The provision of safe and quality osteopathic care is our principal concern. This requires a strong relationship between the osteopath and the patient based on trust and confidentiality.

Your osteopath regards your health information as confidential. Your personal information is handled in accordance with the practice’s privacy policy and is consistent with the National Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988.

You are entitled to know: what personal information is held about you. Personal information may include your full name, DOB, address, contact phone numbers, email address, occupation, emergency contact details and payment details. We may also collect details of conversations we have had with you or any medical tests and results that are relevant. You are entitled to know; how and under what circumstances personal information may be disclosed; when consent is required for these purposes; and how it is stored.

We will discuss these matters with you at the time your health information is collected while           attending this practice.

Clinical records are stored and transmitted securely and safeguarded against loss or damage.

 

Access to your information

You have the right to access your information. You may ask to view the information or ask for a copy of a part or of the whole record. You are not required to give reasons, but you may be asked to clarify the scope of the request.

You can access and/or correct information we hold about you at any time by contacting us. The request will need to be in writing and we reserve the right to charge an administration fee to cover the costs of responding to your request. We encourage you to contact us to keep your Personal Information up to date.

If required by law or where the information may relate to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, we may deny your request for access to your information. We will respond to your request, setting out the reasons for our refusal in writing.

At your request, your health information held by this practice will be made available to another health service provider.

If you find that the information held is not accurate or complete, you may have that information amended accordingly.

Parents/guardians and children

Although this may surprise some parents, privacy laws apply to children as well as adults. Under the Privacy Guidelines, a child’s right to privacy of their health information may at times restrict access by parents/guardians to that same information.

Collection, use and disclosure of your health information

Osteopaths must keep clinical records. It’s a government requirement, and information about your medical and family health history is needed to provide accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment.

We will only seek information that is relevant to your health. This information is generally collected directly from you or otherwise with your consent. However, from time to time we may receive information from others (for example, X-ray images and referrals from other practitioners). When this occurs, we will wherever possible make sure you know we have received this information.

Some information about you may be provided to Medicare or your private health insurer, if relevant, for billing and rebate purposes. This information generally does not include your detailed clinical records but may depend on the terms of your insurance policy.

We may provide health Information to other medical service providers, such as your general practitioner or specialist medical practitioners. We will only supply this information with your consent, or in circumstances where it is required for the delivery of health services, such as referral to another health service provider, billing and liaising with government offices regarding Medicare entitlements and payments, where it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety, or as permitted by law.

There are circumstances where a health practitioner is legally required to disclose information. An example of this is a subpoena or other mandatory reporting requirements.

Generally, workers compensation and traffic accident schemes require patients treated under those schemes to agree their health information can be shared with the scheme and its insurers.

We will not disclose, sell, share or trade your Personal Information to any third parties. 

It is necessary for us to keep your health information for as long as is required by law (generally 7 years after your last consultation, but longer in some circumstances).

We will inform you if we intend to transfer your clinical records to another osteopath or clinic, or if we sell or close this clinic.

Have some questions?

• If you have questions or concerns related to the privacy of your information, you should discuss these with the clinic or your osteopath.
• If you are dissatisfied, contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at 1300 363 992 or access further i