Introduction
This privacy is to provide information to you, our patients, on how your personal information is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
When your consent is necessary & Why?
When you register as a patient in our clinic, you provide consent for our GPs’ & Practice Staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staffs 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 your consent from you.
Reasons Why We Collect Your Personal Information?
Our Practice will need to collect your personal information, to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it directly for financial claims (bulk billing –to Medicare), practice audits and accreditation purposes.
What Personal Information do we collect?
The information we collect includes:
- Name, Date of birth, address, contact details
- Medical information, Medical History, medications, allergies, adverse reactions, immunisation, social history, family history and risk factors
- Medicare number (for bulk billing purposes)
- Health identifiers
How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice will collect your personal information.
- When you make your first appointment you will be required to fill in a new patient form with the consent.
- In some circumstance personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from your directly.
- This may include information from
- Your guardian or responsibility
- Other involved healthcare providers, such as specialist, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services.
- Medicare or Department of veterans affairs
Who do we share your personal information with?
- With third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers. These 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 subpoena).
- When there is a serious threat to a patients life, health and safety or public health and safety or is impractical to obtain the patients consent.
- When there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information. (E.g. some diseases require mandatory notification.)
Only people that need access to 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 your personal information with a third party with our your consent.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms such as electronic records, visual records ( x-rays, CT scan, Videos, Photos) and as audio recording.)
Our practice stores all personal information securely. In electronic format, we use protected information systems which use passwords and firewalls. All staff sign a confidentially agreements.
How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical information. We require you to put this request in writing and addressed to our practice Manager and our practice will respond in 30 days. 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 your to verify your personal information held by our practice is correct.
How you can lodge a privacy complaint & 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. Our management team will address your complaint within 30 days.
Please address to:-
Stellar Medical
Practice Manager
8 Michel St
Lowood QLD 4311
You may also contact the office of Australian information commissioner (OAIC).
Click here to visit the OIAC Website
or Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 336 002
A copy of our privacy policy can be downloaded here :- Privacy policy