Our facility is committed to providing quality health care for its patients. As a fundamental part of this commitment, principals and staff of the practice recognize the importance of ensuring that our patients are fully informed and involved in their health care.

Our facility is bound by the National Privacy Act incorporating the National Privacy Principles that set the standard by which personal information is collected, handled and disclosed. While we are providing our service to you we need to record information of a personal nature to store in your medical file. This may include any or all of the following name, address, date of birth, Medicare number, health fund number, medical history, notes made during the consultation, details of procedures, relevant and/or results to and from other practioners and results of any tests performed.

Our staff who have access to your medical record are bound by strict Confidentiality Agreements as part of their terms of employment. Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy.

All medical records in this practice are kept away from the general public and are locked during non-operational hours. All electronic data is kept on a secure network and is only accessible with passwords and user identification. All IT support companies that have access to your personal information are also covered by the National Privacy Act and have specific Confidentiality Agreements with our practice.

Your medical record will not normally be released without your consent, However, there may be occasions where details of your file may be released without your consent, such as in response to a subpoena or in any emergency situation.

As a patient, you have the right to access any information we hold concerning you. Should you wish to access this information please request this in writing. We will then give you written acknowledgement of your request. Access can be granted in many ways and you should discuss with the staff how best to access your medical file. If your medical practitioner has reason not to allow you access to your file he/she will inform you in writing providing the reasons for refusal. This does not necessarily mean that access will never be granted. Access in this case may have to be facilitated through third party. Patients will be required to access their records in person unless alternate arrangements have been made and consent has been given in advance.

Where possible and indicated, the medical practioner may be present at the time of access to answer questions. If this is the case, a small fee will be charged. If any part of the file is copied or a summary is provided by the medical practioner a small administrative fee will be charged. Please be advised that these fees will not be recoverable from Medicare.

If you have any questions about this policy please talk with the staff or your treating doctor.

You will not be allowed to remove your medical file from the premises nor will you be able to alter or delete any section of your medical record. You may, however, add an insert to the file with your comments.