Red Tree Practice 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 Doctors 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. We ask all staff to provide consent for obtaining additional information from authorised third parties, at the time you register as a patient with us.
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 business processes (e.g. 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.
• Additional third-parties you have authorised our Doctors and staff to communicate with, to assist with diagnosis and treatment.
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, or telephone us.
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 (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 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 services directly to you without your expressed consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. We use a hybrid system of both electronic and paper-based file keeping systems.
Our practice stores all personal information securely. We ensure staff have appropriate levels of access.
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, with signature, via hard copy or via email, and our practice will respond within a reasonable time (i.e. 30 days). It is the responsibility of our clinicians for provisioning and actioning individual requests, on a case by case basis.
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
Suite 3, Level 10, 100 William Street
WOOLLOOMOOLOO NSW 2011
or email to privacy@redtreepractice.com.au
It is our policy not to pass on any personal information that you may have provided to us unless we have your express consent to do so, with exception to where we may be required by law to disclose certain information.
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.
Practice Manager
Suite 3, Level 10, 100 William Street
WOOLLOOMOOLOO NSW 2011
or email to privacy@redtreepractice.com.au
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 have a website which is used for providing patients with information about our practice and its services. Our website provides a platform to provide comments or enquiries, general in nature, to our practice admin team for response. The data that is entered into this online form is stored on our hosting provider and Internet Service Provider (ISP).
When you visit our website, our Internet Service Provider/Hosting Provider, will record your server address, domain name, the date and time of your visit to our site, the pages viewed and the information downloaded. This information is used for statistical and web site development purposes only.
This site uses cookies as a part of our interaction with your browser. A cookie is a small amount of information stored on your computer by our website. Most browsers have cookies enabled by default. If you don’t want to enable cookies, you’ll still be able to browse the site.
If you wish to disable all cookies, you can usually opt-out by setting your browser to remove or reject browser cookies.
Policy review statement
We intend to review our privacy policy regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. Changes to these policies will be updated on our website, or in hard copy form, in our practice.