How to file an access to information request The Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information (CQLR, chapter A-2.1), (referred to below as the Access Act) determines the principles applicable for accessing administrative documents and personal information held by RAMQ concerning individuals (as opposed to corporations). The documents and information are accessible, subject to the restrictions set out in the Québec Health Insurance Act (CQLR, chapter A-29) and in the Access Act. RAMQ makes available various information services (online, telephone and in writing) on the public health insurance and prescription drug insurance plans, among others. However, RAMQ does not hold medical records. To obtain your medical record, you have to contact the healthcare facility where you went to. Accessing a personal document or information or correcting personal information Requests for access to administrative documents may be submitted orally or in writing, while a request to have access to personal information or to have it corrected must be done in writing. For such requests, contact: Mélissa PlamondonPerson in Charge of Access to Documents and the Protection of Personal Information Régie de l’assurance maladie du QuébecÉdifice Claude-Castonguay1125, Grande Allée Ouest, 8e étageQuébec (Québec) G1S 1E7 Telephone: 418 682-5171Fax: 418 266-3395 For other information concerning, for instance, the Health Insurance Plan, Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan, as well as the renewal, loss or theft of your Health Insurance Card, please contact our client service. Procedure to file a request Request for access to an administrative document Before submitting your access to information request, please refer to the decisions and documents that RAMQ has already released in response to previous access to information requests (French only). The document that you are looking for might be included. To ensure proper processing of your request for access to an administrative document, be sure to specify the following: the title of the document that you wish to obtain or a brief description that allows us to identify and retrieve ityour last and first names, as well as your contact information If you wish, you can use our model Request for Access to Documents. RAMQ has a document classification scheme (French only) that you may consult. This will assist you in knowing what information RAMQ keeps. Request for access to personal information or request to have personal information corrected To ensure proper processing of your request for access to personal information or request to have personal information corrected, be sure to specify the following: a description of the information sought or the personal information to be correctedthe time period covered by your requestany information that allows us to identify you, such as your Health Insurance Number, your social insurance number, your date of birth, and the name of your parentsyour last and first names, as well as your contact information You can use the following model letters: Request for access to personal informationRequest for correction of personal information Request to obtain the Health Insurance Number of a deceased person To obtain the Health Insurance Number of a deceased person (for other information, the procedure may vary), you must be: the holder of parental authorityan heir or a successorthe liquidator of a succession, orthe beneficiary of life insurance or of a death benefit Submit your request in writing and include all the following information: the name of the deceased personthe information you seek, that is, the Health Insurance Numberany information that enables us to identify the deceased person (social insurance number, date of birth or name of the person’s parents, for example)your first and last names, and contact informationa copy of the death certificate from the Directeur de l’état civil Also, attach the following documents to your request, as the case may be: the will of the deceased person, if applicable, along with the the certificate confirming the results of the search made in the Registres des dispositions testamentaires et des mandats de la Chambre des notaires du Québec, and the certificate confirming the results of the search made in the Registres des testaments et mandats du Barreau du Québec. These documents are necessary to ascertain the existence and validity of the willthe marriage contract or a notarized statement confirming that you are an heir, a successor, or the liquidator of the succession if the deceased person did not leave a willa document confirming that you are the beneficiary of life insurance or of a death benefit, as the case may be Processing times RAMQ has a maximum of 20 days to reply to requests to access information and requests to correct information. An additional 10 days may apply, where necessary. Duty of assistance Any person who has submitted a request for access to information or rectification to us may ask for assistance in understanding our decision. Anyone who requests it can obtain simplified and accessible explanations of how the law and the access process work and are applied. However, please note that this duty of assistance does not oblige us to provide legal justification for restricting or refusing access. See also Decisions and documents released in response to access to information requests (French only) Information distribution