We are committed to protecting and preserving the privacy rights of our patients.
We collect information from our patients in the course of providing optometry services and products.
We are bound by the Federal Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. This policy sets out how we treat personal information of our patients. It is available to all members, staff and the public, free of charge and further information on our information handling processes is available on request.
We collect(s) and uses personal information of patients to provide eye care and related health care needs. The specific uses to which our Practice puts patients’ personal information include to treat, coordinate and implement care plans for the treatment of eye care or related health care needs and to enable patients to order and purchase goods and services (including through this e-Commerce platform). Generally speaking most personal information is collected from the patient.
The type of information we collect about a patient includes:
At the time of the appointment: name and contact details to make the appointment.
At the time of the consultation: Patient’s name, address, date of birth,
email address, gender, spoken languages, eye disease history including family eye
disease history, other medical or vision-related details (including prescriptions
for lenses), health insurance details, and in some cases financial details including
credit card details. The information collected will be relevant to the clinical
needs of the patient.
In the course of purchasing goods, including through the e-Commerce platform:
Patient’s name, addresses (including residential, billing and delivery addresses),
date of birth, email address, details of prescriptions for lenses, details of credit
card or other payment details.
At times patient information is acquired through a third party, such as Medicare,
Department of Veterans Affairs or a health fund. This information only relates to
eligibility for services provided by those bodies, and is not used except in office,
for third party billing procedures.
We will use personal information to provide an eye care related services or product.
We may disclose personal information about patients to third parties for the purpose
for which that information was collected and also for related purposes that could
reasonably be expected by the patient:
We may disclose the personal information collected from you to:
Clinically relevant patient information may be shared with other relevant health
care practitioners for example, a referral to an ophthalmologist or General Practitioner
with the patients consent.
Patient information may also be used to contact the patient to inform them about
the need for a check-up or practice relocation. A patient may elect not to be contacted
in this matter if they so wish.
Information may also be required to be released to courts, tribunals or regulatory
authorities as agreed or authorised by law. In most cases this will require a court
to order the release of the information, although information may also be released
when the optometrist believes that this is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent
threat to a person’s life, health or safety, or to public health and safety. Some
information, such as the patient’s identity and the type of consultation provided,
may be released in order to allow Medicare benefits to be claimed. Commonwealth
legislation also allows records to be inspected by representatives of the Medicare
Australia in order to investigate whether Medicare benefits have been paid appropriately.
Our Practice is unlikely to disclose or transfer personal information to an overseas
recipient with the exception of such matters that arise in the course of providing
eye care with the consent of the patient or in the course of the patient ordering
goods through the Practice’s e-Commerce platform. We may, for example, seek to purchase
of a specialty optical appliance for a patient that is unavailable in Australia.
The ordering of goods by or on behalf of the patient through the e-commerce platform
may also involve disclosure to an overseas recipient associated with the supply,
delivery and or processing of payment for goods.
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect from patients is accurate, complete and up-to-date. When a patient informs our Practice of any inaccuracy, it will be corrected as soon as possible.
Our Practice will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the information we hold
about a patient is protected from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification
or disclosure.
Records are kept for each patient. The only people who have access to patient records
are the optometrists involved in the care of the patient, and practice staff, who
need access for purposes such as optical dispensing and billing. To the extent necessary
to provide and supply optical goods, third parties associated with the fulfilment
of orders through the Practice’s e-commerce platform may also have access to such
information only as is necessary for that purpose. No unauthorised persons are permitted
to access the records. Practice staff are bound by confidentiality clauses in the
terms of their employment.
Our Practice will also take reasonable steps to destroy information held about a
patient once that information is no longer required, is not contained in a public
record or the Practice is required to maintain under an Australia Law or court order.
Patients may request access to, and ask our Practice to make corrections to, the
personal information that our Practice holds about them.
Our Practice will, on request, provide a patient with access to his or her personal
information, unless there is an exception which applies under relevant privacy laws.
If we refuse to provide access to the information, we will provide reasons for the
refusal and inform the patient of any exceptions relied upon.
A suitable time will be arranged for a viewing, with an optometrist available to
interpret the information, or explain any terms used. A fee may be charged for this
service. A response to a question for access must be provided within a reasonable
time (14 days in ACT; 45 days in Victoria and NSW).
Under some circumstances, the Practice may refuse to provide access to the information
held about a patient. This will only occur where releasing the information would
pose a serious threat to the health of the patient or another person, would unreasonably
impact on the privacy of another person, would interfere in legal investigations
or other proceedings, or would otherwise be illegal.
The physical/electronic record and the intellectual property contained in it remain
the property of the optometrist and/or the practice at all times.
The Practice will not adopt, use or disclose any identifier assigned to a member by a government agency, except where required by law. Medicare numbers will only be used for the purposes of claiming Medicare benefits.
It is a patient’s right to be dealt with anonymously, provided that it is lawful and practicable. Our Practice will try to accommodate this wherever possible. However, it may not be possible for the Practice to provide optimal services without access to a patient’s personal information.
The Practice may transfer or facilitate the transfer of personal information to the extent necessary to enable third parties engaged in the fulfilment of orders made through the Practice’s e-Commerce platform. Some such third parties are located in Australia and others are located in the United Kingdom. We will not transfer data about the patient to a recipient in a foreign country unless the data will receive at least the same level of protection as in Australia, unless the patient gives their permission for the practice to do so.
We will not collect sensitive information about the patient without the patient’s
consent, except where collecting such information is required by law, or where the
patient (or their representative) cannot give consent and the information is needed
to provide a health service to the patient or to reduce a threat to the life or
health of another person.
‘Sensitive information’ is defined as information about a person’s health, their
racial or ethnic origin, their political, religious or philosophical beliefs and
affiliations, their membership in professional or trade associations or unions,
their sexual preferences or practices, or their criminal record.
If a patient wishes to gain access to his or her personal information, make a complaint
about a breach of his or her privacy or have any questions on how his or her personal
information is collected or used, the patient can forward his or her request, complaint
or question to the address at the bottom of the e-Commerce platform.
The Practice will respond to a patient’s request, complaint or question within a
reasonable time (14 days in ACT; 45 days in Victoria).
This Privacy Policy was last updated on 23/03/2015. The Practice may alter or modify it without notice. We will endeavour to notify changes to the policy by displaying a notice at our premises.