Privacy & security with TELUS Health MyCareᵀᴹ
Frequently asked questions related to privacy and security.
How TELUS’ acquisition of Babylon Health Canada affects your privacy
TELUS’ Acquisition of Babylon Health Canada - a new privacy program
As of June 1, 2021, Babylon Health Canada Inc. operates under the new name, TELUS Health MyCare Inc. TELUS acquired Babylon Health Canada Inc in January 2021. This acquisition means that the TELUS Health MyCare service now falls under the robust TELUS Privacy Management Program Framework that applies more broadly to the TELUS family of companies.
We have also developed a new TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment that describes the specifics of how we protect your privacy and handle data in the context of the TELUS Health MyCare service. The TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment will become effective on July 5, 2021.
What is the relationship between TELUS and Babylon?
The Background: Babylon Health Partners is a global leading digital health provider. TELUS entered into a partnership with Babylon Health Partners in 2019 to bring Babylon’s innovative virtual care technology to Canada and supplement access to care for the millions of Canadians without a family doctor. Babylon Health Partners and TELUS Health created Babylon Health Canada to deliver the services in Canada, branded Babylon by TELUS Health.
Today: In January 2021, TELUS acquired Babylon Health Canada and continues to work closely with our software provider Babylon Health Partners Ltd. to bring innovative digital health tools to Canadians.
Now that TELUS has acquired the business but is using the Babylon software technology, who is responsible for protecting my privacy?
TELUS has taken over Babylon’s responsibility for protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. There is no material change to the handling of your personal health information, but as your personal information will be handled in accordance with the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment as of July 5th, 2021, it is important that you read and understand the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment.
Consultations with Healthcare Practitioners are available in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. In these Provinces, TELUS Health MyCare has overall responsibility for protecting your Personal Health Information, including your Medical Record, and we are directly accountable to you.
In Alberta, your healthcare providers, such as your physician, have overall responsibility for the privacy of your Medical Records and TELUS Health MyCare assists them with that responsibility. More precisely, in Alberta, TELUS Health MyCare collects, uses, and discloses Personal Health Information on behalf of healthcare providers who are ‘custodians’, as defined in the Alberta Health Information Act.
For all other Personal Information collected through the MyCare App, including through your use of Symptom Checker, Healthcheck, Monitor, TELUS Health MyCare has overall responsibility across Canada.
What changes will occur in respect of my personal health information? What do I need to do as a customer?
TELUS has taken over Babylon’s responsibility for protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy but the service remains essentially the same. There is no material change to the handling of your personal health information, but as your personal information will be handled in accordance with the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment as of July 5th, 2021, it is important that you read and understand the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment.
We want you to understand how seriously we take your privacy and we have worked hard to provide you with a policy that makes our personal information handling practices transparent.
To access the TELUS Health MyCare App on or after July 5, 2021, you will be required to review and agree to new Terms and Conditions and will be asked in the app if you understand the updated Privacy Commitment.
Will Babylon Partners Ltd. still have access to my personal health information?
With TELUS’ acquisition of Babylon Health Canada, your medical records transferred from Babylon Partners Ltd. to what is now TELUS Health MyCare. Babylon Partners Ltd. is now our software service provider and in limited circumstances access by their technical support team may be permitted access for the purposes of maintaining, repairing, troubleshooting or upgrading the TELUS Health MyCare software.
If you choose to expressly consent for TELUS to disclose your Personal Information to Babylon Partners Limited for the purposes of improving the performance of the Babylon Partners Limited software technology, they will store and handle it in accordance with their privacy policy.
Which privacy policy now governs my personal information at TELUS Health MyCare?
As of July 5, 2021, a new TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment and the associated TELUS Privacy Code will govern your personal information. It is important that you read and understand the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment.
Will my health information now be shared with the rest of TELUS?
No. To be clear, no Information from your medical record is shared with the rest of TELUS. Your name, email address, and home address may be shared within the TELUS family of companies and matched to your existing TELUS customer profile (if applicable) to identify other services that you have with the TELUS family. This information may be used to:
- Perform aggregated reporting and demographic analysis
- Ask for your feedback on our services through surveys or other means
- Help us and the TELUS family provide better recommendations of TELUS products and services that may be of interest to you and exclude those that are not relevant. For example, we and the TELUS family will try not to contact you to register for the TELUS Health MyCare app if you have already downloaded the TELUS Health MyCare app and registered for the service
You can opt out of receiving marketing messages from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in each of our marketing messages or by contacting us as set out below.
