Privacy & Data Security Code

The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1983 to improve the circumstances of Ontario’s children with cancer, their families and caregivers through the development and implementation of an accessible, well-integrated provincial childhood cancer system. POGO plans for provincial pediatric oncology needs, coordinates the allocation of funding across the province, maintains the provincial pediatric oncology database (POGONIS), conducts research focusing on childhood cancer in accordance with all applicable legislation, including Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 and its regulation, provides clinical leadership and develops evidence-based standards and guidelines for childhood cancer care.

POGO is a multi-disciplinary, multi-centre collaboration of health professionals representing the pediatric programs that treat children with cancer across the province of Ontario. The founding partner organizations of POGO are Ontario’s specialized childhood cancer programs, which are located within academic teaching hospitals at Children’s Hospital, London Health Science Centre, London; Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa; Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton; Kingston General Hospital, Kingston; and The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

In 1995, POGO became the principal advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) on matters relating to childhood cancer care and control in Ontario.

In 2004, POGO was designated as a prescribed entity pursuant to section 45 of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. As a result, POGO is permitted to collect and use personal health information, without consent, for the purpose of "analysis or compiling statistical information with respect to the management of, evaluation or monitoring of, the allocation of resources to or planning for all or part of the health system, including the delivery of services" (PHIPA, 2004). POGO is further permitted to use and disclose personal health information, without consent, where permitted by the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.

As a prescribed entity, POGO is required to have in place practices and procedures to protect the privacy of individuals whose personal health information it receives and to maintain the confidentiality of that information. These practices and procedures must be reviewed and approved by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario every three years.

This document highlights POGO’s practices and procedures with respect to personal health information and is based on the ten principles of the Canadian Standards Association Fair Information Practices, which now form part of Canada’s federal privacy law, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. 

Click here to download the complete document (26 pages) (September 4th, 2008)