Anonymous Testing & Privacy#

Semi-anonymous testing means your test results aren't linked to your provincial health card in the provincial laboratory database (OLIS in Ontario, or the equivalent provincial system in BC). This is important because most family-doctor and clinic EMR systems pull lab data using your health card number as the key - that's the auto-populate mechanism that brings new results into your family doctor's chart. Without a health card linked to the visit, the result doesn't flow automatically into any EMR.

One honest caveat: the result still exists in the provincial database. It's indexed under your name and date of birth, so a clinician who explicitly searches for you by name + DOB could still find it. Semi-anonymous means "won't auto-populate; harder to find by default" - not "invisible."

What's still on record:

• Your TeleTest account has your real name, date of birth, email, and address.
• The lab has your name and DOB from the requisition and your ID at check-in, and the result is uploaded to the provincial lab database indexed under name + DOB.
• TeleTest's own records of your consultation and results are retained as required by the clinician's regulatory College (typically 10 years in Ontario; 16 years in BC - see retention details below).
• Mandatory public-health reporting still applies for certain positive results (see the next section).

Two things at the lab visit:

1. Don't present your provincial health card. Use a different government-issued photo ID (driver's licence, passport, etc.) for identification.
2. Pay the lab directly, out of pocket. Without a health card linked to the visit, the tests will be treated as uninsured and the lab will charge you at the time of collection.

This combination removes the health-card linkage that EMR systems use to auto-pull your result into your family doctor's chart. The result is still uploaded to the provincial database (indexed by name + DOB), but it won't surface in routine EMR data feeds.

Telling the lab tech at check-in is helpful so they don't accidentally look up and link your file.

You'll pay the lab directly for tests that would otherwise be insured. Approximate costs vary by lab and test, but common reference figures are listed in our Cost of Blood Tests guide.

TeleTest's consultation fee doesn't change for semi-anonymous testing - you pay the same fee regardless of how you handle the lab portion.

If you provide your health card at the lab, your results are uploaded to the provincial laboratory database (OLIS in Ontario, the equivalent system in BC) and indexed under your health card number. This is the format most family-doctor and clinic EMR systems automatically pull from - so your result would routinely appear in your family doctor's chart if they're set up to receive your lab data.

In practice, most family doctors don't routinely review results they didn't order, but the result is in their chart and any healthcare provider involved in your care could access it. Once uploaded, the record is permanent.

Under Canadian public-health law, all positive results for the following infections must be reported by name to provincial public health authorities - regardless of whether you presented a health card or paid out of pocket:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• HIV
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C

This applies to every clinician and lab in Canada, not just TeleTest. It's a legal obligation.

What's reported: your name, contact information, and the positive result. What's not reported: your full medical history, your consultation transcript, or any other testing you've done.

This is not shared with your family doctor through public-health reporting - it goes only to the provincial public health unit, which uses it for case management (contact tracing, treatment follow-up, statistical reporting).

These infections are designated as reportable communicable diseases. Public health units use the data to:

• Identify outbreaks and trends.
• Support partner notification when you can't or prefer not to do it yourself.
• Make sure you receive appropriate treatment and follow-up.
• Track infection patterns at the population level.

Reporting is required across all provinces under each province's Public Health Act.

For testing that doesn't include the mandatory public-health reporting step, visit an anonymous STI clinic in your area. These clinics test without recording your name and don't generate a reportable result. Examples:

• Anonymous HIV testing sites operated by provincial public-health units.
• Community sexual health clinics in larger urban centres (Hassle Free Clinic in Toronto, ASK Wellness in BC, etc.).
• Local public-health unit STI clinics - many offer anonymous or pseudonymous testing options.

TeleTest does not offer fully anonymous testing.

A quick check-in conversation prevents most issues:

1. Hand over a non-health-card ID for identification (driver's licence, passport, etc.).
2. Tell the lab tech you don't want your health card linked to this visit and that you'll be paying out of pocket.
3. Ask them to confirm no CC is being added to the requisition (see next accordion).
4. Pay the lab directly at the time of collection.

Our requisitions do not list a CC to your family doctor, and TeleTest does not know who your family doctor or family nurse practitioner is - we don't collect that information. However, a lab technician will occasionally, out of habit, CC your family doctor at the time of collection (writing in their name or fax number on the requisition or in the lab's system). This can route an unintended copy of your results to your family doctor.

To prevent this: at check-in, ask the technician to confirm that no external CC has been added to your requisition. The only CC we may add is internal to TeleTest (e.g., our Chief Medical Officer) as a backup to make sure your results reach our system - this stays inside TeleTest and doesn't go to any external clinician.

Avoid this if you care about privacy. When you present two requisitions at the same visit (one from TeleTest, one from your family doctor or another clinic), the lab may merge the orders and send all results to only one of the clinicians - often the non-TeleTest one. Your TeleTest results may then end up with your family doctor automatically.

To keep TeleTest results private: present only the TeleTest requisition at the visit. If you have separate testing ordered by another clinic, make a separate lab visit for that requisition (a different day is fine).

