Policies & Forms
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Introduction
Why and when your consent is necessary.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
What personal information do we collect?
- 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
How do we collect your personal information?
- When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. This can be through electronic transfer of prescriptions, My Health Record, Australian Immunisation Register (AIR
- 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.
- 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?
- 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 (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, MyHealth 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 optout 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.
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?
- Electronic records
- Paper records
- We use a secure electronic backup server
- Use accredited internet security, firewalls and encryption methods for secure storage
- All staff are required to use individual passwords
- All staff and contractors sign confidentiality agreements
- Secure storage areas such as filing cabinets and storage rooms that are locked
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. This can be via email or handwritten letter notifying reception of your request. Our reception staff will then ask you to fill out and sign an ‘Application and Consent for Medical Records Release Form’. Our practice will then respond within 7 days but can be up to 30 days depending on the details required. There may be photocopying charges for your request, and this can be confirmed with reception staff.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or uptodate. From timetotime, 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 manager via email: buderimadmin@ninoxhealth.com
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. You can contact our complaints manager through one of the following:
- Our Privacy Officer
Email: buderimadmin@ninoxhealth.com
Phone: 07 5453 4404
Address: 6/12-14 King Street. Buderim. QLD 4556 - The Practice Manager
Email: - buderimadmin@ninoxhealth.com
Phone: 07 5453 4404
Address: 6/12-14 King Street. Buderim. QLD 4556
Alternatively, complaints may also be referred to a number of services as set out below:
- Australian Information Commissioner
The Australian Information Commissioner receives complaints under the Act. Complaints can be made in writing using the OAIC Privacy Complaint Form:
http://forms.business.gov.au/smartforms/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=APC_PC&tmFormVersion
or by addressing your own letter to the Australian Information Commissioner at the:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5288
Sydney NSW 2001 - Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
Online: http://www.agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint
Letter: GPO Box 9819
QLD 4000
By phone: 1800 951 822
If you need an interpreter, you can phone the Translating and Interpretation Service on 131 450 and ask them to put you through to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on 1800 951 822.
- For hearing or speech impaired TTY users’ phone 1800 555 677 then ask for 1800 951 822
- For Speak and Listen users’ phone 1800 555 727 then ask for 1800 951 822
- For internet relay users connect to http://internet-relay.nrscall.gov.au/
Privacy and our website
Policy review statement
The goal of the Doctors who operate from Ninox Health on Buderim is to provide
quality health care to patients in a timely manner. No-shows, late arrivals, and
cancellations inconvenience not only to the providers, but other patients as well.
Please be aware of our policy regarding missed appointments.
Appointment Cancellation
How to Cancel Your Appointment
Late Cancellations/No-Shows
In either case, we will charge the patient a $45 no-show or late cancellation fee.
5.2.1 Policy
Our patient scheduling system is flexible enough to accommodate patients with urgent, non-urgent, complex, and planned chronic care, and preventative needs.
The individual preference of our general practitioners or other healthcare providers, such as our nurses, is accommodated and members of the clinical team are consulted about the length and scheduling of appointments.
Patients can request to see their preferred general practitioner or member of the health team.
The length of clinical consultations will vary according to individual patient needs. Our aim is to provide enough time for adequate communication between patients and their practitioners to facilitate preventative care, effective record keeping and patient satisfaction. Patients are encouraged to ask for a longer appointment if they think it is necessary.
Our practice endeavours to accommodate patients with urgent medical matters even when fully booked.
All practice team members are trained to have the skills and knowledge to assist patients in determining the most appropriate length and timing of consultations and to recognise and act accordingly for patients with urgent medical matters.
Where possible, information is provided in advance about the cost of healthcare and the potential for out-of-pocket expenses.
We endeavour to respect patients’ cultural backgrounds and, where possible, meet their needs including providing privacy for patients and others in distress.
5.2.2 Procedure
Generally, no more than six (6) appointments are made for any one (1) hour period and we aim to ensure no appointment is scheduled for less than ten (10) minutes. Patients are advised that one appointment is required for each family member requesting to be seen where more than one family member needs to consult with a general practitioner.