Accountability and policy questions
Who is accountable for protecting my privacy when I use TELUS Health MyCare?
In most provinces, TELUS Health MyCare has overall responsibility for protecting the privacy of your Medical Records and other Personal Information and we are directly accountable to you.
Consultations with Healthcare Practitioners are available in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. In these Provinces, TELUS Health MyCare has overall responsibility for protecting your Personal Health Information, including your Medical Record, and we are directly accountable to you.
In Alberta, your healthcare providers, such as your physician, have overall responsibility for the privacy of your Medical Records and TELUS Health MyCare assists them with that responsibility. More precisely, in Alberta, TELUS Health MyCare collects, uses, and discloses Personal Health Information on behalf of healthcare providers who are ‘custodians’, as defined in the Alberta Health Information Act.
For all other Personal Information collected through the TELUS Health MyCare App, including through your use of Symptom Checker, Healthcheck, Monitor, TELUS Health MyCare has overall responsibility across Canada.
Which Privacy Policy and program govern my personal information when I use the TELUS Health MyCare app?
As of July 5, 2021, a new TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment and the associated TELUS Privacy Code will govern your personal information.
TELUS Health MyCare service also falls under the robust TELUS Privacy Management Program Framework that applies more broadly to the TELUS family of companies.
Where can I find more information on TELUS Health’s privacy practices?
The TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment, found here, contains the specifics about how we handle your personal information when you engage with the TELUS Health MyCare services and when you use our virtual consultation services. TELUS Health MyCare service falls under the robust TELUS Privacy Management Program Framework that applies more broadly to the TELUS family of companies.
General privacy and security FAQ
What personal information does the TELUS Health MyCare App collect and why?
We collect only the Personal Information required for us to establish and maintain a responsible healthcare and service relationship with you, to provide services, products, and functionalities of TELUS Health MyCare, to develop and enhance our products and services and to send you relevant information about products and services that may be of interest to you.
We collect Personal Information to set up an account for you on the TELUS Health MyCare App so that you can access and use the TELUS Health MyCare health-related services, including:
- Consultations with Healthcare Practitioners
- TELUS Health MyCare AI-powered Symptom Checker
- TELUS Health MyCare AI-powered Healthcheck
- TELUS Health MyCare Monitor
We also collect other information from you as you use the TELUS Health MyCare Services:
- App activity information
- Device and usage information
- Cookies
- Audio recordings of healthcare consultations (with your express consent)
- Payment information or healthcare number
More detail is set out in the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment.
How is my information safeguarded?
Your Personal Information is encrypted and password-protected in the app.
We understand that data security is a critical issue and we are committed to safeguarding Personal Health Information. We have implemented a comprehensive information security program that includes security controls, as well as, strong administrative, technical and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, loss, modification and disclosure of Personal Health Information.
Our team members must complete privacy and security training before they have access to any Personal Information, and must complete annual privacy and security training for ongoing access to Personal Information.
TELUS Health MyCare ensures that the security policies, procedures and controls of its software provider, Babylon Partners Limited, meet industry and TELUS best practices and are regularly tested.
Please keep in mind that no internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error free and no security system is impenetrable. We cannot fully guarantee the confidentiality of any information that you provide to us but we can assure you that we will use reasonable and appropriate security controls, reflective of the sensitive nature of Personal Health Information.
It is important for you to play an active role in the protection and safeguarding of your own Personal Information, especially when you are online.
Where is my personal information data stored?
Your Medical Record is stored in data centres in Canada. Your Medical Record will only be accessed from outside Canada in limited circumstances by our service provider’s technical support team, including maintaining, repairing, troubleshooting or upgrading the TELUS Health MyCare software In addition, if you consent to an audio recording of your healthcare consultation, your information may be temporarily stored by our vendor in the US while in transit to permanent storage in Canada.
Personal information collected to validate your identity when you first register will be temporarily stored in the US by our service provider to permit authentication of your identity.
