The provision of quality health care requires a doctor-patient relationship of trust and confidentiality. Consistent with our commitment to quality care, this practice has developed a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with privacy legislation.
Contact details
University Medical Centre, M319, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009.
Phone: (08) 6488 2118.
Collection
It is necessary for us to collect personal information from patients and sometimes others associated with their health care in order to attend to their health needs and for associated administrative purposes. Details collected include: full name, date of birth, address, Medicare number or Insurance policy number, contact telephone numbers, email address, emergency contact details, cultural identifiers.
Sensitive information
Health information is 'sensitive information' for the purposes of privacy legislation. This means that generally patients' consent will be sought to collect health information that is necessary to make an accurate medical diagnosis, prescribe appropriate treatment and to be proactive in patient health care.
Use and disclosure
A patient's personal health information is used or disclosed for purposes directly related to their health care and in ways that are consistent with a patient's expectations. In the interests of the highest quality and continuity of health care this may include sharing information with other health care providers who comprise a patient's medical team from time to time. In addition there are circumstances when information has to be disclosed without patient consent, such as in the case of emergency.
Emergency situations
By law, doctors are sometimes required to disclose information for public interest reasons, e.g. mandatory reporting of some communicable diseases.
It may be necessary to disclose information about a patient to fulfil a medical indemnity insurance obligation.
Provision of information to Medicare or private health funds, if relevant, for billing and medical rebate purposes.
In general a patient's health information will not be used for any other purposes without their consent. There are some necessary purposes of collection for which information will be used beyond providing health care, such as professional accreditation, quality assessments, clinical auditing, billing and so forth.
Data quality
All patient information held by this practice relevant to the functions of providing health care will be maintained in a form that is accurate, complete and up to date.
Data security
The storage, use and, where necessary, transfer of personal health information will be undertaken in a secure manner that protects patient privacy. It is necessary for medical practices to keep patient information after a patient's last attendance for as long as is required by law or is prudent having regard to administrative requirements.
Transfer Of Notes
On receipt of a patient signed ‘Release of Medical Records Authority Form’ complete records can be either sent via Secure messaging (MDexchange), CD (encrypted) or printed and sent by Registered mail to the requesting Medical Practice
Openness
This practice has made this and other material available to patients to inform them of our policies on management of personal information. On request this practice will let patients know, generally, what sort of personal information we hold, for what purposes, and how we collect, hold, use and disclose that information.
Access and correction
This Practice takes part in the My Health record program. For further information about this service please visit https://www.myhealthrecord.gov.au.
Patients may request access to their health information to be uploaded onto their personal 'My Health Record'. Where necessary, patients will be given the opportunity to amend any personal information held that is incorrect.
There are some circumstances in which access is restricted, and in these cases reasons for denying access will be explained.
This practice acknowledges the right of children to privacy of their health information. Based on the professional judgement of the doctor and consistent with the law, it might at times be necessary to restrict access to personal health information by parents or guardians. Upon request a patient's health information held by this practice will be made available to another health service provider.
Persons who have access to Medical Records
Clinical staff, including general practitioners, practice nurses and mental health nurses have access to medical records. Administrative staff have limited access to medical records.
Identifiers
These are the numbers, letters or symbols that are used to identify patients with or without the use of 2 name (e.g. Medicare numbers). We will limit the use of identifiers assigned to patients by Commonwealth Government agencies to those uses necessary to fulfil our obligations to those agencies.
Anonymity
A patient has a right to be dealt with anonymously, provided this is lawful and practicable. However, in the medical context this is not likely to be practicable or possible for Medicare and insurance rebate purposes; it could also be dangerous to the patient's health.
Clinical Audit Tool
De-identified patient information is collected by CAT4 audit tool through our clinical management software to support and drive data driven quality improvement in general practice. This software with privacy obligations in accordance with all applicable data protection laws, including the Australian Privacy Principles contained in Schedule 1 to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the “Privacy Act“). We also comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR“) to the extent it applies to the personal data that we collect, hold, disclose and otherwise process (“GDPR Data“).
Transborder data flows
An individual's privacy is protected Australia-wide by privacy laws. We will take steps to protect patient privacy if information is to be sent interstate or outside Australia.
