03 8555 1001

Privacy Policy

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 (e.g. staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

  • name(s), 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 through the following:
    • My Health Record, eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.
  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 etc.
  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 Australian Privacy Principles and this policy
  • with other healthcare providers
  • when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. 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 My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so; and, only the necessary health information will be shared. 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.

Clarinda Medical Group uses BP to generate referral letters, ensuring only relevant and necessary medical information is included. Clinicians must review all auto-filled content before sending to maintain accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with RACGP Standards and privacy legislation.

Our practice does not record any Telehealth audio or video consultations.

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 health information?

This practice is bound by the Federal Privacy Act (1988) and the National Privacy Principles and complies with the Victorian Health Records Act (2001).

‘Personal health information’ is a subset of personal information and can include any information collected to provide a health service.

It includes your personal identifying details and the formal medical record whether written or electronic and information held or recorded on any other medium e.g. letter, fax, or electronically or information conveyed verbally.  

For each patient we have an individual patient health record electrically kept in practice medical software containing all clinical information held by our practice relating to that patient. The Practice ensures the protection of all information contained therein. Our patient health records can be accessed by appropriate team members only when required.

The maintenance of privacy requires that any information regarding individual patients, including staff members who may be patients, may not be disclosed either verbally, in writing, in electronic form, by copying either at the Practice or outside it, during or outside work hours, except for strictly authorised use within the patient care context at the Practice or as legally directed.

There are no degrees of privacy.  All patient information is considered private and confidential, even that which is seen or heard and therefore is not to be disclosed to family, friends, staff or others without your approval.  Sometimes details about a person’s medical history or other contextual information such as details of an appointment can identify them, even if no name is attached to that information. This is still considered health information and as such it is protected under the Privacy Act.

Personal health information is kept where staff supervision is easily provided and kept out of view and access by the public. Care is taken so that the public cannot see or access computer screens that display information about other individuals.

Practice computers and servers comply with the RACGP computer security checklist and we have a sound back up system and a contingency plan to protect the practice from loss of data. 

Members of the practice team have different levels of access to patient health information. To protect the security of health information, GPs and other practice staff do not give their computer passwords to others in the team.

Computer Information Privacy Policy

Our practice has systems in place to protect the privacy, security, quality and integrity of the data held electronically.  Doctors and staff are trained in computer use and our security policies and procedures and updated when changes occur.

A staff member (the Practice Manager) oversees the maintenance of our computer security and our electronic systems.

All clinical staff have access to a computer to document clinical care. For medico-legal reasons, and to provide evidence of items billed in the event of a Medicare audit, staff, especially nurses, always log in under their own passwords to document care activities they have undertaken.

Our practice ensures that our practice computers and servers comply with the RACGP computer security checklist and that:

  • Computers are only accessible via individual password access to those in the practice team who have appropriate levels of authorisation
  • Computers have screensavers or other automated privacy protection devices are enabled to prevent unauthorised access to computers
  • Servers are backed up and checked at frequent intervals, consistent with a documented business continuity plan
  • Back up information is stored in a secure offsite environment.
  • Computers are protected by antivirus software that is installed and updated regularly
  • Computers connected to the internet are protected by appropriate hardware/software firewalls.
  • We have a business continuity plan that has been developed, tested and documented.
  • Electronic data transmission of patient health information from our practice is in a secure format.

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. A Request for Personal Health Information form is completed to ensure correct processing.

Once completed a record of the request is logged in the Access Register and the form filed/scanned in the patient record.

Time Frames for Acknowledge request – within 14 days.  

Complete the request – within 30 days.

Fees: $50 for material and administration cost   

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: Kevin Shi (ken.s@clarindamedical.com.au)

How can you lodge privacy-related complaints, 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.

Please write to:

Kevin Shi Practice Manager  

Clarinda Medical Centre

1180 Centre Road,

Clarinda VIC 3169

Phone: 03 8555 1001

(admin@clarindamedical.com.au)

The practice manager will send an acknowledgment letter within 7 days upon receiving your complaint.

The practice manager will investigate and respond to your complaint within 21 days.

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.

Policy review statement

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur.