Current as of: September 2019
Who we are
Our website address is: https://ihealthcentre.com.au.
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.
- When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. This information maybe collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record, uploads/access to Shared Health Summary and/or Event Summary.
- 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.
- 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.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. All our patient records are electronic and all correspondence into our Practice is either received electronically and uploaded into the record or scanned into the patient record. X-rays, Ultrasounds and other radiology images are received electronically, if received in any other format than this is held in a secure box until collected by patient.
Once incoming correspondence is scanned, it is placed within our secure shredding area for disposal.
Our practice stores all personal information securely. We keep health information for a minimum of 7 years from the date of last entry in the patient record (unless the patient is a child in which case the record must be kept until the patient attains, or would have attained, the age of 25 years). We are required to maintain such records under some state and federal laws.
Due to 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 backups are stored securely with encrypted data. Firewalls are installed on our main server and our anti-virus protection is current and up to date.
We require all employees and contractors to observe obligations of confidentiality in the course of their employment/contract. All staff, including independent contractors, are required to sign 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 or by email to our Practice Manager at reception_indo@ihealthcentre.com.au and our practice will respond within 14 days to you (please note there may be an administration fee charged to comply with the request) .
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 the Practice Manager at reception_indo@ihealthcentre.com.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.
Please address any complaints or concerns to:
In writing to:
The Practice Manager, iHealth Centre
Level 5, Indooroopilly Junction
112 Coonan Street
Indooroopilly QLD 4068
By email: reception_indo@ihealthcentre.com.au
By phone: 07 3870 2525
f you feel that your complaint was not able to be resolved at the Practice level, you may contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) by Tel: 133 OHO (133 646); Email: complaints@oho.qld.gov.au; or post to: PO Box 13281 George Street Brisbane Qld 4003.
Privacy and our website
To improve your experience on our website, we may use ‘cookies’. Cookies are an industry standard and 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 we are nor responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. When you go to other websites, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.
iHealth Centre also uses interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. If you choose to “like” or “share” information from our website through these services, you may want to review the privacy policy of that service.
Policy review statement
The Privacy Policy is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure it incorporates and reflects changes within the practice and state and national legislation. Changes to this Policy will be notified to our patients by updating our website version and made available at our Reception.
