Health Hub Doctors Morayfield – Privacy Policy

The purpose of this privacy policy is to outline how Health Hub Doctors Morayfield complies with its confidentiality and privacy obligations.

Collection, Use & Disclosure

We recognise that the information we collect is often of a highly sensitive nature and as an organisation we have adopted the highest privacy compliance standards relevant to ensure personal information is protected.

We are a service company to the practitioners who provide services at out practice.  For administrative and billing purposes, and to enable the patient to be attended by other practitioners in our practice, patient information is shared between the practitioners who attend a patient.

We (on behalf of) and the practitioners may collect personal information (including health information) regarding patients for the purpose of providing medical services and treatment to patients.  Personal information collected will generally include: the patient’s name, address, telephone number, and medicare number; health care fund; current drugs or treatments used by the patient; previous and current medical history, including where clinically relevant a family medical history, and the name of any health service provider or medical specialist to whom the patient is referred, copies of any letters of referrals and copies of any reports back.

We may access information:

• Provided directly by the patient;
• Provided on the patient’s behalf with the patient’s consent;
• From a health service provider who refers the patient to medical practitioners
• From health serviceprovider5s to whom patients are referred.

Personal information collected by us may be used or disclosed:

• For the purpose the patient was advised of at the time of collection of the information by us;
• As required for the delivery of the health service to the patients;
• As required for the ordinary operation of our services (i.e. to refer the patient to a medical specialist or other health service provider);
• As required under compulsion of law; or
• Where there is a serious and imminent threat to an individual’s life, health, or safety; or
• A serious threat to public health or public safety.

Other than as described in this Policy or permitted under the national Privacy Act, Health Hub Doctors Morayfield uses its reasonable endeavours to ensure that identifying information is not disclosed to any person.

We keep health information indefinitely on secure computer drives.

Because of the sensitive nature of the information collected by us to provide services, extra precautions are taken to ensure the security of that information.  Our electronic files are password protected on several levels, and the computer backup drives are stored securely offsite.

We require all employees and contractors to observe the obligations of confidentiality during their employment/contract.  We require independent contractors to sign a confidentiality undertaking.

Practitioners who provide services at our practice may refer patients to the following services:

• Pathology services
• Radiology services
• Public hospitals
• Private hospitals
• Day procedure units
• Allied health services – specialist medical practitioners and other health providers involved in the relevant patient’s care which may include surgeons, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, audiologists, podiatrists and the ambulance service.

Secondary purposes which are directly related to the primary purpose of collection for which we may use or disclose personal information may be for quality assurance, training, billing, liaising with government offices regarding Medicare entitlements and payments and as may be required by our insurers.

We also collect information about the medical practitioners who provide services at our practice.  This information is collected directly from or with the agreement of the medical practitioner.  This information includes the name, address, qualifications and experience of the medical practitioner.

Accessing your information, complaints and obtaining further information

If an individual wishes to:

• Complain to us about a breach of privacy; or
• Access his or her own information held by us; or
• Correct any information held by us concerning his or her own information; or
• Find out more about how we deal with personal information, that individual can contact:

The Practice Manager

Health Hub Doctors Morayfield

19-31 Dickson Road,

Morayfield Qld  4506