Privacy Policy

  1. Introduction

Our practice is committed to best practice in relation to the management of information we collect. This practice has developed a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (‘the Privacy Act’).  Our policy is to inform you of:

  • the kinds of information that we collect and hold, which, as a medical practice, is likely to be ‘health information’ for the purposes of the Privacy Act;
  • how we collect and hold personal information;
  • the purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information;
  • how you may access your personal information and seek the correction of that information;
  • how you may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with such a complaint;
  • whether we are likely to disclose personal information to overseas recipients;
  1. What kinds of personal information do we collect?

The type of information we may collect and hold includes:

  • Your name, address, date of birth, email and contact details
  • Medicare number , DVA number and other government identifiers, although we will not use these for the purposes of identifying you in our practice
  • Other health information about you, including:
    • notes of your symptoms or diagnosis and the treatment given to you
    • your specialist reports and test results
    • your appointment and billing details
    • your prescriptions and other pharmaceutical purchases
    • your dental records
    • your genetic information
    • your healthcare identifier 
    • any other information about your race, sexuality or religion, when collected by a health service provider.

 

  1. How do we collect and hold personal information?

We will generally collect personal information:

  • from you directly when you provide your details to us. This might be via a face to face discussion, telephone conversation, registration form or online form
  • from a person responsible for you
  • from third parties where the Privacy Act or other law allows it – this may include, but is not limited to:  other members of your treating team, diagnostic centres, specialists, hospitals, the My Health Record system, electronic prescription services, Medicare, your health insurer, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
  1. Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

  • to provide health services to you
  • to communicate with you in relation to the health service being provided to you 
  • In accordance with our commitment to keep you informed and engaged with our services and offerings, Perth Home GP may, from time to time, send you communications regarding our latest news, updates, and promotions that we believe may be of interest to you. These communications are part of our direct marketing efforts aimed at enhancing your experience with our practice.  We understand and respect your privacy rights. Therefore, while we do not require your explicit consent to send you these communications, we want to ensure you have full control over the information you receive from us. You have the right to opt out of receiving direct marketing communications from us at any point. If you decide you no longer wish to receive these updates, you can opt out of our mailing lists, simply by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of any of our emails.  Please note that opting out of direct marketing communications does not preclude us from sending you important informational or transactional messages related to your care, appointments, or any other services you have requested from us. 
  • to comply with our legal obligations, including, but not limited to, mandatory notification of communicable diseases or mandatory reporting under applicable child protection legislation. 
  • to help us manage our accounts and administrative services, including billing, arrangements with health funds, pursuing unpaid accounts, management of our IT systems
  • for consultations with other doctors and allied health professional involved in your healthcare; 
  • to obtain, analyse and discuss test results from diagnostic and pathology laboratories
  • for identification and insurance claiming 
  • If you have a My Health Record, to upload your personal information to, and download your personal information from, the My Health Record system.
  • Information can also be disclosed through an electronic transfer of prescriptions service. 
  • To liaise with your health fund, government and regulatory bodies such as Medicare, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) (if you make a privacy complaint to the OAIC), as necessary.
  1. How can you access and correct your personal information?

You have a right to seek access to, and correction of the personal information which we hold about you. 

For details on how to access and correct your health record, please contact our practice as noted below under ‘Contact Details’: 

We will normally respond to your request within 30 days. 

  1. How do we hold your personal information?

Our staff are trained and required to respect and protect your privacy. We take reasonable steps to protect information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This includes:

  • Holding information on an secure encrypted database within our Practice Management System
  • Holding information within secure encrypted Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant cloud storage
  • Our staff signing confidentiality agreements
  • Our practice employing two-factor authentication (2FA) for accessing our online services
  1. Privacy related questions and complaints 

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or the handling of your personal information by us, you may lodge your complaint in writing to Perth Home GP, PO Box 420, Cottesloe, WA 6011.  We will normally respond to your request within 30 days. 

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the OAIC:

Phone: 1300 363 992

Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

Fax: +61 2 9284 9666

Post: GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 2001

Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/individuals/how-do-i-make-a-privacy-complaint

  1. Anonymity and pseudonyms

The Privacy Act provides that individuals must have the option of not identifying themselves, or of using a pseudonym, when dealing with our practice, except in certain circumstances, such as where it is impracticable for us to deal with you if you have not identified yourself.

 

  1. Overseas disclosure.

We may disclose your personal information to the following overseas recipients:

  • Any practice or individual who assists us in providing services (such as where you have come from overseas and had your health record transferred from overseas or have treatment continuing from an overseas provider) 
  • Overseas transcription reception services
  • Anyone else to whom you authorise us to disclose it
  • Telephony services that facilitate phone conversations with the practice and SMS communications
  • Payment systems operators, such as Square or Stripe;

 

  1. Updates to this Policy

This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and other necessary developments. Updates will be publicised on the practice’s website. 

 

  1. Online Privacy and Information Collection Clause

At Perth Home GP, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This commitment extends to the information we collect about you through our website, during your interactions with us on social media platforms, via email, and through other online services we provide.

Information Collection on Our Website: When you visit our website, we may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, such as your name, contact details, and any other information you may submit through contact forms or online services. This information is collected to enable us to respond to your inquiries, provide you with requested services, and enhance your experience with our practice.

Social Media and Email Interactions: If you choose to interact with us through social media or by sending us emails, we may collect the information you provide through these communications. This includes messages or comments you make on our social media pages and emails you send to us. We use this information to directly respond to your queries, to provide you with the services you have requested, and to communicate with you about relevant practice information.

Website Analytics and Cookies: Our website uses analytics services and cookies to help us understand how visitors use our site, improve our services, and provide a better user experience. Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your device which help us track user engagement and effectiveness of our online content. Information collected via cookies may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, and other usage data about your interaction with our website.

Your Control Over Your Information: You have the right to choose whether or not to accept cookies by adjusting your browser settings. Please be aware that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website and the services we offer. Additionally, we provide you with the option to opt-out of our use of your personal information for certain purposes, such as direct marketing or research.

 

  1. Contact details for privacy related issues

Please contact manager@perthhomegp.com.au or phone 1300 815 321 for any privacy related issues.

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