Your privacy at The Doctor House

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.

Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of The Doctor House, you provide consent for our GPs 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?
The Doctor House 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 accreditation, and business processes (eg staff training).

What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, emergency contact, next of kin.
• 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

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.
Those patients who refuse to provide our practice with their correct identity, with corresponding documents, will be required to pay for any and all consultations with the doctors of the practice. Any fees charged will not be able to be submitted to Medicare for a rebate.

How do we collect your personal information?
The Doctor House 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.
• Information can also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record, eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.
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. Please note that due to security concerns we request you do not send your private medical information via email.
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 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 APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (eg 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 eTP, My Health Record (eg 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.
The Doctor House 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.
The Doctor House 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.
We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified, and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. The majority of our records are in electronic format. Any correspondence, received in an alternative method eg: post, are then scanned into your personal records and the paper document is then shredded. X-rays, Ct scans etc are not held by the practice and are the responsibility of the patient. Documented photos are stored in your electronic records. Our practice stores all personal information securely. All electronic patient records, personal information, financial information etc are securely stored using individual passwords, confidentiality agreements for any staff and or contractors entering the premises. This system is maintained both within the practice, and via our IT consultants. Encrypted Back-ups of all data are performed daily and held securely in the event of a fire etc

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.
The Doctor House acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and our practice will respond within a reasonable time. Generally, within 30 days of receipt of the request. 

The Doctor House 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 the Practice Manager at 3 Quincan Close, Yungaburra, QLD, 4884 or by emailing reception@thedoctorhouse.com or by completing a new patient registration form with your new details.

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. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.

Please contact our practices via the following methods:
1. Post: Practice Manager, The Doctor House, 3 Quincan Close, Yungaburra, Qld, 4884

2. Email: reception@thedoctorhouse.com
3. In business hours Ph: 07 4095 2400

Please allow 30 days to receive a response, so our management team can review and respond.
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992
You may also contact The Office of the Health Ombudsman, PO Box 13281 George St, Brisbane. Qld 4003 or phone 133646 or e-mail: complaints@oho.qld.gov.au
Privacy and our website
Our websites https://www.thedoctorhouse.com is available for your convenience.
Due to privacy and security regulations, communication via email is not preferred. No password or encryption creates a risk that your e-mail may be intercepted, and read, by a third party.

We will not be sending any private health information to you in this way without your express written and documented consent, within your health records. By providing us with written consent you are accepting any and all risks associated with communicating via email.

Please note: We do not provide medical advice via e-mail and our website is general advice only. Please see your doctor for any medical advice required. 

The Doctor House Facebook page is utilised as an information and advertising platform to reach our population. Instant messaging services are not utilised on these pages nor will be responded to as this mailbox is unmonitored. All contact with the surgery is to be through email, in person or by phoning the surgery.
Cookies and Pixels: A cookie is a small file placed in your web browser that collects information about your web browsing behaviour. Use of cookies allows a website to tailor its configuration to your needs and preferences. Cookies do not access information stored on your computer or any personal information (e.g. name, address, email address or telephone number). Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but you can choose to reject cookies by changing your browser settings. This may, however, prevent you from taking full advantage of our website. Our website uses cookies to analyse website traffic and help us provide a better website visitor experience. In addition, cookies and pixels may be used to serve relevant ads to website visitors through third party services such as Google and Facebook Adverts. These ads may appear on this website or other websites you visit.
Health Information of Children and Young People under the age of 18 Under common law patients under the age of 18 who are determined to be a mature minor can consent to their own medical treatment. The child or young person must have a “sufficient understanding and intelligence” to enable him or her to fully understand what is proposed as assessed by the general practitioner. As such the general practitioner cannot go against the wishes of a patient if they are a mature minor and it can be a breach of their confidentiality and privacy to discuss their medical care with their parents against their wishes. At The Doctor House, unless otherwise recorded by the general practitioner in the patient’s file/test results, patients aged 14 and over are afforded the individual right of privacy and confidentiality with their medical treatment by staff. To access information/results from a minors file aged 14 and over the minor is requested to sign a consent to release form for their parent which is scanned and recorded in the patient file.

Policy review statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur and will be updated via our website. We will advise our patients via our website or notifications within the practice. Printed hard copies are also available upon request
When this policy is reviewed, updates are required on both The Doctor House website and Facebook page, the policy and procedure manual and for the practice information brochure.

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

The Doctor Hose

3 Quincan Close 

Yungaburra, QLD, 4884

Current as of April 2024

Review date: April 2025

Approved:

Krista Whitford

PRACTICE MANAGER