Privacy Policy
Healthy Healing Hands is committed to providing quality health care for their clients. To provide quality care, it is necessary to collect personal information and maintain file’s relevant to the patients’ health.
Healthy Healing Hands adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) under the Privacy Act 1988 and is bound by the APP to how we collect and use this data. These principles are in addition to the high standard of ethical conduct required by each practitioner’s profession. A copy of this policy can be found at www.aoic.gov.au.
Types of information retained.
Client files contain the following types of Information:
· Personal details (name, address, date of birth, health fund details):
· Health history.
· Session Case Notes.
· Referrals to other health service providers.
· Results and reports received from other health service providers.
The information held is provided by you or arises because of information provided by you.
Circumstances under which your information may be used or disclosed.
Your personal and health information is handled with the highest respect for your privacy. The file will be accessed by your practitioner, and when necessary, for example in the absence of your usual practitioner, by other practitioners within Healthy Healing Hands. It may also be necessary for our staff to handle your file from time to time to address the administrative requirements of their role and these privacy requirements will be observed if it is necessary for them to view your records.
Your personal health information and your health record may be collected, used and disclosed for the following reasons:
· For communicating relevant information with other treating health professionals or your doctor, after a Patient information Authorization has been signed.
· For follow up reminder / recall notices.
· Accounting / Health Insurance procedures.
· Quality assurance activities such as accreditation.
· As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability.
· For use by other practitioners in this practice when consulting with you.
· For legal related disclosure as required by a court of law (eg subpoena, court order).
· For research purposes (de-identified, meaning you are not identifiable in the information given)
· We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for your care, in the event of an emergency.
If you have any concerns or wish to restrict access to your personal health information, please discuss these with your practitioner.
Your right to access your records and correction of errors
You also have rights of access to any information Healthy Healing Hands hold concerning you. Should you wish to access this information please contact Healthy Healing Hands, who can arrange for access. You can correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information by sending a request that to have the information corrected. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.
Records are stored securely
As part of our commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of information contained in your records, we advise that strict secure storage policies are observed in this practice as per the Chinese Medicine Boards Requirements. Your electronic records are accessible only by staff of Healthy Healing Hands. Each member of staff is well versed in the principles and importance of client confidentiality.
Information will not be disclosed to overseas recipients without your express consent
Your personal information will not be shared with an overseas recipient unless you give your specific consent for this to occur. Circumstances where the need to share your information with an overseas recipient would arise if a clinical opinion was requested of an overseas clinician, or a pathology sample needed to be processed in an overseas facility. In the unlikely event that your information is shared with an overseas recipient we will insist on the same standard of confidentiality applying to your personal information as is expected in Australia.
For further information or complaints
Should you have a query or complaint in relation to the privacy policies in place at this practice please contact the Healthy Healing Hands, who will address any concerns you may have. We undertake to address complaints within 30 days of receipt of your complaint.