Current as of: January 18, 2024
Introduction to our Privacy Policy
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
- names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
- medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
- Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
- healthcare identifiers
- health fund details.
Dealing with us anonymously
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
- When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. This information may be shared with My Health Record if you have consented to this.
- We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
- In some circumstances, personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:
- your guardian or responsible person
- other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
- your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).
When why and with whom do we share your personal information?
We sometimes share your personal information:
- with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
- with other healthcare providers
- when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
- when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
- to assist in locating a missing person
- to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
- for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
- when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
- during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
Our practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data.
We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified, and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. Paper, which is scanned into your personal file and the original placed into a secure document destruction bin for collection. Electronic records are stored on our server and monitored by our IT company for security purposes. Visual X-Ray downloads are accessed by the provider’s secure platform.
Our practice stores all personal information securely. Local desktops are password protected and all staff and doctors have their own individual passwords. Personal data is stored securely within the software or SharePoint where different levels of access are allocated depending on job roles.
How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and submit in person or via email and our practice will respond within a reasonable time, generally within 7 days. We prefer to send a copy of your records via medical objects to your new practice, but should you require a paper copy the cost will be between $70-90 depending on size of your medical file. We can send via encrypted email at no cost if you provide consent to do so but this method is not recommended as security cannot be guaranteed.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to [email protected]
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. Our email is [email protected] and our mailing address is 192 Ashmore Road, Benowa 4217. Our Practice Manager will be in contact with you within 48 hours of receiving your complaint.
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Privacy and our website
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information regarding the collection, use, and protection of your data, especially when interacting with us through our practice website, social media, or email.
When you access our practice website or engage with us through social media and email, we may collect personal information such as your name, contact details, and any other information you voluntarily provide. We only collect information necessary for the purpose of providing healthcare services and improving our communication with you.
Our website may use analytics tools and cookies to enhance your browsing experience. These technologies help us analyse website traffic, improve functionality, and tailor content to better meet your needs.
When you engage with us on social media platforms, please be aware that we may collect information from your social media profile, depending on your privacy settings. This information may include your profile name, profile picture, and any public information available on your social media accounts.
Your personal information will not be shared, sold, or disclosed to third parties without your explicit consent, except as required by law. We employ industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, no data transmission or storage system can guarantee 100% security, and users should be aware of potential risks.
You have the right to review, update, or request the deletion of your personal information. If you have any concerns about the information we hold, please contact our practice.
Policy review statement
This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We reserve the right to update or modify this policy to reflect changes in our practices. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. The updated policy will be dated to reflect when the changes were made.