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.
Current as of: 1 March 2023
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, including your personal details and a full medical history, to provide quality healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. The purposes for use and disclosure directly related to the management of your health include:
- Disclosure to others involved in your healthcare, including treating doctors and specialists outside this medical practice. This may occur through referral to other doctors or allied health practitioners, or for medical tests and in the reports or results returned to us following the referrals.
- For use when seeking treatment by other doctors in this practice
- Follow-up reminder/recall notices for treatment and preventative healthcare, frequently issued by SMS.
- Accreditation and quality assurance activities to improve individual and community health care and practice management.
- For legal related disclosure as required by a court of law.
- To comply with any legislative or regulatory requirements, eg notifiable diseases.
- Administrative purposes in the operation of our general practice.
- Billing purposes, including compliance with Medicare requirements
- To allow medical students and staff to participate in medical training/teaching using only deidentified information.
At all times we are required to ensure your details are treated with the utmost confidentiality. Your records are very important and we will take all steps necessary to ensure they remain confidential.
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, pension and similar card number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
- healthcare identifiers
- health fund details
- My Health record (where available)
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.
- Notes from consultations and data collected from observations and conversations with you.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. For example, through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), Health Professional Online Services, and My Health Record.
- 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 (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, through eTP, and 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 other than reminders about preventative care related to your health. You may opt in to the reminder service. 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?
Our practice stores all personal information securely. Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms, including
- paper records
- electronic records, Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (My Health)
- visual x-rays, CT scans, videos and photos
- audio recordings.
Most of the patient information is retained in electronic format only protected by password access. While our records are computer based, there are occasions where documentation is retained in writing. For example, original procedure or other consent forms, new patient registrations forms, and some documentation relating to billing. These documents are removed from the premises monthly and stored securely off site for a period of seven years. While being stored access is limited to authorised staff. All staff and contractors enter into confidentiality agreement. We engage a professional documentation disposal company to dispose of documentation containing personal information and personal identifying details. We also engage the services of a professional IT company to assist with data and system protection as well as securely backing up electronic data.
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 together with a copy of government issued identification and Medicare card (if you do not have these documents, please contact the practice to discuss) and our practice will respond within a reasonable time usually 30 days. If the information needs to be copied to disc and posted, a fee of $50 incl GST will be charged for complying with the request.
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 Practice Manager, Copacabana Medical Centre, Shops 3 & 5, 202-204 Del Monte Place, Copacabana NSW 2251 or send via facsimile to 02 4311 2611.
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. Concerns should be made in writing to practice manager, Copacabana Medical Centre, Shops 3 & 5, 202-204 Del Monte Place, Copacabana NSW 2251. Alternatively, you may wish to call to discuss on 02 4381 1576. We endeavour to respond within a reasonable timeframe usually 30 days. If a response takes longer, we will contact you to advise you of the delay.
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 do not interact with patients via social media or collect information or feedback from our website in order to protect patient privacy. We ask patients not to use email to correspond with us about health related matters.
Policy review statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes. A copy of the privacy policy as current from time to time will be available at reception. The current version and date is specified at the top of the policy.