Privacy Policy
We are committed to protecting your privacy and managing your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
On this page
What personal information do we collect?
As part of providing you with medical care, we may collect personal and health information including:
- your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address;
- Medicare, Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) and other government identification numbers (used only for authorised healthcare and billing purposes);
- your Healthcare Identifier (IHI);
- your medical history, symptoms, diagnoses and treatment records;
- referral letters, specialist reports and correspondence with your healthcare providers;
- pathology, imaging and other investigation results;
- appointment, billing and payment information;
- prescriptions and medication history;
- genetic information where relevant to your care; and
- other health information required to provide safe and appropriate medical treatment, including information relating to your ethnicity, cultural background, sexuality or religion where clinically relevant.
How do we collect your information?
As part of providing you with medical care, we may collect personal and health information including:
- directly from you during consultations, over the telephone, via registration forms, online bookings or correspondence;
- from a parent, guardian or person responsible for your care where appropriate; and
- from other healthcare providers involved in your treatment, including your general practitioner, specialists, hospitals, pathology and imaging providers, as well as Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), electronic prescription services, health insurers and other organisations where authorised or required by law.
Why do we collect, use and disclose your information?
We collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information to:
- provide you with high-quality medical care;
- communicate with you regarding appointments, investigations and treatment;
- coordinate your care with your GP, specialists and other healthcare providers;
- request, receive and discuss pathology and imaging results;
- issue prescriptions and use electronic prescribing services where applicable;
- upload to and access information from My Health Record where appropriate;
- process Medicare, DVA and private health fund claims;
- manage billing, administration, IT systems and practice operations; and
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including mandatory reporting requirements.
We will only use or disclose your personal information for purposes directly related to your healthcare unless you have provided consent or we are otherwise authorised or required by law.
How do we protect your information?
We take reasonable steps to safeguard your personal information against misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
These measures include:
- secure, encrypted electronic medical records;
- secure server-based storage and backup systems;
- password-protected access to patient records;
- regular staff training in privacy and confidentiality obligations;
- confidentiality agreements signed by all staff;
- confidentiality requirements for contractors, including IT providers and service personnel; and
- document retention and secure destruction policies.
Accessing and correcting your information
You have the right to request access to your personal information and to ask us to correct any information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
Requests should be made to our Practice Manager.
A reasonable administrative fee may apply for providing copies of your medical records where permitted by law.
We aim to respond to requests within 30 days.
Privacy complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or believe your privacy has been breached, please contact our Practice Manager in writing.
We will investigate your concerns and endeavour to respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Phone
Post
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Website
Anonymity and pseudonyms
Where lawful and practical, you may choose not to identify yourself or use a pseudonym when dealing with our practice.
However, in most circumstances we are unable to provide medical care without collecting sufficient identifying information.
Overseas disclosure
In some circumstances, your personal information may be disclosed to overseas recipients, including:
- healthcare providers involved in your ongoing treatment overseas;
- organisations that assist us in delivering healthcare services where overseas disclosure is necessary; and
- other parties where you have provided your consent.
Where overseas disclosure occurs, we will take reasonable steps to ensure your information is handled in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology or our practice procedures.
Our website and social media
We do not intentionally collect personal health information through our website or social media platforms.
We will not publish information that identifies a patient unless we have obtained your explicit written consent.
From time to time, we may invite patients to complete patient satisfaction surveys or provide feedback to help improve our services.