No. Labs cannot refuse you because you don't present a health card. They'll just bill the tests as uninsured and you pay directly.

If a specific lab pushes back, you can:

• Try a different location of the same chain.
• Ask to speak with a supervisor.
• Use a different lab chain.

The right to refuse to provide your health card for testing is well-established under Canadian privacy law.

No. TeleTest does not forward results to family doctors or other external clinicians - not even on request. Your results stay in your patient portal, accessible only to you. If you want your family doctor to have a copy, download the PDF from your portal and send or bring it to them yourself.

The only exception is the legally required public-health report for specific positive results listed above. Those go to the public health unit, not to your family doctor.

For more, see Your Family Doctor & TeleTest.

Canadian medical-record-retention rules are set by the regulatory College of the clinician who reviewed your case, and the minimum retention period varies by province:

• Ontario: 10 years from the date of the last entry in your record, or 10 years after you reach the age of majority (whichever is longer). Set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for physicians and the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) for nurse practitioners.
• British Columbia: 16 years from the date of the last entry, or 16 years after you reach the age of majority (whichever is longer). Set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) and the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).

These minimums are baseline regulatory requirements. After the retention window expires, records can be securely destroyed. PHIPA (Ontario), PIPA (BC), and PIPEDA (federal) govern how the records are stored, protected, and accessed during that period.

For privacy, older results are periodically removed from your patient portal even while the underlying record is retained in our system. If you need an expired result back, use our contact form and we'll re-upload it.

Tip: download a PDF copy of each result when it arrives. The PDF is yours to keep indefinitely.

You can request account deletion at any time via our contact form. We'll remove your account and any data we're not legally required to keep.

What we cannot delete: records covered by the provincial medical-record-retention rule (10 years in Ontario, 16 years in BC). Those stay in our archive (not visible in your portal) until the retention period ends.

What we will delete: account login, demographic information beyond what retention rules require, and any non-clinical data tied to your account.

In general, no. Everything happens via your patient portal and secure messaging. There are only two exceptions:

1. Oral or rectal swab kits. If you order a panel that requires self-collected oral or rectal swabs, we mail the swab kit in plain Amazon-style packaging.
2. Positive-result outreach letter. If you receive a positive result and don't respond to portal messages, emails, or phone calls after multiple attempts, we're required to mail a letter to your home address asking you to contact us. The letter does not disclose any test results, condition, or clinical information - it just asks you to log in or call.

To avoid the letter, simply respond to portal messages (even briefly to acknowledge) when you receive one.

Your credit-card details are stored only by Stripe, our payment processor - never on TeleTest's servers. Stripe is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant (the highest payment-security standard).

Even in the unlikely event of a TeleTest data breach, no card numbers would be exposed.

When you update your card in the portal, you're redirected to Stripe's secure card-update flow - the new card never touches TeleTest's servers.

The charge will appear as TeleTest on your statement. If billing privacy matters to you, avoid using a card that's shared with a spouse, parent, or anyone else who may see the statement. Consider one of these instead:

• Use a card in your name only that isn't shared with anyone.
• Use a digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay) where the merchant name may be less visible in some apps.
• Use a Health Spending Account card if you have one - statements for those are typically reviewed only by you.
• Use a prepaid Visa or Mastercard loaded with funds for the consultation, so the charge doesn't appear on your main credit card statement.

TeleTest doesn't currently offer "discreet billing" with a different merchant name, so the merchant identifier on the statement will read TeleTest regardless of payment method.

Only if they have your login credentials. To protect access:

• Use a strong, unique password you don't share.
• Log out after each session, especially on shared devices.
• Use a private browser window or your own device when accessing the portal in a shared household.
• If you suspect your account was accessed without your permission, change your password immediately and use our contact form so we can review activity.

Yes - your consultation is confidential. Access is restricted to people who need to see your record to deliver, support, or oversee your care:

• The clinician reviewing your case - your primary point of contact.
• Other TeleTest clinicians who are not directly involved in your visit but may need access for legitimate clinical reasons - coverage when your original clinician isn't available, follow-up on results that came in after the original visit, second-opinion review on complex cases, or quality-of-care review.
• A small clinical operations team that supports patient communication, scheduling, lab routing, and billing administration.

Everyone accessing your record is bound by professional confidentiality obligations and provincial privacy law (PHIPA in Ontario, PIPA in BC). Access is logged and audited. Your record is never accessed by anyone outside this group, and never shared with employers, advertisers, or insurers.

Your secure messages and any real-time chat content are stored as part of your medical record on Canadian-hosted servers, encrypted in transit and at rest, and retained per the provincial medical-record rules above.

Last reviewed: Spring 2026. Reviewed by Dr. Mohan Pandit, Chief Medical Officer at TeleTest. We review this page periodically as medical guidelines, lab practices, and provincial programs evolve. This page is for general information, not personal medical advice. If you've noticed information that may be out of date or have suggestions, please contact us - we appreciate the help keeping these resources accurate.