Privacy Policy
Purpose
Cygnet Dermatology, (the Practice), is committed to protecting the privacy of patient information. We handle your personal and health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) (referred to as the Privacy Laws).
This Privacy Policy sets the standards by which we collect, use and disclose a patient’s personal and health information, as well as how a patient may access information about them and / or seek the correction of said information. From time to time, we may make changes to our policy, processes and systems for the handling of patients’ personal information. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes. A copy of the Privacy Policy is accessible on the Practice website, or in hard copy from reception staff.
Scope
This policy applies to all personal and health information we collect from future, current and past patients of the Practice.
Policy
All references to ‘you’ are references to a patient or patients of the Practice.
Collection
We collect personal and health information that is necessary and relevant to provide you with medical care and treatment and to manage our medical
practice. Information may be collected by medical and non-medical staff. Wherever practicable we will only collect information from you personally.
However, we may also need to collect information from other sources such as your general practitioner, treating specialists, radiologists, pathologists, hospitals, and other health care providers. In emergency situations we may need to collect information from your relatives or friends. This information
may be shared with others in an emergency to ensure appropriate care.
The information collected may include, but is not limited to, your name, address, date of birth, gender, health information, family medical history,
billing information including Medicare and private health insurance particulars and direct debit details.
Personal and health information may be stored in our electronic medical records system and /or in handwritten hard copy medical records. We are required by law to retain medical records for at least seven years, and in some cases for a longer period.
Use and Disclosure
We will only use or disclose your information for purposes directly related to your care and treatment, or in ways that you would reasonably expect that we
may use it for your ongoing care and treatment. For example, the disclosure of blood test results to other medical practitioners in your treating team or requests for admission with a hospital.
Information may be shared with our service providers including IT and finance/accounting. Such disclosures are limited to the information strictly necessary
for them to discharge their responsibilities. All our service providers are required to comply with the Privacy Laws.
If third parties such as insurers request your information, we will never provide your information without a current signed release from you permitting us to do so unless we are permitted or required to do so by law, for example, in answer to a notice from Medicare, a summons from the Police, subpoenas and notices
to produce from courts and tribunals.
Data Quality and Security
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete, up to date and relevant. For this purpose, our staff may ask you to confirm that your contact details are correct when you attend a consultation.
Please let us know if any of the information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date.
Personal information that we hold is protected by:
– Securing our premises;
– The implementation of IT systems and processes that are maintained by
specialist IT providers;
– the provision of regular training for all staff regarding the Privacy Laws
and our systems and processes.
– Strict confidentiality agreements signed by all practice staff and
contractors.
Should your information be no longer required for your care and treatment, and we are no longer legally required to keep your records, the information will
be destroyed in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of the information.
Access and Correction
You are entitled to request access to your medical records. We require that you put your request in writing, and we will endeavour to respond within a reasonable time. Form available on request.
There may be a reasonable fee for the administrative costs of retrieving and providing you with access to your medical records.
We may decline access to your medical records in certain circumstances. Should we do so, we will always tell you why access has been declined and the
other options available to you.
If you believe that the information we hold about you is not accurate, complete, or up to date, we ask that you discuss this with us or alternatively contact us in writing.
Complaints
If you have a concern or a complaint about how we currently handle your personal and health information, we request that you contact us in writing. Upon receipt of 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 your concern or complaint you may make contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner via the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300-363-992.