Current as of: 17 May 2024
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our Subcontractor GP’s, practice staff and partner pharmacies to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).
The information we will collect about you includes your:
a) names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
b) medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
c) Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
d) healthcare identifiers
e) health fund details.
You have the right to 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.
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
a) When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
b) During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
c) 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.
d) 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:
(i) your guardian or responsible person
(ii) other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
(iii) your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).
We sometimes share your personal information:
a) 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
b) with other healthcare providers
c) when it is required or authorised by law (eg court subpoenas)
d) when it is necessary to lessen or prevent as erious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
e) to assist in locating a missing person
f) to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
g) for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
h) when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
i) during the course of providing medical services, through eRx, eTP or My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
j) when required by a regulatory body, such as the TGA.
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 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 We Use Your Contact Information for Optional Communications
We may collect and use your personal information, including full name, email address, and phone number, to:
You may opt out of receiving promotional communications at any time. Each promotional email or SMS will include a clear and easy-to-use method to unsubscribe or opt-out:
Once you opt-out, you will no longer receive promotional messages. However, essential communications, such as appointment confirmations or updates relevant to your treatment, will continue.
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms, such as electronic records, visual records (X-rays,CT scans, videos and photos), audio recordings, video recordings.
Our practice stores all personal information securely in an electronic format, in protected information systems or in hardcopy format in a secured environment.
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 by sending an email to hello@plntd.com.au and our practice will respond within a reasonable period (30 days). An administrative fee of $79 is required to perform this service.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, 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 us via email at hello@plntd.com.au
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to our . We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.
If you are concerned that we have not complied with your legal rights or applicable privacy laws, you may bring a complaint internally through our complaints process or you may decide to make a formal complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner(www.oaic.gov.au) (which is the regulator responsible for privacy inAustralia).
We will deal with complaints as follows:
A complaint must first be made in writing to PLNTD at hello@plntd.com.au
Your complaint will be investigated by our PrivacyOfficer. A response to your complaint will be provided in writing within a reasonable period (30 days).
If the complainant and PLNTD can find a resolution or are in the process of finding one, the complaint should go no further.
If the complainant and PLNTD agree there is no immediate resolution, the complaint may then be taken to the OAIC.
We expect our procedures will deal fairly and promptly with your complaint. However, if you remain dissatisfied, you can also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992
Any complaints or correspondence in relation to thisPrivacy Policy should be sent to our Privacy Officer at: Verteq Pty Ltd (trading as PLNTD)
Email: hello@plntd.com.au
Address: 9/204 Alice St
Brisbane QLD 4000
Phone Number: 1300 703 330
We will endeavour to respond to all complaints and correspondence promptly.
When you interact with our website, social media, or email, we may collect additional information, including:
a) Website Analytics: We use website analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our site. This information helps us improve our website and services. Data collected may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and the time spent on our site.
b) Cookies: Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us remember your preferences and understand how you use our site. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
c) Social Media Interactions: If you interact with us through social media platforms, we may collect information from your social media profile, such as your name, contact information, and any other information you choose to share with us.
d) Email Communications: When you communicate with us via email, we may collect your email address and any other information you provide in your correspondence.
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. We will notify our patients of any amendments to this policy via email and updates on our website.
We may update this Collection Statement from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or regulatory requirements.The latest version will always be available on our website.