We also use service providers who may access or store other Personal Information in Ireland, the EU, the United States or other jurisdictions.
Who does TELUS Health MyCare share my personal information with or disclose it to?
For continuity of care purposes, we may share Personal Information among your TELUS Health MyCare healthcare practitioners and others who assist in the provision of healthcare to you.
We will not disclose your Personal Information for any purpose other than what has been outlined in our Privacy Commitment or as permitted under applicable law unless we obtain your express consent. We disclose only the limited amount of Personal Information necessary to meet these purposes.
We do not sell your Personal Information to any third parties.
We may share your Personal Information with our service providers who are contracted to perform services or functions on our behalf where they require the information to assist us in serving you. We use contractual controls to protect this information and limit its use to what is necessary for the service provider to perform the service.
No Information from your medical record is shared with the rest of TELUS but your name, email address, and home address may be shared within the TELUS family of companies and matched to your existing TELUS customer profile(s) (if applicable) to identify other services that you have with the TELUS family. This information may be used to:
- Perform aggregated reporting and demographic analysis
- Ask for your feedback on our services through surveys or other means
- Help us and the TELUS family provide better recommendations of TELUS products and services that may be of interest to you and exclude those that are not relevant. For example, we and the TELUS family will try not to contact you to register for the TELUS Health MyCare app if you have already downloaded the TELUS Health MyCare app and registered for the service
Does TELUS Health MyCare sell my personal information?
No, we do not and will not sell your personal information.
Does the app collect or use my GPS location?
Certain features of TELUS Health MyCare request your permission to use GPS technology to collect real-time information about the location of your device so that TELUS Health MyCare can connect you to a pharmacy or another healthcare service in your area.
This service is provided for your convenience only, and your permission for this use is voluntary. This location data is not retained or used for any other purpose.
How do I change my privacy preferences and settings?
To change your status with respect to receiving marketing messages or sharing information with Babylon Partners Ltd. in the TELUS Health MyCare app, select Me. Then select the gear icon in the top right corner and then click the Privacy Controls tab. You can then adjust the toggles according to your preference. You can also opt out of receiving marketing messages from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in each of our marketing email messages.
You can turn off push notifications and the collection of real-time information about the location of your device at any time in your device settings.
Are consultations recorded?
No, consultations are no longer recorded. The consultations that have been recorded before December 6, 2021 are stored as part of your Medical Record. You can request access to these recordings by contacting us as set out under the ‘Questions, Complaints and Contact’ section of the TELUS Health MyCare Privacy Commitment, and we will provide the recording within 30 days.
Medical Records FAQ
My physician uses a TELUS EMR, will my THMC Medical Record be combined with it?
No. While your medical record is not integrated with other TELUS EMRs after each consultation, you have the option to consent to sending your consultation notes to your regular family doctor. Your TELUS Health MyCare doctor will also confirm your consent during your appointment.
How long are my Medical Records retained?
Medical Records must be retained in accordance with provincial retention guidelines. In general, for Medical Records, we will follow retention of 16 years from either the date of last entry or from the age of majority of the individual to whom the information relates, whichever is later. Audio recordings during healthcare consultations are retained as part of your Medical Record.
Access, correction and deletion
How do I access my health records or make a correction to my health records?
Please contact our Support team at 1-855-577-8838 or mycare@telus.com. If you wish to access, update and/or correct inaccuracies to your medical records, please contact us at mycare@telus.com or at the address below:
TELUS Health MyCare
c/o Privacy Officer
2280 – 510 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 0M3
How do I delete my TELUS Health MyCare account?
Please contact us at mycare@telus.com or at the address below:
TELUS Health MyCare
c/o Privacy Officer
2280 – 510 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 0M3
Still have questions?
Please contact us at mycareprivacy@telus.com or the address below if:
- You have any questions related to the collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Information
- You need to report any privacy or security violations, including any suspected or actual unauthorized access, use, disclosure or loss of Personal Information
- You have any questions or comments about this Privacy Commitment, or
- You otherwise have a question or complaint about the manner in which we or our service providers treat your Personal Information, including our policies and practices with respect to the use of service providers outside Canada
mycare@telus.com
TELUS Health MyCare
c/o Privacy Officer
2280 – 510 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 0M3