Privacy Policy
INTRODUCTION
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, a patient of our Contracting Practitioner, 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 at our practice, you provide consent for our Contracting Practitioners and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. 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 (eg 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.
· other treating practitioners
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 and/or your Treating Practitioner may collect your personal information in several different ways.
1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, Contracting Practitioners may collect further personal information.
3. 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.
4. 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, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or other third parties relating to compensable claims (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 (eg 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 (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
· during the course of providing medical services,
· 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.
Contracting Practitioners may use your personal information for marketing goods or services directly to you as per their own privacy policy. Please discuss this directly with your Treating Practitioner. The Practice will not contact you directly for marketing purposes unless you have provided explicit consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
Contracting Practitioners 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.
HOW DO WE STORE AND PROTECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Your personal information will be stored and maintained by your Treating Practitioner, supported by Practice Staff. Please refer to your Practitioner for more information. The Practice does not maintain additional records.
Staff and contractors sign confidentiality agreements and all computers and programmes are password protected.
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 by using our Request for Medical Records form. Your Treating Practitioner is responsible for your records and therefore will responsible for responding for requests to access. Typically this will occur within 30 days. Fees may apply.
Your Treating Practitioner 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 is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to the Business Manager at restandrecovergeelong@gmail.com
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 to the Practice Manager at restandrecovergeelong@gmail.com or via post to 74 Little Myers St, Geelong. The Business Manager can also be contacted by phone on 5222 3044. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. We will notify you of any outcome within 30 days (where practicable to do so)
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give the practice time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
PRIVACY, OUR WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAILS
We may interact with you electronically via our website(s) or social media. Some information may be gathered by third parties operating these channels, for example Facebook (Meta). All information received via electronic channels is treated in accordance with our privacy policy and may be included in the medical record. Channel analytics are reviewed and members of the community who engage with us via those channels may have their profile, email address or interaction history retained.
POLICY REVIEW STATEMENT
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure compliance with current standards.