Eastbrooke Family Medical Privacy Policy

‘We’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to Eastbrooke Medical Centres Pty Limited ACN 130 596 002 and our related businesses and authorised representatives. ‘You’ and ‘your’ refers to individual patients or customers.

Our commitment to protect your privacy

We understand how important it is to protect your personal information.  This document sets out our privacy policy commitment in respect of personal information we hold about you and what we do with that information.

We recognise that any personal information we collect about you will only be used for the purposes we have collected it, or as allowed under the relevant law.  It is important to us that you are confident that any personal information we hold about you will be treated in a way which ensures protection of your personal information.

Our commitment in respect of personal information is to abide by the Australian Privacy Principles for the protection of personal information, as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and any other relevant law.

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 help you to better manage your health and wellbeing. This may include providing you with relevant healthcare information and related services. 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.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information such as through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record, eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.
3. 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. You can view our general privacy policy on our website.
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 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)
• de-identified information may be shared with local health networks for population statistics and aggregate analysis

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.

Direct marketing

From time to time, we may contact you to provide information about other products and services offered by Eastbrooke, our related entities and our business partners that may be of benefit to you and your family. This includes information about your Eastbrooke Family Medical centre. We may contact you via mail, phone, email or SMS. We may share your personal information on a confidential basis with our related entities and third parties engaged by Eastbrooke so that they can offer you products and services. When you become our patient, you consent to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes (as described in this document), unless you have contacted us to withdraw your consent. If you do not wish to receive marketing information, you may at any time decline to receive such information by telephone or by writing to us at privacy@eastbrooke.com.au. If the direct marketing is by email you may also use the unsubscribe function. We will not charge you for giving effect to your request and will take all reasonable steps to meet your request at the earliest possible opportunity.

Please note:  If you have chosen not to receive marketing material from us you may still receive other material from us, such as material in relation to our on-going healthcare relationship with you, your bills, statements and notices that are relevant to the product and services you receive from us.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms including paper records, electronic records, pathology results, visual records such as X-rays, scans, video or photos, and audio recordings.

Our practice stores all personal information securely using password-protected systems with regular backup. We maintain physical security controls around access to the premises and systems. We utilize CCTV in public areas for the safety of our patients and staff.

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 that you may request access to your own medical records from time to time. You will not be charged for making this request, you will only be charged the costs of complying with the request such as photocopying costs. Costs may vary from centre to centre, so please contact your relevant Eastbrooke Medical Centre in relation to exact costings.

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 of your local Eastbrooke Medical Centre (please see ‘Locations’ tab on www.eastbrookemedical.com.au for location address of your relevant practice).

Privacy and our website

When you visit our website, or download information from it, the following information is recorded: your internet address, domain name if applicable, the date and time of the visit, the pages you have accessed and documents downloaded, the previous website you have visited and the type of browser you are using. This information is only used for statistical and website development purposes.

We use cookies to improve the functionality of our website, and to remember user preferences when people return. We make limited use of cookies on our website.

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 send all requests to “The Practice Manager” of your local Eastbrooke Medical Centre or to privacy@eastbrooke.com.au with your practice location noted in the subject line.

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.

Policy review statement

This policy will be reviewed by Eastbrooke Medical Centres/Eastbrooke Family Clinics Management on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles. When an update of this policy is needed, an updated version will be published on the Eastbrooke Medical Centres website (www.eastbrookemedical.com.au) as well as being displayed at the Eastbrooke Medical Centre/Eastbrooke Family Clinic which you attend. Medical Centre staff will also place a notice up to advise patients of the update to this policy.

 

Updated November 2019