Privacy Policy

Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic is committed to providing personalised and friendly experiences to patients, clients, and employees. We respect your privacy and are committed to complying with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) outlined in the Privacy Act 1988. This Privacy Policy outlines the following:

• – The types of information we collect and hold about our patients, clients, suppliers, and prospective patients.
• – How and why we collect this information.
• – What we do with this information and who we share it with (and when).
• – Your right to access and, if required, correct the records we hold about you.
• – Your right to make a privacy complaint to us and others.

Please note that any reference to “we,” “our,” or “us” refers to each member of the Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic.

Scope

This statement discloses our current Privacy Policy. If we make any changes to this policy, they will be announced on our website.

Your personal information will not be shared or disclosed to any party other than what is outlined in this Policy, nor will it be used for any other purpose than what it was originally intended.

Types of Information Collected

Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic collects a range of personal information about its patients, clients, and prospective clientele, including:

• – Name, date of birth, mailing and street address, email address, and contact numbers.
• – Information about your family or relatives or key contact people.
• – Health fund details.
• – Government identifiers such as Medicare number and DVA number, but we do not use these for identifying you in our practice.
• – Other health and information about you, such as a record of your symptoms, relevant medical history, diagnosis, and treatment decisions.
• – Specialist reports, test results, prescriptions, and healthcare identifiers.

Other information for the purpose of providing care to you:

• Occupation and Employer: We collect this information when you provide it directly to us, such as completing the New Patient Form, face-to-face, over the phone, or through an online form. We may also receive it from a person responsible for you.

• Lifestyle and Hobbies: We collect this information when you provide it directly to us, such as completing the New Patient Form, face-to-face, over the phone, or through an online form. We may also receive it from you when you purchase over-the-counter or online products.

How do we collect and hold your personal information?

• – Directly from you: We collect personal information from you when you provide it directly to us, such as completing the New Patient Form, face-to-face, over the phone, or through an online form. We may also receive it from you when you enter a competition or leave your information on a message system.
• – From a person responsible for you: We collect personal information from a person responsible for you when you provide it directly to us.
• – Purchase over-the-counter or online products: We collect personal information when you purchase over-the-counter or online products.
• – Enquiry or complaint: We collect personal information when you make an enquiry or complaint.
• – Incoming call list: We collect personal information from the incoming call list.
• – Third party: We may collect personal information from third parties when we are permitted by law to do so, such as third party government agencies (like the Department of Veteran Affairs and Medicare), private health insurers, solicitors, lawyers, worker’s compensation companies, and medical professionals (such as general practitioners, allied health professionals, and specialists).

Why do we collect and use this information?

– To provide you with the best possible healthcare: We collect personal information that is necessary to provide you with the best possible healthcare. This includes information about your medical history, symptoms, and treatment plan.

To Communicate with You and Others Involved in Your Care: We collect personal information to communicate with you and others involved in your care in relation to those services.

To Maintain a High Level of Quality Customer Service: We collect personal information to maintain a high level of quality customer service.

Examples of Information We Collect:

• – Administrative Purpose in Running Our Clinics: We collect administrative information to run our clinics effectively.
• – Billing Purposes: We collect billing information to ensure that we are invoicing you correctly.
• – Accreditation and Quality Assurance Activities: We collect accreditation and quality assurance information to improve the quality of our healthcare services and practice management.
• – Direct Marketing Purposes: We collect direct marketing information to send you mail and email reminders about our products and services.
• – For the Purposes of Research and Statistical Analysis: We collect research and statistical information to improve our healthcare services and practices.
• – To Comply with Any Legislative or Regulatory Requirements: We collect information to comply with any legislative or regulatory requirements.
• – To Send Communication to You About Our Products and Services: We collect information to send you communication about our products and services.
• – To Advise You If a Clinic Will Be Closing Down, Merging, or Relocating: We collect information to advise you if a clinic will be closing down, merging, or relocating.
• – To Contact You in the Event We Have Received a Special Order: We collect information to contact you in the event we have received a special order.
• – To Update Your Records and Keep Your Contact Details Current: We collect information to update your records and keep your contact details current.

When and Why Might We Share Information About You with Others?

Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic may use personal information for the following purposes:

– To Provide You with the Best

• We utilise your personal information for various legal and business purposes, including:
• – Compliance with legal obligations: This encompasses mandatory reporting under legislation, responding to court orders or subpoenas, and consulting with other healthcare professionals involved in your care, including those outside the Allsports Group.
• – Multidisciplinary treatment: Your information is instrumental in supporting a multidisciplinary treating team.
• – My Health Record access: If you possess a My Health Record, you have the capability to upload and download personal information pertaining to yourself from it.
• – Test results: We provide you with test results from diagnostic and pathology services.
• – Insurance claims: You can utilise your information to make claims on your insurance.
• – Communication with health fund, government, and regulatory bodies: We engage in communication with your health fund, government, and other regulatory bodies, such as Medicare.
• – Account management and administrative services: We utilise your information to manage our accounts and administrative services, including billing, debt recovery, arrangements with health funds, and pursuing unpaid accounts.
• – Patient and client services: We provide products and services to patients and clients, inform them about upcoming promotions, specials, and sales, and respond to inquiries and online orders.
• – Product and service improvement: We employ your information to enhance our products and services.
• – Website development and marketing: We develop and improve our website and utilise direct marketing purposes, such as mail and email reminders, to promote our services.
• – Appointment reminders: We prompt patients of upcoming appointments via phone, SMS, or email.
• – Client and prospective client information: We advise clients and prospective clientele of meetings.
• – Compensation and recognition: We inform patients and clients who have emerged victorious in competitions.
• – Record transfer: We transfer your records upon the sale of a clinic at which you have received treatment.
• – Complaints and compliments: We respond to complaints and compliments you have submitted.
• Safety and Public Health:
• We implement measures to mitigate or prevent severe threats to a patient’s life, health, or safety, or to public health or safety.
• Service Outsourcing:

We outsource certain services, which may involve sharing personal information with third parties. For instance, we outsource patient reminder management to a third-party provider.

Personal Information Handling:

We refrain from selling, trading, or renting personal information to others. However, we may share generic aggregated demographic information or de-identified health records (unlinked to personal information) with business partners, trusted affiliates, and advertisers for the purposes outlined above or research.

Information Security:

Protecting personal information is our paramount objective. We implement robust security measures to safeguard it, manage it confidentially and securely, and dispose of it when no longer required. We continuously monitor and implement technological advancements and management processes to safeguard information.

Confidentiality Agreement:

All employees, contractors, and agents joining or engaging with us are required to sign a confidentiality agreement that safeguards privacy. When outsourcing services, we take reasonable steps to ensure that third parties adhere to their contracts with Healthia’s obligations under privacy laws, including security and confidentiality regulations.

Unauthorised Disclosure:

We consider unauthorised disclosure of personal information a grave breach of conduct by our employees, contractors, and agents. Such breaches warrant disciplinary or legal action.

We endeavour to maintain the currency, accuracy, completeness, and currency of your information. Upon your arrival for an appointment, the receptionist at your clinic may request confirmation that your details have not been altered. Should you require an update to your personal information, kindly contact your clinic. If you believe that the information we hold about you is inaccurate or outdated, please provide written notification. We will take appropriate measures to rectify your information.

Patients and clients may request copies of their personal information, clinical notes, images, and reports to be sent to them or a third party by contacting one of our centres to obtain a Release of Personal Information Consent Form. Your personal information will not be released unless a consent form has been signed, received, and processed by the Privacy Commissioner. We will only disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act. This means that personal information may be disclosed:

• For the purposes and uses for which we have advised that we are collecting it, and for related purposes that you would reasonably expect
• Where we have obtained your consent to do so
• As required by law, or
• Under other circumstances where permitted under the Act.

We do not intend to disclose your personal information to recipients located overseas. If we wish to transfer your personal information overseas, we will first seek your consent, unless we are legally obligated to do so.

Your right to receive treatment from us anonymously (or by using a pseudonym)

Where it is lawful and practicable, you may be treated anonymously or through the use of a pseudonym (a name other than yours).

If you have privacy-related concerns about us

If you have concerns regarding how we have handled your privacy, please provide written notification. Your complaint will be investigated, and you will receive a written response to your complaint within 30 days. Should you not be satisfied with the response, you may lodge a privacy complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Phone: 1300 363 992

Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

Post: GPO Box 5218 Sydney New South Wales 2001

Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/