Health Information Specialist

Overview:
Reporting to the Director, Campus Wellness, this role oversees, and manages Campus Wellness’ administrative and operational processes related to privacy, confidentiality, and health information management. The incumbent collaborates with all levels of Campus Wellness, ensuring adherence to Campus Wellness and UWaterloo guidelines, regulatory body policies related to privacy, confidentiality, and access to information.

The Health Information Specialist works closely with the Director, Campus Wellness to manage health records, release of information requests, responses to privacy breaches, internal audits to detect privacy breaches, and is the internal expert for Campus Wellness in all areas related to health records.

**Responsibilities**:
Health records coordination for Campus Wellness
- Ensures Campus Wellness procedures, protocols, documentation, guidelines, material comply with all relevant privacy / confidentiality policies, requirements and legislation (ex. UWaterloo policy, Ministry, professional colleges, regulatory bodies)
- Makes recommendations to the Director, Campus Wellness regarding gaps, changes, compliance issues
- Collaborates with relevant Campus Wellness roles to implement and manage related change
- Acts as a resource for Campus Wellness privacy leadership to develop and maintain sound and consistent guidelines related to health information
- Provides consultation to Campus Wellness staff wherever programs / services / workflows are informed by privacy-related requirements (ex. electronic communication, virtual care)
- Provides general privacy protection training presentations to staff groups and all-staff meetings
- Ensures new staff members have appropriate privacy and confidentiality training; ensure on-going staff members have access to refresher training as needed
- Acts as a resource for Leadership Team members when working on performance management related to privacy/confidentiality
- Collaborates with EHR Coordinator to ensure EHR procedures, training, and protocols meet legislative and governing body requirements for privacy and confidentiality

Release of information request coordination
- Develops and maintains mechanisms whereby all requests for release of information are tracked and described to facilitate internal and external reporting
- Manages incoming release of information requests, including production orders, requests involving multiple clinicians, ensuring responses meet legislative requirements for timeliness
- Compiles health information for all requests, including complex requests (ex. involve multiple clinicians/departments, electronic and archived records stored off-site), assisting clinicians in completing responses where necessary; and redacting unrelated material as necessary
- Provides leadership for the coordination and collection of data related to release of information requests; compiles and submits required reporting (ex. annual Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario reports)

Privacy breach and complaint coordination
- Provides support and direction to Campus Wellness staff regarding possible and actual privacy complaints and breaches
- Conducts periodic checks of EHR audit logs; investigates potential breaches; and reports findings to the Director, Campus Wellness
- Develops and maintains mechanisms whereby all privacy breaches and complaints are tracked and described to facilitate internal and external reporting
- Acts as consultant to staff and clinicians responding to complaints and breaches
- Assesses key issues, facts, and individuals/offices relevant to the complaint or breach, identifying process improvement and/or re-training opportunities
- Ensures notification to Campus Wellness leadership regarding breaches and complaints
- Participates in actions related to privacy breaches (ex. notifying clients whose records have been breached)
- Ensures accurate and thorough documentation of breaches when they occur
- Provides leadership for the coordination and collection of data related to privacy breaches; compile and submit required reporting (ex. annual Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario reports)
- Consults with UWaterloo Privacy Office in the case of serious/complex breaches
- Consults with UWaterloo Privacy Office to report to Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if a privacy breach meets legislative criteria for reporting

Related administrative responsibilities
- Ensure new and ongoing staff training materials related to privacy are accessible and current; explore and develop materials for a variety of learning modalities (ex. videos, printed materials, workbooks)
- Coordinates and oversees off-site hard-copy storage; manages storage, retention and confidential disposal as per Policy 46 and appropriate regulatory bodies (ex. Public Hospitals Act) of all Campus Wellness documents
- Compiles and submits all required reporting (ex. annual IPC reports, Quality