Privacy policy: patient information

We are committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and to handling your personal information responsibly, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles and relevant state and territory privacy legislation.

This policy explains how we collect, use and disclose your personal information, how you may access it, how you may seek correction of it, and how to make a complaint about a breach of privacy legislation.

This policy is current from February 2019. We may change our policy, processes and systems from time to time; the current version will be available on this website and at the practice.

Collection

We collect information that is necessary and relevant to providing you with medical care and treatment, and to managing the practice. This may include:

Your name, address, date of birth and contact details
Gender
Health information and family history
Credit card and direct debit details

This may be held on our computerised medical records system, in handwritten records, or both.

Wherever practicable we collect information from you personally. We may also need to collect it from other sources, such as treating specialists, radiologists, pathologists, hospitals and other health care providers.

Information is collected in various ways - over the phone, in writing, in person at the clinic, or online where you transact with us - and may be collected by medical and non-medical staff. In an emergency we may need to collect information from your relatives or friends.

We may be required by law to retain medical records for specified periods, which depend on your age at the time the services were provided.

Use and disclosure

We treat your personal information as strictly private and confidential. We will only use or disclose it for purposes directly related to your care and treatment, or in ways you would reasonably expect in the course of your ongoing care - for example, sending blood test results to your specialist, or requesting imaging.

There are circumstances in which we may be permitted or required by law to disclose your personal information to third parties, including Medicare, police, insurers, solicitors, government regulatory bodies, tribunals, courts, hospitals and debt collection agents.

We may from time to time provide statistical data to third parties for research purposes.

We may disclose information to outside contractors carrying out activities on our behalf - for example an IT service provider, solicitor or debt collection agent. We impose security and confidentiality requirements on how they handle your information, and they are required not to use it for any purpose other than the activities we have asked them to perform.

Data quality and security

We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is accurate, complete, up to date and relevant. Our staff may ask you to confirm your contact details when you attend. Please let us know if any information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date.

Personal information we hold is protected by:

Securing our premises
Passwords and varying access levels on databases, to limit access and protect electronic information from unauthorised interference, access, modification and disclosure
Locked cabinets and rooms for the storage of physical records

Access to your records

You are entitled to request access to your medical records. We ask that you put your request in writing, and we will respond within a reasonable time.

A fee may apply for the administrative cost of retrieving and copying your records.

We may deny access in certain circumstances permitted by law - for example if disclosure would pose a serious threat to your health or safety. If we do, we will always tell you why, and what options you have to respond to that decision.

Correction

If you believe the information we hold about you is not accurate, complete or up to date, please contact us in writing using the details below.

Overseas transfer of data

We will not transfer your personal information to an overseas recipient unless we have your consent, or we are required to do so by law.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about the privacy of your personal information, please contact us in writing. On receiving a complaint we will consider the details and attempt to resolve it in accordance with our complaints handling procedures.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of a complaint, or with the outcome, you may make an application to:

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner - oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992
The privacy commissioner in your state or territory

Concerns about the conduct of a registered health practitioner can be raised separately with AHPRA at ahpra.gov.au, and in Victoria with the Health Complaints Commissioner.

Photographs

Clinical and before-and-after photographs are part of your medical record and are handled under this policy. They are used in advertising only with your informed, documented consent, which you may withdraw. See before and after.

Download

A PDF copy of this policy is available: Privacy policy - patient information (PDF, 164kb).

Contact

Please direct any queries, complaints or requests for access to medical records to:

Me Clinic
4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145
Email: doctors@meclinic.com.au
Phone: 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511