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 (eg staff training).
 

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes:

• 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
   

The above information is kept by the practice within your patient health record which is stored electronically and securely.

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How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice will collect your personal information:

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, we may collect further personal information.

Our practice participates in eHealth services and information may be collected through eScripts, eReferrals and MyHealth Record system eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.

1. We may also collect your personal information when you telephone or fax us or send us an email.

2. 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 Veteran's Affairs
  
  Note: we do not record telehealth or Audio visual consultations
   

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 eScripts , eReferrals and  MyHealth Record system (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
   

Only people that 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.
 

The doctors of this practice are mindful that only relevant medical information should be included in your referral letters to specialists and allied health professionals. It is the policy of this practice that doctors ask patients to review and approve the automatically generated health summary within their referral.

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 provide de-identified data to our local Primary Health Network through POLAR software 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.

Our practice stores information as electronic records, as visual records (X-rays, CT scans and photos) and as paper records.

Our practice stores all personal information securely.

We securely store and protect personal information, eg electronic format - in protected information systems and hard copy format - in a secured environment. All information is secure and protected by the use of passwords, secure cabinets, confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors.