Privacy Policy

Sparrow Neuropsychology

Last updated: September 9, 2025

Sparrow Neuropsychology complies with the standards of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which sets out rules for how organizations collect, use and disclose personal information. Where personal information crosses provincial or national borders, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) may also apply.

1. Accountability

We are responsible for personal information in our control. Questions about our privacy practices may be directed to our Privacy Officer (contact details below).

2. Identifying Purposes & Limiting Collection

We collect only what is reasonably necessary to provide psychological services, including:

• Contact details (e.g., name, address, phone, email)
• Health and medical history
• Psychological test results and clinical notes
• Billing and payment information

We use this information to:

• Provide assessment and related clinical services
• Prepare clinical documentation and reports
• Communicate with you and (with consent) other care providers
• Bill agreed-upon services that have been provided
• Meet legal, regulatory, and insurance requirements

3. Consent

We obtain consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information, except where permitted or required by law. Consent may be written, electronic, verbal, or implied, depending on the context and sensitivity. Consent for neuropsychological assessment consitutes a written document signed by yourself and a representative of Sparrow, prior to assessment. You may withdraw consent with reasonable notice, unless doing so would prevent us meeting legal or contractual obligations. We will explain any consequences of withdrawing consent. Consent is limited to that necessary to provide the assessment or agreed upon service.

4. Limiting Use, Disclosure & Retention

We use and disclose personal information only for the purposes listed above, unless you consent to another use or disclosure, or the law permits/requires it. Disclosures without consent may occur where there is:

• Risk of serious harm to self or others
• Suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult
• A lawful order (e.g., court order, subpoena) or regulator request
• An audit by the College of Psychologists of BC

We retain records for at least 7 years after the last date of service (or longer if required by law). After that, we securely destroy or anonymize them.

5. Accuracy

We make reasonable efforts to ensure personal information is accurate and complete. You may request corrections; if accepted, we will update our records and notify third parties who received the information in the past year. If a correction is not made, we will annotate the record with your request.

6. Safeguards

We use administrative, physical, and technological safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or disposal. This includes:

• Encrypted cloud storage under our sole control
• Strongly encrypted physical backups
• Secure email for confidential communication
• Password-protected devices and role-based access

Our encrypted data (and backups) are stored in an unreadable form on servers in Switzerland, Germany, and Norway and may therefore be subject to the laws of those countries. If a privacy breach occurs, we will notify you and any regulators as required by law.

7. Individual Access

You have the right to request access to your personal information, information about how it has been used, and the names of individuals/organizations to whom it has been disclosed. Requests must be made in writing. We may require proof of identity and may charge a minimal fee (a fee estimate will be provided in advance). We respond within 30 business days unless an extension is permitted by law. If we refuse access, we will explain why and outline your options.

8. Openness & Challenging Compliance

You may contact our Privacy Officer with questions or complaints about our privacy practices. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC or, where applicable, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

9. Website & Cookies

Further to the above, when you visit our website, certain technical information is collected automatically through cookies or similar technologies. This may include your IP address, browser type, device, and pages visited. We use this information to understand website traffic, improve site performance, and maintain security.

We do not use this information to personally identify you. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, but some website features may not work properly without them.

If we add third-party tools (such as Google Analytics or social media integrations), those services may also collect data through cookies. In such cases, we ensure these providers comply with privacy laws and only use the information for the stated purposes.

Contact

BC Privacy Regulator: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC — oipc.bc.ca

Federal Privacy Regulator: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — priv.gc.ca