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Healthlink Family Medical Centre Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

The Privacy policy template for general practices is intended for use as a guide of a general nature only and may or may not be relevant to particular practices or circumstances. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has used its best endeavours to ensure the template is adapted for general practice to address current and anticipated future privacy requirements. Persons adopting or implementing its procedures or recommendations should exercise their own independent skill or judgement, or seek appropriate professional advice. While the template is directed to general practice, it does not ensure compliance with any privacy laws, and cannot of itself guarantee discharge of the duty of care owed to patients. Accordingly, the RACGP disclaims all liability (including negligence) to any users of the information contained in this template for any loss or damage (consequential or otherwise), cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of reliance on the template in any manner.

Introduction

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 (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.

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.

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.
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, 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, My Health Record (eg 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. Such as electronically and paper records. Our practice stores all personal information securely. This includes password protected and stored in locked filing cabinets. All staff members are bound via a confidentiality agreement. 

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 our practice will respond within a reasonable time of 30 days. Our Practice provides a health summary free of charge. However for requests of extensive records an administration fee of $0.32 per page.

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 appointments@healthlink.net.au

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.

email: appointments@healthlink.net.au

Address: 533 Ross River Road, CRANBROOK, QLD, 4814

Ph: 0747 733 93310

You may also contact the OAIC or OHO. 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.

Office of the Health Ombudsman, Telephone 133 646, Email info@oho.qld.gov.au

GPO Box 13281 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4001

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. When changes are made they will be displayed on the website and at our reception.

Privacy Policy

This policy statement has been prepared to help this pharmacy ('us” / “we') to comply with our privacy obligations underthe National Privacy Principles for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and to inform you about your privacy rights.

About the information we hold:

To help meet your health care needs via our digital services we may hold and use records, including your name, email, phone number and address details or other information that you supply us. This personal information will be used only for the purposes of meeting your health care and consumer needs. Under certain circumstances we may need to collect additional information (such as health information) from third parties. We will only collect this information with your consent where it is required by law or where the collection is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health and we have not been able to contact you to obtain your consent.  You need to be aware that if you do not provide us with certain information about yourself, in some circumstances we may be unable to provide a service that you require.

Our Disclosure and Information Practices:

The personal information we hold is stored in a secure manner. We may outsource some internal functions, for example, data warehousing or hosting of servers, to third party contractors (who may be located in other countries). We may need to disclose personal information to those third-party providers for the service of your needs.

Communication Practices:

If you have chosen to receive our newsletter or to receive information about other goods or services offered by us, we will give you the opportunity to opt out from receiving further information when we send such communications to you. If at any time you wish to opt out from receiving marketing communications from us, please contact us or change your subscription status with use. Subject to certain limited exceptions permitted by law you may access your personal information that we hold about you. If you wish to access the personal information that we hold, or if you wish to raise a concern withus about the manner in which we have used, handled or disclosed your personal information, then please contact us.  

Our Privacy Policy

Management of your Personal Health Information

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain privacy and security of personal health information at all times. This practice will not disclose your personal health information to third parties unless you have consented to this disclosure; or this disclosure is necessary because you are at risk of harm without treatment and you are unable to give consent.

Personal Health Information and your Medical Record, may be collected, used and disclosed for the following reasons:

1) For communicating relevant information with other treating doctors, specialists or allied health professionals
2) For follow up reminder/recall notices,
3) Accounting/Medicare/health insurance procedures
4) Quality Assurance activities such as accreditation,
5) For disease notification as required by law, (e.g. infectious diseases)
6) For use by all doctors in this group practice when consulting with you,
7) For legal related disclosure as required by a court of law (e.g. subpoena, court order, suspected child abuse)
8) For research purposes (de identified).

If you have any concerns about your personal health information please discuss these with your doctor. This practice adheres to principles of the RACGP Handbook for the Management of Health Information in Private Medical Practice and has a written policy, which is available to all patients for inspection.

Complaints

Your health is our primary concern and we aim to provide the best possible treatment and service to you. However, there may be occasions where you are not satisfied with your treatment at our practice. If this is the case, please set out your concerns in writing to the practice manager. The matter will be reviewed and discussed with you as necessary. 

If you are unable to obtain a satisfactory response, you may contact the government health watchdog for Queensland as follows:

Office of the Health Ombudsman:
GPO Box 13281 George Street
Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone 133 646
Email info@oho.qld.gov.au
Facsimile (07) 3319 6350

Complaints

If your patients have a complaint about your service, this is the process:

• ​Put it in writing
• The GP will reply

If you are unable to obtain a satisfactory response, you may contact the government health watchdog for Queensland as follows:

Office of the Health Ombudsman:
GPO Box 13281 George Street
Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone 133 646

Website:  https://www.oho.qld.gov.au/

Management of your Personal Health Information

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain privacy and security of personal health information at all times. This practice will not disclose your personal health information to third parties unless you have consented to this disclosure; or this disclosure is necessary because you are at risk of harm without treatment and you are unable to give consent.

Personal Health Information and your Medical Record, may be collected, used and disclosed for the following reasons:

1) For communicating relevant information with other treating doctors, specialists or allied health professionals
2) For follow up reminder/recall notices,
3) Accounting/Medicare/health insurance procedures
4) Quality Assurance activities such as accreditation,
5) For disease notification as required by law, (e.g. infectious diseases)
6) For use by all doctors in this group practice when consulting with you,
7) For legal related disclosure as required by a court of law (e.g. subpoena, court order, suspected child abuse)
8) For research purposes (de identified).

If you have any concerns about your personal health information please discuss these with your doctor. This practice adheres to principles of the RACGP Handbook for the Management of Health Information in Private Medical Practice and has a written policy, which is available to all patients for inspection.

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