AR 71/2009 CANCER FOUNDATION REGULATION (Consolidated up to 50/2015)
ALBERTA REGULATION 71/2009
Regional Health Authorities Act
CANCER REGISTRY REGULATION
Table of Contents
                1      Definitions
                2      Cancer registry
                3      Collection of information                 4      Use and disclosure of information
                5      Agreements
                6      Duty to report
                7      Reportable information ‑ physicians
                8      Reportable information ‑ laboratories
                9      Offences
              10      Expiry
              11      Coming into force
Definitions
1   In this Regulation,
                               (a)    “Act” means the Regional Health Authorities Act;
                              (b)    “regional health authority” means Alberta Health Services unless another regional health authority is designated by the Minister for the purpose of this Regulation;
                               (c)    “reportable cancer” means a disease listed in the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology published by the World Health Organization, as amended from time to time.
Cancer registry
2   The cancer registry continued under section 11.1(1) of the Act shall be transferred to and maintained by the regional health authority in accordance with this Regulation.
Collection of information
3(1)  The cancer registry must contain the information respecting a reportable cancer obtained under section 6.
(2)  The cancer registry may contain information
                               (a)    obtained from the regional health authority’s hospitals, out‑patient clinics and programs,
                              (b)    obtained under the Hospitals Act from a hospital that is not a regional health authority hospital,
                               (c)    obtained under section 22(5) of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act, and
                              (d)    obtained from any other source specified by the Minister.
(3)  The information in the cancer registry is private and confidential.
Use and disclosure of information
4(1)  The information in the cancer registry may be used for the following purposes:
                               (a)    to assess and improve the standards of treatment and care provided to cancer patients;
                              (b)    to assist in the treatment and care of the person who is the subject of the information;
                               (c)    to assist in cancer research, education and prevention;
                              (d)    to compile statistics on cancer;
                               (e)    any other purpose specified by the Minister.
(2)  The regional health authority shall disclose information in the cancer registry
                               (a)    to the Minister in the manner and form specified by the Minister,
                              (b)    to any person specified by the Minister where the Minister believes it is in the public interest that the information be disclosed to that person, and
                               (c)    to any person when required by law.
(3)  The regional health authority may disclose the information in the cancer registry in the following circumstances:
                               (a)    to the person who is the subject of the information or to that person’s designate or legal representative; 
                              (b)    in statistical form if the person who is the subject of the information is not revealed or made identifiable; 
                               (c)    to a person conducting bona fide research or a medical review if the disclosure is made in a manner that ensures the confidentiality of the information;
                              (d)    to a person authorized to receive the information under an agreement referred to in section 5;
                               (e)    to a person or class of persons authorized to receive the information by the regulations.
Agreements
5(1)  The Minister or the regional health authority with the approval of the Minister may enter into an agreement with the Government of Canada or the government of a province or territory or with any person that relates to the disclosure of information in the cancer registry.
(2)  An agreement under subsection (1) shall require that the information disclosed remain confidential.
Duty to report
6(1)  A physician who knows or has reason to believe that a patient under the physician’s care or supervision has a reportable cancer shall, as soon as practicable, provide the regional health authority with the information set out in section 7.
(2)  A person who is responsible for a laboratory in which an examination of a specimen from a human body is conducted that reveals a reportable cancer shall, as soon as practicable, provide the regional health authority with the information set out in section 8.
(3)  After receiving information under subsection (1) or (2), the regional health authority may request the physician or person responsible for the laboratory to provide any additional information that the regional health authority considers necessary respecting the reportable cancer, the person who has cancer or the examination.
Reportable information - physicians
7   For the purposes of section 6(1), the following information must be provided by a physician to a regional health authority:
                               (a)    the following patient data:
                                        (i)    name, including last name, maiden name if applicable and first name, and initials for any other names;
                                      (ii)    gender;
                                     (iii)    date of birth;
                                     (iv)    place of birth;
                                       (v)    Alberta personal health number;
                                     (vi)    patient’s address, including postal code, at time of diagnosis;
                                    (vii)    vital status;
                                   (viii)    diagnosis;
                                     (ix)    date of diagnosis;
                                       (x)    method of diagnosis;
                                     (xi)    name and address of physician;
                                    (xii)    treatment (type and date) administered to the patient;
                                   (xiii)    place, date and cause of death;
                              (b)    the following tumour data:
                                        (i)    anatomical localization of the tumour;
                                      (ii)    morphology of the tumour;
                                     (iii)    histologic grade of the tumour;
                                     (iv)    stage of the disease at diagnosis;
                                       (v)    site of metastasis, if appropriate;
                                     (vi)    laterality of the tumour, if appropriate;
                                    (vii)    multi-focal tumour, if appropriate;
                                   (viii)    other critical prognostic variables, if appropriate;
                                     (ix)    all clinical and epidemiological information pertinent to the diagnosis and treatment.
Reportable information - laboratories
8   For the purposes of section 6(2), the following information must be provided by the person responsible for a laboratory to the regional health authority:
                               (a)    the following laboratory data:
                                        (i)    name of the laboratory;
                                      (ii)    address of the laboratory;
                              (b)    the following patient data:
                                        (i)    name, including last name, maiden name if applicable and first name, and initials for any other names;
                                      (ii)    address, if available;
                                     (iii)    Alberta personal health number;
                                     (iv)    date of test result (final report);
                               (c)    the following site-specific tumour data:
                                        (i)    anatomical localization of the tumour;
                                      (ii)    morphology of the tumour;
                                     (iii)    histologic grade of the tumour, if appropriate;
                                     (iv)    information relevant to staging, if appropriate;
                                       (v)    site of metastasis, if appropriate;
                                     (vi)    laterality of the tumour, if appropriate;
                                    (vii)    other critical prognostic variables, if appropriate;
                                   (viii)    other information that the laboratory considers appropriate.
Offences
9(1)  No person shall disclose information in the cancer registry to a person unless disclosure of information to that person is authorized under section 4.
(2)  No person shall review or examine the information in the cancer registry unless disclosure of the information to that person is authorized under section 4.
(3)  A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $10 000.
Expiry
10   For the purpose of ensuring that this Regulation is reviewed for ongoing relevancy and necessity, with the option that it may be repassed in its present or an amended form following a review, this Regulation expires on March 31, 2018.
AR 71/2009 s10;50/2015
Coming into force
11   This Regulation comes into force on the coming into force of section 7 of the Health Governance Transition Act.