Privacy Policy
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to our patients on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within Coolibah Medical Centre and circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of Coolibah Medical Centre you provide consent for our General Practitioners and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff that need to see your personal information in relation to your healthcare will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
Coolibah Medical Centre 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 (e.g. staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
Information we will collect about you includes:
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names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, pronouns
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medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
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Medicare number and Department of Veteran’s Affairs number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
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Healthcare identifiers
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Health fund details
Communicating with us anonymously
You have the right to communicate 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 communicate with identified individuals. Feedback forms and envelopes are available in our waiting room.
How do we collect your personal information?
Coolibah Medical Centre will collect your personal information:
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When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
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During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (eTP), MyHealth Record/PCEHR system will be available in future, however you will need to authorize your doctor to share or upload your information.
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We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us or make an online appointment.
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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:
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your guardian, power of attorney or responsible person
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other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
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Your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veteran's Affairs (as necessary).
Who do we share your personal information with?
We sometimes share your personal information:
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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
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with other healthcare providers
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when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
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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 patient consent
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to assist in locating a missing person
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to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
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for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
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when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
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During the course of providing medical services, through Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (eTP), MyHealth Record/PCEHR system (e.g., via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary), if you have authorised your doctor to do this.
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Only people that 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, Coolibah Medical Centre will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
Patient consent for transfer of health information to other providers or agencies involved in a patient’s healthcare (e.g., treating practitioners and specialists outside this practice) is obtained at a patient’s first visit to our practice through our New Patient Information Form. Once signed, this form is scanned into a patient’s health record and its completion is noted.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that is permitted by law) without your consent.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at Coolibah Medical Centre in various forms including paper or electronic record.
Coolibah Medical Centre stores all personal information securely in electronic format, in protected information systems or in hard copy format in a secure environment. Our computers are all password protected and our doctors, staff and contractors sign confidentiality agreements.
Our practice maintains patient’s privacy. Staff that are authorized to access a patient’s health record all require individual passwords to access medical records. Patient information is stored and destroyed securely.
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.
Coolibah Medical Centre acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing addressed to your Doctor and Coolibah Medical Centre will respond within 30 days. A charge may be deemed appropriate to cover reasonable costs associated with this request.
Coolibah Medical Centre will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where
information is not accurate or up to date. We will ask you to verify your personal information held
by Coolibah Medical Centre is correct and up to date. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing, via phone call or in person to a member of our staff.
You will be asked to provide personal details (name, date of birth, address and phone number) when booking appointments or arriving at our clinic to ensure you have been adequately identified before we begin your healthcare.
How can you lodge a privacy related complaint, and how will a 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 to The Practice Manager, Coolibah Medical Centre, 4/9 Coolibah Drive, Greenwood, WA 6024 or via email manager@coolmed.com.au and we will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure within 30 days.
You may also contact the OAIC (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner). Generally, OAIC will require you to give them time to respond, before they investigate.
For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call OAIC on 1300 336 002 or in writing to The Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO), GPO Box B61, Perth WA 6838 or email mail@hadsco.wa.gov.au. Further information may be found on their website www.hadsco.wa.gov.au.
Policy review statement
Our Privacy Policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with The Privacy Act 1988, Australian Privacy Principles and the office of Australia Information Commissioner (OAIC) 1300 363 922. We will notify patients of any changes to our privacy policy that may occur. The date our Policy was amended will be stated at the bottom of the Privacy Policy. Prior to a patient signing consent to release of their health information, patients are made aware they can request a full copy of our privacy policy.