposes described above. You may withdraw your consent at any time by writing to the person in charge; we will then stop processing your request and destroy your information, unless the law requires us to keep it.

5. Who has access to your information

Only the people who need it to organize your appointment have access to it: the ZH-ISTMED staff in charge of appointments and the healthcare professional who will see you.

Our technical providers (for example the website host) may have access to the information to the extent necessary for their services. They are contractually bound to confidentiality and security obligations.

We plan to host your information in Quebec. If we ever needed to communicate it outside Quebec, we would first carry out the privacy impact assessment required by law.

6. How long we keep it

We keep appointment requests for 12 months after we receive them, then destroy them securely. Information collected later during your consultations becomes part of your health record, which is governed by the rules that apply to healthcare professionals.

7. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information: encrypted connection (HTTPS), access limited to authorized people only, validation of the data we receive, and no personal information in the website's technical logs.

8. Cookies

The site uses a single cookie, named "NEXT_LOCALE". It remembers the display language you chose (English or French) and is deleted when you close your browser. It is not used for any tracking. Fonts are served by our own site: no external service is contacted during your visit.

9. Your rights

You have the right to:

• know what information we hold about you and obtain a copy;
• have inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous information corrected;
• withdraw your consent;
• ask that your information be sent to you, or to an organization of your choice, in a structured, commonly used technological format;
• ask us to stop disseminating information about you.

To exercise these rights, write to the person in charge (see above). We will reply in writing no later than 30 days after receiving your request.

If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may file a complaint with the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (www.cai.gouv.qc.ca).

10. Confidentiality incidents

If a confidentiality incident (unauthorized access, use or communication, or loss of information) presented a risk of serious injury, we would promptly notify the Commission d'accès à l'information and the people concerned, and take steps to limit its consequences.

11. Changes to this policy

We may change this policy, for example when new services are offered. The date of the last update appears at the top of the page. In the event of a significant change, we will say so clearly on the site.