Privacy Policy – Patient
Seaford Day Surgery collects personal information in order to conduct its business and to meet its legislative obligations. It is bound by legislation in the management of matters relating to the privacy of personal information.
Seaford Day Surgery is committed to the protection of personal and health information we collect in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
This policy statement explains in general terms, what sort of personal information Seaford Day Surgery holds and why we hold it, and how Seaford Day Surgery collects, uses and discloses that information.
What is Personal Information?
‘Personal Information’ is any information or an opinion about you where your identity is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained.
‘Health Information’ is all identifying “personal information” collected to provide a health service. In the APP’s ‘Health Information’ comes under the definition of ‘sensitive information’.
Why we collect your Personal Information
In order to provide you with the health services you have requested, Seaford Day Surgery will need to collect and use your personal information. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information to us or withhold personal information from us we may not be able to provide you with the services you are seeking.
How we obtain your Information
Seaford Day Surgery collects information which is;
- Provided directly by you;
- Provided on your behalf with your consent;
- Received from a health service provider who refers you to us.
What Personal Information do we Collect and Hold?
The information collected may include the following;
- Your contact information, such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number;
- Your emergency contact and carers details, such as names and telephone numbers;
- Your demographic information, such as your gender, date of birth, origin of birth and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status;
- Billing information such as, Medicare, DVA and/or Health Fund details (as applicable);
- Health Information such as, medical history, medications, diagnostic imaging and reports, pathology results, diagnoses (including mental health or disability), prosthesis details, observations, reported symptoms and may include clinical photographs;
- Patient Survey responses and general feedback about Seaford Day Surgery.
Every time you attend the hospital, new information is added to your record. Please let admission staff know if your contact details have changed since your last admission.
If you participate in the MyHealth Record program operated by the Commonwealth Department of Health, Seaford Day Surgery may access personal information stored in your MyHealth Record in accordance with the access controls that you have set within that system. If you do not want Seaford Day Surgery to access personal information stored in your MyHealth Record, you may modify the access controls in accordance with your preferences. Seaford Day Surgery will only access information stored in your MyHealth Record to the extent required for your treatment by Seaford Day Surgery.
In the case of a medical practitioner applying for credentialing to our hospital or an individual applying for a position of employment, information will be collected relative to the application.
Your Right for Anonymity/Pseudonymity
You have the right to be dealt with anonymously or through use of a pseudonym, provided that this is lawful and practicable. However, in the medical context this is not likely to be practical or possible for Medicare and health insurance rebates.
How we handle your Personal Information
We collect personal information to provide you with the services you request. The law also requires us to collect personal information. Personal information may be used within Seaford Day Surgery to administer our services and for risk management purposes.
We disclose relevant personal information to external organisations to help us provide services. These organisations are bound by confidentiality arrangements and legislation.
You can seek access to the personal information we hold about you. If the information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, please inform us so we can update it. If we deny access to your personal information, we will let you know why.
Using and Disclosing your Personal Information
We use the personal information collected to:
- Provide diagnosis, treatment, care and services to you;
- Render accounts to you for our services;
- Inform you of changes to care and services; and
- Develop the quality of our services and service infrastructure.
As you may expect, to meet your specific needs, we may need to disclose your personal information to organisations and individuals who are to provide services related to your health, care and welfare. Where your personal information is disclosed, we will seek to ensure that the information is held, used or disclosed consistently with the National Privacy Principles and other applicable privacy laws and codes.
The relevant organisations to which we would disclose your information include:
- Your health care team (e.g. Your treating specialist, your general practitioner, allied health professionals);
- Those involved in providing care and services to you (eg. pathology and pharmacy);
- Your health fund and hospital insurer;
- Those who are your next of kin and other close friends and relatives in circumstances in which your health and respect for your wishes requires their views;
- Those involved in maintaining our systems, procedures and infrastructure for the provision of services to you;
- Reporting bodies (eg. statutory and public health requirements/disease register notification);
- The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards the overall accrediting body of hospitals in Australia;
- And as authorised by law.
Security of your Personal Information
Seaford Day Surgery will take all reasonable steps to keep the personal information you provide to us secure and to protect it from misuse, interference and loss as well as unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We have a range of procedures and policies in place to provide a secure environment for the personal (and other information) we hold. Our security measures include but are not limited to:
- Educating our staff about their obligations with regard to your personal information;
- Requiring our staff to use passwords when accessing our systems;
- Employing firewalls, intrusion detection systems and virus scanning tools to protect against unauthorised persons and viruses entering our systems;
- Using dedicated secure networks or encryptions when we transmit electronic data;
- Providing secure storage for physical records. When information we hold is identified as no longer needed for any purpose we ensure it is effectively and securely destroyed e.g. by shredding and other means as in the case of electronic records and equipment.
Transborder Disclosure of your Personal Information
If Seaford Day Surgery transfers personal information to countries outside Australia, we will only do so in compliance with applicable Australian data protection and privacy laws. We will take all reasonable steps to protect personal information no matter what country it is stored in or transferred to.
Accuracy of your Personal Information
It is our aim to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, up-to-date and relevant. If you believe that any of the information we hold is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, please contact us by applying in writing to Seaford Day Surgery to have it corrected. Where we are satisfied that that the information we hold is faulty, we will take all reasonable steps to correct the fault. If we are unable meet your request, we will advise you formally of the reason we cannot change your information.
Accessing your Personal Information
You can request to access your own personal (and health) information held by Seaford Day Surgery subject to some limited exceptions permitted or by law. There are some circumstances in which access is restricted, and in these cases reasons for denying access will be explained. All requests including those related to obtaining a copy of your health record must be made in writing to Seaford Day Surgery. You will be required to provide a duly certified verification of your identity in addition to the written request to ensure the release of your personal information is made by you.
Making a Complaint or Contacting Us
We recognise that even in the best run organisations, things can go wrong. If you have a concern about the personal or health information we collect, use, hold or disclose or you believe we have breached your privacy rights in any way, you may complain.
We will work to resolve privacy concerns with you. If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint by Seaford Day Surgery, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner who may investigate your complaint.
Additionally, you may believe that the information we hold is inaccurate or incorrect and wish to have that information corrected. In these circumstances, you can contact Seaford Day Surgery in writing at the following address:
Director of Nursing, Seaford Day Surgery,
6 Vista Parade, Seaford Heights SA 5169.
We may modify this document at any time at our sole discretion.