Privacy and Legal Information
Introduction
This privacy policy aims to inform you, our patient, about how your personal information (including your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and under what circumstances we may share it with third parties.
Why and When Your Consent is Necessary
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 to deliver the best possible healthcare. Only staff members who need to view your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for any other purpose, we will seek additional consent from you.
Why We Collect, Use, Hold, and Share Your Personal Information
Our practice collects your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. The primary purpose of collecting, using, holding, and sharing your personal information is to manage your health effectively. Additionally, we utilize this information for directly related business activities, including financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and various business processes such as staff training.
What Personal Information Do We Collect?
The information we collect about you includes:
- Names, date of birth, addresses, and contact details
- Medical information, such as medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunizations, 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 engage with us anonymously or under a pseudonym, unless it is impractical for us to accommodate such requests or unless we are obligated or authorized by law to only interact with identified individuals.
How We Collect Your Personal Information
Our practice collects your personal information through various methods:
- Appointment Registration: During your initial appointment registration, our practice staff will gather your personal and demographic information.
- Medical Services: Throughout the provision of medical services, we may collect additional personal information. This can include electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record (e.g., via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary), among other methods.
- Website Interaction and Communication: Your personal information may also be collected when you visit our website, send us emails or SMS messages, contact us by phone, make appointments online, or communicate with us through social media platforms.
- Other Sources: In some cases, personal information may be obtained from other sources, such as your guardian or responsible person, other healthcare providers (including specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services, and pathology and diagnostic imaging services), as well as your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as necessary.
Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information.
- Access Request: Patients may request access to their medical records by putting their request in writing. Specify how your practice will receive such requests. Our practice will respond to these requests within a reasonable timeframe. Insert a reasonable timeframe specific to your practice processes e.g. 30 days. There may be associated fees for providing this information, if applicable. These fees must not be excessive, and patients cannot be charged for making the request—only for the costs of complying with it.
- Correction of Information: Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information if it is found to be inaccurate or not up to date. We may periodically ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You can also request corrections or updates to your information by submitting a written request to insert your specific contact information of practice/practice manager, e.g., an email address.
Lodging a Privacy-Related Complaint
We take privacy complaints and concerns seriously. If you have any privacy concerns, please express them in writing. We will attempt to resolve them in accordance with our resolution procedure. Please send an email to manager@topdoctors.au with the header feedback. We take all your feedback and complaints seriously and we will notify you regarding the outcome in a timely manner.
Policy Review Statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We will notify our patients of any amendments to this policy.
Complaints and Notifications
At TopDoctors, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care and service. Your feedback is essential to helping us improve and ensure a positive experience for everyone we serve.
If you have any complaints or notifications regarding the services you have received, please reach out to our Director directly. We take all feedback seriously and are dedicated to addressing any concerns promptly.
Please email your feedback to our Director at director@topdoctors.au. Rest assured, every notification will be thoroughly reviewed, and you will be updated on the outcome of your concerns.
Thank you for helping us maintain the excellence of our services. Your input is invaluable to us.