Policies

Payment and Cancellation Policies

All patients must read, understand and agree to the following payment and cancellation policies.

Payment Policy

You agree to be financially responsible for all charges regardless of any applicable insurance or benefit payments, third-party interest, or the resolution of any legal action or lawsuits in which you may be involved.
Payment is expected at time of treatment unless you have made other payment arrangements.
Your therapist reserves the right to discontinue the provision of care if you are unwilling to provide payment.
In the event you are late for your appointment, you agree to be charged the full treatment fee and receive treatment for the time remaining.

Cancelation Policy

48 Hour's Notice is Required for all Cancellations. Failure to provide 48 hour's notice will result in a charge of 50% of the treatment cost. This fee may be paid directly or the charge can be applied to the patient's account for future repayment. The fee may be waived in the event of illness or other extreme circumstances outside of the patient's control.

Direct Billing to Extended Healthcare Benefits. If you have a benefits plan that covers Registered Massage Therapy, you may be eligible for direct billing. A full list of providers can be found here.. If your provider does not have direct billing enabled, you will be provided with a copy of your receipt that you can, at your discretion, submit to your health plan for reimbursement for the services your health plan covers. You are responsible for contacting your insurance company to determine what your benefits are and obtain any necessary physician referrals and/or pre-authorizations for services. In the event that a claim does not cover the full amount of the treatment owing, you are responsible for paying the remainder of the treatment fee on the date of treatment. We are not responsible if your health plan denies, in whole or in part, your claims for our services.
Insurance Fraud. Any and all requests for participation in fraudulent billing practises will be flatly refused and may result in a termination of the therapeutic relationship. The therapist will only provide a receipt on the day of service after the treatment is provided, and will include complete and accurate information of the person who received treatment, length of treatment, amount of treatment fee, payment method and payer (if different from patient). Receipts will not be issued in advance of treatments provided and requests for such will be denied. Should it be discovered that the therapist's information/title/registration number is being used by a patient for the purposes of committing insurance fraud, the therapeutic relationship will be terminated and the appropriate authorities contacted.

Privacy Policy and the Collection of Personal Health Information

As of Nov 1, 2025 the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario has implemented a new Standard of Practise regarding the Collection of Personal Health Information. The new Standard dictates that all Patients of Massage Therapy reserve the right to give, withhold, or withdraw consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of their personal health information.

Your therapist is required to ask for certain pieces of information, but you may withhold any information you choose to. Personal health information is requested in order to provide safe and effective care that is tailored to your individual circumstances and specific needs. Please be assured that All Information Provided Is Kept Confidential in Accordance with Privacy Laws, and is Used Solely for the Provision of Massage Therapy by Colette Slone, RMT.

What is Personal Information?

Personal information is identifiable information about individuals and includes information that relates to:

An individual's personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, home address or telephone number, family status); Health (e.g., health history, health conditions, health services received by them); Activities and views (e.g., opinions expressed by an individual, an opinion or evaluation of an individual).

Uses and Disclosure of Personal Information

I use and disclose your personal health information to:

Treat and care for you;
Get payment for your treatment and care (from OHIP, WSIB, your private insurer or others);
Plan, administer and manage my internal operations;
Compile statistics;
Consult with other HCPs for the purpose of providing health care;
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and
Fulfill other purposes permitted or required by law.

Third Party Access to Information

As required by law, The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario may inspect my records as a part of their regulatory activities in the public interest. In addition, various government agencies (e.g., Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Human Rights Commission, etc.) have the authority to review my files as a part of their mandates. In these circumstances, I may consult with professionals (e.g., lawyers, accountants).

Your written consent will be requested before submitting any personal health information to non-regulatory agencies (e.g. Insurance companies, lawyers) who may request it on your behalf.

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

For the purpose of protecting personal health information, the following procedures are in effect:

Paper files are kept in a locked filing cabinet;
Electronic information is kept on a password-protected external drive and password-protected charting software that complies with PHIPA and PIPEDA.
Passwords are used on all electronic and mobile devices;
External consultants and agencies with access to personal information must enter into privacy agreements with me.

Retention And Destruction Of Personal Information

As a sole practitioner, I am responsible for collecting, maintaining and protecting personal health information collected for my practise for a minimum of ten (10) years, as required by law.

After a period of ten years, any paper files containing personal information will be destroyed by shredding; Any information stored electronically will be destroyed by deleting it and, when the hardware is discarded, the hard drive will be physically destroyed and/or;

Some or all of the file will be sent to the patient.

As sole proprietor, I am the Health Information Custodian [HIC] for my clinic and am committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the goods and services provided through my practise. My policies are made in accordance with the Massage Therapy Act, 1991, CMTO Standards of Practice, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, 2000, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. .

In the event that my practice closes or I am no longer the sole proprietor, my files will be transferred to the care of another designated Health Information Custodian (HIC). Details of the new HIC and location of files will be made known to all of my patients.

