Privacy Policy

When you register as a patient of this practice, you provide consent for the GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information to facilitate the delivery of healthcare. Access to your personal information is restricted to practice team members who require it for your care. If we ever use your personal information for other purposes, we will obtain additional consent from you.

It is important to us that as our patient, you understand why we collect and use your personal information.

By acknowledging this Privacy Policy you consent to us collecting, holding, using, retaining and disclosing your personal information in the manners described below.

The practice collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal information primarily to manage your health safely and effectively. This includes providing healthcare services, managing medical records, and ensuring accurate billing and payments.

Additionally, we may utilise your information for internal quality and safety improvement processes such as practice audits, accreditation purposes, and staff training to maintain high-quality service standards.

• Names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, emergency contact, next of kin, ethnicity
• Medical information including medical history, medicines, allergies, adverse reactions, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• Healthcare identifier numbers
• Health fund details

You can 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. Hope Island and Homeworld Helensvale Medical Centres will refer patients who choose not to identify themselves to public hospitals, for patient safety and to reduce medico-legal risk.

The OAIC website provides further information in this topic here.

The practice may collect your personal information in several different ways:

• When you make your first appointment, the practice team will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration. 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, including:
  • 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 (if relevant).

While providing medical services, further personal information may be collected via:

• Electronic prescribing
• My Health Record
• Online appointments
• The National Cancer Screening Register
• Australian Immunisation Register

Various types of images may be collected and used, including:

• CCTV footage: Collected from the shopping centre cameras for security and safety purposes
• Photos and medical images: These can be taken using personal devices for medical purposes, following the guidelines outlined in our guide on using personal devices for medical images. The RACGP resource Using personal mobile devices for clinical photos provides further information.

We sometimes share your personal information:

• With third parties 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 (e.g. in referral letters, pathology and imaging requests, smart referrals)
• 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 processes
• When it is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
• When it is provision of medical services, through electronic prescribing, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary), the National Cancer Screening Register, the Australian Immunisation Register, and the MyGPMP tool for care plans and health assessments

Only people who need to access your personal information will be able to do so. Other than providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, the practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We do not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

The practice will not use your personal information for marketing any 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 the practice in writing.

The practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services offered to patients through research, analysis of patient data for quality improvement and for training activities with the practice team.

We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes as allowable under the privacy legislation. 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 de-identified information included.

De-identified data cannot be linked back to individual patients. We use it for;

• Quality Improvement activities at the practice
• Accreditation
• Students and staff to participate in medical training/teaching
• Gold Coast Primary Health Network to inform local health needs and services
• Research purposes

Where identified patient data may be used for these allowable secondary uses, your express consent will be obtained and documented.

At times, general practices are approached by research teams to recruit eligible patients into specific studies which require access to identifiable information. You may be approached by a member of our practice team to participate in research. Researchers will not approach you directly without your express consent having been provided to the practice. If you provide consent, you would then receive specific information on the research project and how your personal health information will be used, at which point you can decide to participate or not participate in the research project.

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 [insert name of clinical software the practice uses].

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. All data, both electronic and paper are stored and managed in accordance with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Privacy and managing health information guidance.

The practice uses an AI scribe tool to support GPs 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.

The GPs use a range of AI scribe tools to draft consultation notes. They review these notes before inserting them into the medical record. These products include Heidi and Lyrebird.

The GPs only use AI scribes that do not share information outside of Australia. The audio file is destroyed once the transcription is complete and the transcription is not saved once the final copy is inserted into the medical record. If the GP chooses to retain a copy of the transcription all sensitive and personal identifying information is removed.

The practice will only use data from our digital scribe service to provide healthcare to you. You can ask your doctor or nurse not to use an AI Scribe if you prefer.

Your personal information may be stored in various forms. These include paper records, electronic records, visual records (e.g., X-rays and photos)

Personal information that we hold is protected by:

• Confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors
• Securing the premises
• Placing extensive security measures across the computer network and monitoring these 24/7
• Placing passwords and varying access levels on databases to limit access and protect electronic information from unauthorised interference, access, modification and disclosure
• Providing locked cabinets and rooms for the storage of physical records

The practice stores all personal information securely.

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.

The practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. This is not the same as just asking for a copy of your records.

The preferred process is that you make an appointment to review your record with your GP. This service is not rebate-able through Medicare and the fee is the same price as a standard consultation. If you are unable to attend the practice, please contact the Practice Manager via email admin@himc.com.au.

The practice will respond to any requests to access or correct your personal information within 28 days of receipt of your written request.

The practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. Sometimes, we will ask you to verify your personal information held by the practice is correct and current. You may request we correct or update your information. To do this please contact the Practice Manager via admin@himc.com.au.

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with the resolution procedure. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the care or service you receive from this practice, please ask for a feedback form, send an email, speak to one of the doctors, the Practice Manager or the reception staff, and we will endeavour to address the problem. If you still have concerns, please submit them in writing to the Practice Manager via the reception email addresses. You will receive a response within 14 days.

Practice Manager
Hope Island and Homeworld Helensvale Medical Centres
10 Santa Barbara Road
Hope Island QLD 4212
Ph: 07 5510 8199 | Email: admin@himc.com.au

If you do not feel we have resolved your issue, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner 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. Alternatively the state contact is:

The Office of the Health Ombudsman
PO Box 13281 George Street
Brisbane QLD 4003
www.oho.qld.gov.au
info@oho.qld.gov.au
Phone: 133OHO (133 646) | Fax: 07 3319 6350

• They will be reflected on the website.
• Significant changes may be communicated directly to patients via email or other means.

Please check the policy periodically for updates. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.