Patients are able to request their preferred general practitioner when making an appointment and our practice team will endeavour to ensure that patients generally see the same practitioner. If patients are unable to obtain an appointment with the general practitioner of their choice, they are advised of the availability of other practitioners they can consult with. A patient can expect to see their practitioner, or an alternative as approved, within two (2) working days.
If a third party is to be present during a consultation/treatment, whether requested by the general practitioner or accompanying the patient, consent from the patient will be obtained prior to the consultation (refer to Section 7.10 – Third party observing or clinically involved in the consultation).
Our practice information sheet outlines the types of consultations that may require a longer consultation and the costs. Patients can readily request a longer time when making an appointment.
Our practice team members have the skills and knowledge to assist in determining the most appropriate length and timing of appointments. Should a longer consultation be requested or is determined by information received from the patient, our team will endeavour to allocate the appropriate time for a longer consultation.
Our practice aims to ensure patients do not wait past their appointment time; however, where patients will likely be waiting more than 30 minutes, we will communicate these delays. Wherever significant delays are expected, we aim to contact patients prior to them attending the practice to advise of the delay.
As a priority, practice team members are vigilant of the need to detect and place requests for urgent care for immediate or timely attention by a general practitioner; our practice accommodates urgent care even if we are fully booked (refer to Section 5.9 – Medical emergencies and urgent queries).
Cancellations and ‘no-shows’ are monitored and marked accordingly in the appointments schedule and these patients are followed up as appropriate. Attempts to contact patients that fail to attend appointments are documented in the patient’s health record.
Appointments made for patients required to attend a recall or periodic medical review are flagged so that if a patient cancels the appointment the practice team are alerted to ensure another appointment time is schedule. If the patient fails to attend the practice for the appointment, the general practitioner is alerted to determine the appropriate action to be
taken (i.e., contacting the patient to arrange a re-scheduled appointment time) (refer to Section 7.7 – Follow up of tests, results, and referrals).
When booking an appointment, our practice team members obtain the patient’s name and correctly identify the patient using three (3) approved identifiers in accordance with Section 7.6 – Patient identification then:
- Determine the urgency of the appointment,
- Determine the length of the appointment required (i.e., does the patient have complex medical or communication needs or multiple health matters they want to discuss?),
- Annotate any appointments made for a periodic review (e.g., blood pressure check) or medical recall (e.g., abnormal pathology result) so follow up procedures can be instigated if the patient does not attend,
- Advise of any potential for additional or out-of-pocket costs associated with longer, urgent or missed consultations,
- If the general practitioner requested is not available at the preferred time, give the nearest available time/day before asking the patient if another general practitioner would be suitable,
- Provide suggested appointment times if needed,
- Record the patient surname and given name in the agreed timeslot for the chosen general practitioner, and
- Verbally re-confirm to the patient their name, scheduled appointment time and general practitioner being seen.
- Inform them of the practice location and parking arrangements,
- Outline consultation costs and payment methods,
- Obtain their contact telephone number/s, address, and other demographics, and
- Ask the patient to bring list of current medications where applicable.
Cancellations and missed appointments.
Patients who do not attend for their scheduled appointment are telephoned to determine if an appointment is still required and if another appointment is to be scheduled. If the patient cannot attend the same day, use computer program instructions to delete the appointment whilst enabling the tracking of the cancellation for medico-legal purposes.
Patients that fail to attend a recall or periodic medical review appointment.
For appointments of significance, it is imperative every attempt is made to contact these patients and that such attempts are documented in the patient’s health record.
In attempting to contact the patient, it is recommended that the telephone calls are made at different times of the day, and should the patient not respond, a follow up letter is sent requesting the patient contact the practice (also refer to Section 7.7 – Follow up of tests, results, and referrals).
Patients in distress
We respectfully manage patients and others in distress by providing privacy through informing the nursing staff and guiding the patient to the treatment room for nursing staff to manage and assess the patient. The doctor will be notified that their patient is waiting in the treatment room.
