Privacy Policy

Ear Nose & Throat Ballarat takes its obligations under the Victorian Health Records Act 2001 and the Commonwealth Privacy Act 2001 seriously and would like to take all reasonable steps in order to comply and protect the privacy of the personal information that we hold. This statement sets out how we intend to do so.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact us on the details below.

Monday :: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Tuesday :: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Wednesday :: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Thursday :: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Friday :: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday :: Closed
Sunday :: Closed

Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties. For further information about this policy please email reception@entballarat.com.au

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our Specialists and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they 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 seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Our practice 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 business processes (e.g. 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
• 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?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
3. 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.
4. 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:

• • your guardian or responsible person
  • other involved healthcare providers, such as other 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 information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. 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 (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

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.

Our practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms, including electronically, visual records, audio recordings and in hard copy.

We will take all reasonable steps to protect the security of the personal information that we hold. This includes appropriate measures to protect electronic data and data stored and generated in hard copy.  We will store your information in protected electronic information systems or in the instance of hard copy in a secured environment.

Treatment of Children

The rights of children to the privacy of their health information, based on the professional judgement of the doctor and consistent with law, might restrict access to the child’s information by parents or guardians.

How are document automation technologies used?

Document automation is where systems use existing data to generate electronic documents relating to medical conditions and healthcare.

The practice uses document automation technologies to create documents such as referrals, which are sent to other healthcare providers. These documents contain only your relevant medical information.

These document automation technologies are used through secure medical software Zedmed.

All users of the medical software have their own unique user credentials and password and can only access information that is relevant to their role in the practice team.

The practice complies with the Australian privacy legislation and APPs to protect your information.

How are Artificial Intelligence (AI) scribes used?

The practice uses an AI scribe tool to support the specialists to take notes during their consultations with you. The AI scribe uses an audio recording of your consultation to generate a clinical note for your health record and to inform your General Practitioner of the outcome of your appointment with the Specialist. The practice AI scribe service is Heidi.

Heidi:

• Is specifically designed for medical practices
• Complies with Australian Privacy Principles
• Will encrypt your information
• Does not share information outside of Australia
• Destroys the audio file once the transcription is complete
• Removes sensitive, personal identifying information as part of the transcription

The practice will only use data from our digital scribe service to provide healthcare to you.

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 to reception@entballarat.com.au  and our practice will respond within a reasonable time (within 30 days). We may at the discretion of Management charge a $50 fee to cover the costs associated with the retrieval of information.  This will be communicated if applicable.

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. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to reception@entballarat.com.au

Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme

Under the Privacy Act, certain breaches of privacy may constitute a notifiable incident which must be reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. As an APP entity, our practice is bound by these obligations, and penalties may apply if our practice does not comply with those duties.

If you are aware of or suspect that there may be an incident which may involve a breach of privacy, please notify the practice manager as a matter of urgency.

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 to reception@entballarat.com.au or addressed to the Practice Manager, 103 Drummond St North, Ballarat. 3350.  We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur.

Disclaimer

Ear Nose & Throat Ballarat takes its obligations under the Victorian Health Records Act 2001 and the Commonwealth Privacy Act 2001 seriously and would like to take all reasonable steps to comply and protect the privacy of the personal information that we hold. This statement sets out how we intend to do so.