Homedale Health Hub Practice Privacy Policy

Introduction:

This privacy policy is to provide information our patients on how your personal information, (which includes your health information), is collected and used within out practice and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

Your medical record is a confidential document. The term ‘medical record’ refers to many types of health data and includes a patient’s progress notes (handwritten or electronic), referral letters, specialist letters, hospital discharge summaries, pathology and radiology images and reports, other test results, videos, photographs, driver licence medicals, medical certificates and applications for disability certificates and medico-legal reports. It is our policy to maintain the security of your personal health information. Homedale Health Hub abides by the Privacy Act 1988 incorporating 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the relevant health records legislation.

Why and when you consent is necessary.
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GP 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 person information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes:

• 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 to do so or we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

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 providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. The information may be collected through Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions, My Health record uploads/access to Shared Health summaries, and/or Event Summary.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us and 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 a specialist, 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)

Who do we share your personal information with?
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 serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patients consent
• To assist in locating a missing person
• To establish, exercise or defend and equitable claim
• For confidential dispute resolution process
• When there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. Some diseases require mandatory notification)
• During the course of providing medical services, through Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record system (e.g. 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 the 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 of 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.

How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. All patient records are electronic in nature and all correspondence into our practice is scanned into the patient record.

Once incoming correspondence is scanned it is shredded immediately.
Our practice stores all personal information securely. We keep health information for a minimum of 7 years from the date of the last entry in the patient record (unless the patient was a child in which case records must be kept until the patient attains or would have attained 25 years of age.) This is because we are required to maintain such records under some laws.

Because of the sensitive nature of the information collected by us to provide our services, extra precautions are taken to ensure the security of that information. Our electronic files are password protected on several levels, and the computer back up drives are stored securely. We have firewalls installed on our main server and our anti-virus protection is current and up to date.

We require all our employees and contractors to observe obligations of confidentiality during their employment/contract. We require independent contractors to sign a confidentiality undertaking.

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 or by email to our Manager via info@homedalehealthhub.com.au and our practice will aim to respond within 30 days to you. Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up-to -date. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such request in writing to our practice manager on info@homedalehealthhub.com.au

How you can 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. Please address any complaints to:

The Practice Manager
Homedale Health Hub
4 Homedale Street
SPRINGWOOD NSW 2777
info@homedalehealthhub.com.au
(02) 47518784

We will aim to respond to your complaint and/or concern within 14 days to discuss your concerns and endeavour to resolve the matter to your satisfaction.

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 336 002.

Privacy and our website
To improve your experience on our website, we may use cookies. Cookies are an industry standard ad most major websites use them. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences, you may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of our website.

Our website may contain links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. When you go to other websites from here, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.

Homedale Health Hub also uses interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook. If you choose to “like” or “share” information from our website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service.

Policy Review Statement
This Privacy Policy is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it incorporates and reflects any changes within the practice and state and national legislation. Changes to this privacy policy will be notified to our patients by updating our website version, and be available at our Front Reception.