GLENGARRY MEDICAL GROUP

Glengarry Medical Group

Current as of: November 2018

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.

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 (see page 4 of our New Patient Information Form.) 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.

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).

The information we will collect about you includes your:
• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, next of kin and emergency contacts
• 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 (not compulsory)

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. See also page 4 of our New Patient Information Form.
Feedback forms and envelopes are available in the waiting room.

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. Glengarry Medical Group participates in My Health Record.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website or make an online appointment.
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).

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) if you have requested and authorised your Doctor to do this.
• De-identified data will be shared during participation in strictly controlled studies.
• 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.

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms.
Our Practice stores all personal information securely in electronic format, in protected information systems with up-to-date virus protection. Any hard copy format information is in a secured environment. Our computers are all password protected and our Doctors, staff and contractors sign confidentiality agreements.
Glengarry Medical Group has a physical layout that means that members of the public cannot view patient health information ie privacy screens on reception computers, laminated private and confidential sheets. Computer screens are locked when members of staff move away from their workstation.

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 your request in writing, addressed to your Doctor. Our Practice will respond within 30 working days. A charge may be deemed appropriate to cover reasonable costs associated with complying with this 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 at Unit 2, 57 Arnisdale Road, Duncraig WA 6023.

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to The Principal, Glengarry Medical Group, Unit 2, 57 Arnisdale Road, Duncraig WA 6023. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.

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 363 992. You can email the OAIC at enquiries@oaic.gov.au

We do not communicate via email unless the circumstances are exceptional and no other form of communication is available. When this is the case, we require the specific written or verbal consent of our patient stating that they understand the risks of a privacy breach as email is not considered a secure form of communication.

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. A sign in the waiting room states the date our Privacy Policy was amended.