External Privacy Policy

1. Scope & Privacy Commitment

At Guardian Greatwest Pharmacy ("Greatwest Pharmacy", "we", "us", or "our"), respecting patient privacy is fundamental to our practice. We are dedicated to collecting, using, disclosing, and retaining personal information (PI) and personal health information (PHI) responsibly, ethically, and in full compliance with applicable legislation, including the Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) of Saskatchewan and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) of Canada.

This External Privacy Policy applies to all patients, healthcare clients, website visitors, and individuals who interact with our retail pharmacy, clinical services, prescription refill web tools, or customer support.

2. Information We Collect

To provide high-quality pharmaceutical care, prescription dispensing, and clinical consultations, we collect several categories of information:

• Personal Identification Details: Name, residential address, telephone numbers, email address, date of birth, and emergency contacts.
• Personal Health Information (PHI): Saskatchewan Health Services Card (Health Card Number), prescription histories, medication allergies, existing medical conditions, prescribing physician details, insurance coverage/drug plan details, and clinical notes from pharmacist consultations.
• Digital & Online Data: IP address, browser type, site navigation telemetry, and prescription refill form entries submitted through our web portal.

3. Purposes of Collection & Use

Guardian Greatwest Pharmacy collects and uses your personal and health information solely for legitimate healthcare and operational purposes, including:

• Dispensing prescriptions accurately and safely according to pharmacy practice standards.
• Conducting drug interaction checks, allergy checks, and comprehensive medication reviews.
• Billing third-party drug insurance plans, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health (Drug Plan), and private health benefits providers.
• Communicating with physicians, clinics, nurse practitioners, and hospitals regarding your care.
• Arranging free prescription delivery throughout Saskatoon and surrounding communities.
• Fulfilling legal, regulatory, and audit obligations mandated by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP).

4. Consent & Disclosure Limits

We obtain your express or implied consent prior to collecting or disclosing your health information, except where required or permitted by law (e.g., in medical emergencies, or court-ordered subpoenas).

We never sell, rent, or trade patient lists or health data to third parties for commercial marketing purposes. Disclosures are limited to authorized members of your circle of care (such as your attending physician or care team) or third-party service providers bound by strict confidentiality agreements (e.g., secure prescription delivery couriers).

5. Digital & Web Privacy

When you visit greatwestpharmacy.com or use our web-based prescription refill tools:

• Online Refills: Prescription refill entries submitted online are transmitted securely to our pharmacy software. Refill requests are reviewed directly by a licensed pharmacist before dispensing.
• Cookies & Analytics: We use essential cookies and web analytics tools (including Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager) to understand site traffic patterns and improve performance. These tools collect aggregate, non-personally identifiable browser data.
• Third-Party Forms: Online form submissions processed through Formspree are encrypted in transit and used exclusively to deliver your request to our pharmacy team.

6. Security Safeguards & Retention

We enforce rigorous physical, technological, and administrative safeguards to protect your records against loss, theft, unauthorized access, copying, or modification:

• Encrypted electronic pharmacy management systems with restricted role-based staff access.
• Secure physical premises and locked file systems for physical prescription records.
• Strict retention schedules governed by SCPP regulations. Once retention periods expire, physical records are securely shredded and digital files are permanently purged.

7. Patient Rights & Access

You have the right to access your personal health records, request corrections to factual errors in your file, or inquire about disclosures made regarding your care. To request access to your record or update your contact information, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer.

8. Contacting Our Privacy Officer

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding our privacy policies or wish to exercise your health information access rights, please contact our designated Privacy Officer:

If you remain unsatisfied with our response, you also have the right to contact the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.