Dr David Oehme - Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon Privacy Policy
Introduction
This policy explains how the practice collects, uses and holds patients’ [your] personal information including health information and how we may share the information with third parties, applying the requirements of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 and Victoria’s Health Records Act 2001 and the privacy principles they contain.
Patient Consent
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our doctors and other practice staff to collect and use your personal information so that we can provide you with the best possible healthcare. 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 ask for your consent to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
We collect, use, hold and share your personal information in order to provide healthcare services to you.
We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (for example staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
Dealing with us anonymously
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.
How do we collect your personal information?
If it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will only collect your personal information from you.
Whenever we collect your personal information that will be only by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way.
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?
We sometimes share your personal information:
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.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. It will be stored as paper and electronic records and is also likely to be stored as visual records (such as x-rays, CT scans, videos and photos) and audio recordings. Our practice stores all personal information securely.
Paper, visual and audio records are stored in locked cabinets.
Electronic records are stored on our computer system that is password protected. On line communication is protected by security software that guards against misuse and unauthorized access.
Access to our records is on an as needs basis and strictly for the purposes of providing health care to you and for the other limited purposes set out in this policy. Staff employment and third party service provider contracts contain terms defining the limits of their access to our records and committing them to respect and preserve the confidentiality of your information.
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.
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and our practice aims to respond within 30 days but in case within a reasonable time.
We will not charge you for making the request but may charge a fee for complying with your request. For example, if you ask for copies we may bill you for providing them. If we do, the fee we charge will be according to the scale of fees published by the Health Complaints Commissioner from time to time. The Commissioner’s current scale of fees is attached.
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. If you believe the information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or not up to date, you may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing.
To make a request for access to you medical records or to correct your information, you can write to us or send an email to c[email protected] setting out the request or you can let us know by telephone or by visiting the practice and we will provide you with a request form. We will help you complete the form if necessary. When we receive your letter or the completed form we will let you know in writing about any applicable fees and that we have commenced processing your request.
As part of the process we may ask you questions about your request.
At the end of the process we will write to let you know the outcome, with our reasons for any refusal.
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the 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 or email addressed to the practice. We will then discuss your complain with you with the aim of resolving it within 30 days but in any case within a reasonable time.
You may instead contact the agencies responsible for overseeing and administering the privacy laws, including complaining about how we manage your personal information and how we deal with a complaint you may make to us.
Our Contact Details
Mr David Oehme
Email – [email protected]
1800 DO SPINE (1800 367 746) or +61 3 9021 8855
Fax +61 3 9005 2811
Suite B, Level 2, Healy Wing,
41 Victoria Parade
Fitzroy Vic 3065
Australia
Agency contact details
The agencies and their contact details are:
Their websites contain further information about the privacy laws, information privacy principles and your rights in respect of your personal information including complaining about how your information is managed.
Policy review statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We will write to you when the policy changes.
This policy explains how the practice collects, uses and holds patients’ [your] personal information including health information and how we may share the information with third parties, applying the requirements of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 and Victoria’s Health Records Act 2001 and the privacy principles they contain.
Patient Consent
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our doctors and other practice staff to collect and use your personal information so that we can provide you with the best possible healthcare. 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 ask for your consent to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
We collect, use, hold and share your personal information in order to provide healthcare services to you.
We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (for example staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
- Names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
- Medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors and other information of that kind that we consider necessary for the purpose of providing health services to you
- Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
- Healthcare identifiers
- Health fund details.
Dealing with us anonymously
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.
How do we collect your personal information?
If it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will only collect your personal information from you.
Whenever we collect your personal information that will be only by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way.
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
- When you make your first appointment you will need to complete a registration form from which we will collect your personal information.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
- We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
- 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 for reasons that may include your medical condition at the time prevents you from providing it. This may include information from:
- If you have one, your guardian or responsible person
- Other involved healthcare providers, such as general practitioners, 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).
When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?
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 the privacy principles and this policy
- With other healthcare providers
- When it is required or authorised by law (for example 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 Australia’s My Health Record System and accessing a secure online summary of your health information that may be stored there [about this go to https://myhealthrecord.gov.au/internet/mhr/publishing.nsf/Content/home].
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.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. It will be stored as paper and electronic records and is also likely to be stored as visual records (such as x-rays, CT scans, videos and photos) and audio recordings. Our practice stores all personal information securely.
Paper, visual and audio records are stored in locked cabinets.
Electronic records are stored on our computer system that is password protected. On line communication is protected by security software that guards against misuse and unauthorized access.
Access to our records is on an as needs basis and strictly for the purposes of providing health care to you and for the other limited purposes set out in this policy. Staff employment and third party service provider contracts contain terms defining the limits of their access to our records and committing them to respect and preserve the confidentiality of your information.
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.
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and our practice aims to respond within 30 days but in case within a reasonable time.
We will not charge you for making the request but may charge a fee for complying with your request. For example, if you ask for copies we may bill you for providing them. If we do, the fee we charge will be according to the scale of fees published by the Health Complaints Commissioner from time to time. The Commissioner’s current scale of fees is attached.
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. If you believe the information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or not up to date, you may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing.
To make a request for access to you medical records or to correct your information, you can write to us or send an email to c[email protected] setting out the request or you can let us know by telephone or by visiting the practice and we will provide you with a request form. We will help you complete the form if necessary. When we receive your letter or the completed form we will let you know in writing about any applicable fees and that we have commenced processing your request.
As part of the process we may ask you questions about your request.
At the end of the process we will write to let you know the outcome, with our reasons for any refusal.
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the 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 or email addressed to the practice. We will then discuss your complain with you with the aim of resolving it within 30 days but in any case within a reasonable time.
You may instead contact the agencies responsible for overseeing and administering the privacy laws, including complaining about how we manage your personal information and how we deal with a complaint you may make to us.
Our Contact Details
Mr David Oehme
Email – [email protected]
1800 DO SPINE (1800 367 746) or +61 3 9021 8855
Fax +61 3 9005 2811
Suite B, Level 2, Healy Wing,
41 Victoria Parade
Fitzroy Vic 3065
Australia
Agency contact details
The agencies and their contact details are:
- The Office of the Australian Information Privacy Commissioner by visiting www.oaic.gov.au or calling on 1300 363 992
- The Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner by visiting hc.vic.gov.au of calling 1300 582 113.
Their websites contain further information about the privacy laws, information privacy principles and your rights in respect of your personal information including complaining about how your information is managed.
Policy review statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We will write to you when the policy changes.