How To Contact

For more information about my privacy protection practices, or to raise a concern you have, contact me at 416-200-8591 or by email at coletteslonermt (at) gmail.com

Other Important Contacts

A link to the Standard of Practise: Collecting Personal Health Information can be accessed here: https://www.cmto.com/rules/collecting-personal-health-information-from-clients-standard/

A link to the complete Personal Health Information Protection Act can be accessed here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/04p03

A link to the complete Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act can be accessed here: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-8.6/index.html

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario can be reached at (800) 465-1933 or by email at cmto@cmto.com

The office of the Ontario Privacy Commissioner can be reached at (800) 387-0073. The office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Canada can be reached at (613) 995-8210

Patient Rights

As of September 11, 2017, the College of Massage Therapists (CMTO) implemented new Standards of Practice for all RMTs in Ontario regarding consent, professional conduct and treatment of sensitive areas. These new Standards were put in place in response to Bill 87: Protecting Patients Act, a part of which is dedicated to protecting patients from sexual abuse by health care providers.

One of the most significant changes for RMTs is the new regulation requiring written consent for treatment of sensitive areas. The CMTO has defined “sensitive areas” to include: chest wall musculature, breast tissue, upper/inner thigh and gluteal region. As a patient of mine, you should be aware that I fully comply with these new Standards of Practice. If there is a clinical indication for treatment of any of the sensitive areas, we will discuss the treatment and you will be required to review and sign a consent form prior to treatment. This form is not a blanket consent, as consent is always an ongoing process and can be rescinded at any time.

As an RMT, I am dedicated to providing you with safe and effective treatments. Your comfort and engagement in the treatment process are extremely important to me, and you have the right to receive the care you want and need. The following are some important patient rights that you should expect from me, and any RMT practising in Ontario.

To Tell Your Story and To Be Listened To

This includes your medical history and anything else you feel is important. You can tell your story in whatever way you like and share only as much as you are comfortable. You may decline to answer certain questions. Be aware, however, there are certain pieces of information that I am required to collect (see CMTO Standard of Practise 6)

To Ask Questions and Receive Satisfactory Answers

You may ask questions at any time during our meeting(s). I will always do my best to answer in a clear, truthful way and in accordance with the current evidence as I understand it. I may have to say, “I don’t know, let me get back to you.”

To Have the Massage Therapy Treatment Explained to You

This includes: what we are going to do, why we are going to do it, and how we are going to do it. I aim to explain these things as simply and clearly as possible and questions are always welcome.

To Understand the Risks and Side Effects

Many of us see Massage Therapy as pretty risk-free. Most of the time this is true. But, there are some techniques that may be riskier than others and some underlying health issues or medications that can increase the risks. Side effects are not as serious as risks, but you should be made aware of those as well.

To say NO to Some or All of the Treatment

When the treatment is explained to you, you are free to say yes to all of it, some of it, or none of it. For instance, you may be OK with certain areas being touched, but not others. This is your opportunity to voice those preferences.

To be Given Alternatives

If you say no to any or all of the treatment proposal, I will make some other suggestions. I have quite a few techniques available to use and we may be able to find something you would prefer. If we can’t find common ground on anything, I can refer you to another health care provider that can help.

To Say NO at Any Time

Seriously. Consent is an ongoing thing. Just because something might be OK during one treatment, you may not be OK with it at the next. Or, just because you are OK with something before we start treatment, during treatment you may decide against it. You are also free to stop the treatment at any time.

To Speak to a Third Party About My Conduct

By choosing to be treated by a Registered Massage Therapist, you are assured that you have the right to complain to the CMTO, the College that regulates my profession, should you be harmed in any way during your treatment. This right extends to all harm, not just physical. For further information about the role of the CMTO in protecting the public, to find out the current status of an RMT in Ontario, or to lodge a complaint, please visit: http://www.cmto.com/ensuring-professional-conduct/

To Ensure That Your Needs and Preferences are Met

Your therapist will do their best to accommodate your needs and requests at all times. This includes preferences regarding music, silence during treatment, and any physical/mobility accommodations. You are also entitled to request options for submitting your personal health information, e.g. verbally, written or through a combination of approaches.

Patient Responsibilities

Patients must be aware of, and agree to, the following responsibilities,

To understand that verbal, sexual or physical abuse of the therapist will not be tolerated, and that the therapist reserves the right to immediately terminate the session and the therapeutic relationship without advanced notice as per the CMTO's Code of Ethics;
To be respectful of the therapists' commitment to your care;
To take active part in your treatment plan to the best of your ability;
To know that a treatment you ask for may not be provided if it is medically or ethically inappropriate;
To be honest about your personal health information and inform your therapist of any changes as soon as possible;
To respect the boundaries and comfort level of your therapist;
To inform your therapist if the treatment isn't meeting your needs or goal;
To notify your therapist within 48 hours if you are unable to make your appointment;

Adhering to the Rights and Responsibilities listed above will help ensure that you receive the best possible care and will help you and your therapist cultivate a successful therapeutic relationship. Conduct which is deemed to be disrespectful of the Patient Responsibilities set forth may result in termination of the treatment plan.