Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Our practice is committed to best practice in relation to the management of information we collect. This practice has developed a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988

Our policy is to inform you of:

The kinds of information that we collect and hold, which, as a Specialist practice, is likely to be ‘health information’ for the purposes of the Privacy Act;
How we collect and hold personal information;
The purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information;
How you may access your personal information and seek the correction of that information;
How you may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with such a complaint;

2. What kinds of personal information do we collect?

The type of information we may collect and hold includes:

Your name, address, date of birth, email and contact details
Medicare number , DVA number and Private Health fund information.
Other health information about you, including:
- Notes of your symptoms or diagnosis and the treatment given to you
- Your specialist reports and test results
- Your appointment and billing details (we do not store bank account details)
- Your prescriptions prescribed by our surgeons.
- Your healthcare identifier
- Any other information about your race, sex or religion, to assist us with providing respectful care, based on your background and beliefs.

3. How do we collect and hold personal information?

We will generally collect personal information:

From you directly when you provide your details to us. This might be via a face to face discussion, telephone conversation, registration form, online form or via SMS form.
During your consultation, the surgeon may use an AI scribe application. Depending on the application, it will listen and transcribe the information into your file. This information will also be used to create updates and correspondence to your referring doctor.
From a person responsible for you
From third parties where the Privacy Act or other law allows it – this may include, but is not limited to: other members of your treating team, diagnostic centres, specialists, hospitals, the My Health Record system, electronic prescription services, Medicare and your health insurer.

4. Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

To provide health services to you
To communicate with you in relation to the health service being provided to you
To communicate with your referring doctor.
To comply with our legal obligations, including, but not limited to, mandatory notification of communicable diseases or mandatory reporting under applicable child protection legislation.
To help us manage our accounts and administrative services, including billing, arrangements with health funds and pursuing unpaid accounts.
For consultations with other doctors and allied health professional involved in your healthcare;
To obtain, analyse and discuss test results from diagnostic and pathology laboratories
For identification and insurance claiming
If you have a My Health Record, to upload your personal information to, and download your personal information from, the My Health Record system to assist with effective and timely communication with other healthcare providers.
Information can also be disclosed through an electronic transfer of prescriptions service.
To liaise with your health fund, government and regulatory bodies such as Medicare, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) (if you make a privacy complaint to the OAIC), as necessary.

5. How can you access and correct your personal information?

You have a right to seek access to, and correction of the personal information which we hold about you
For details on how to access and correct your health record, please contact our practice as noted below under ‘Contact Details’:

6. How do we hold your personal information?

Our staff are trained and required to respect and protect your privacy. We take reasonable steps to protect information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This includes:

We use cloud based software.
Our software providers comply with Australian standards and the Privacy Act 1988
We use Multi-factor authentication(MFA) to access all patient-based software and email to protect your information and correspondence.
The information we collect on our cloud-based software is stored on encrypted databases
Our staff sign confidentiality agreements
Our staff complete regular training in privacy and confidentiality.
We do not keep paper-based patient files at our practice.
We do not use your personal information for marketing purposes.

7. Privacy related questions and complaints

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or the handling of your personal information by us, you may lodge your complaint in writing to Manager@centralsurgery.com.au or contact the Manager Ph: 73256789

Our team are here to assist you. If you have recommendations and or concerns, please contact us.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the OAIC:

Phone: 1300 363 992
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au
Fax: +61 2 9284 9666
Post: GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/individuals/how-do-i-make-a-privacy-complaint

8. Identification and consent to release of information

To protect your privacy, you must prove your identity and request the release of information in writing. A form will be forwarded to you to complete and return to our office.

If you ask a 3rd party to call on your behalf, please be aware that we will not be able to release information to the 3rd party without your written consent.

Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

2. What kinds of personal information do we collect?

3. How do we collect and hold personal information?

4. Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

5. How can you access and correct your personal information?

6. How do we hold your personal information?

7. Privacy related questions and complaints

8. Identification and consent to release of information

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