PRIVACY ACT 1988
PATIENT/PARENTAL CONSENT TO COLLECT & DISCLOSE INFORMATION
The Privacy Act 1988 requires medical practitioners to obtain consent from their patients to collect, use and disclose that patient’s personal information.
Collection
This means we will collect information that is necessary to provide proper advice and treatment. Such necessary information may include;-
- Full and detailed medical history
- Family medical history
- Ethnicity
- Contact details
- Medicare/private health fund details
- Genetic information
- Billing/account details
The information will normally be collected directly from you and/or your child. There may be occasions when we will need to obtain information from other sources.
For example;-
- Other medical practitioners, such as GP’s and specialists
- Other health care providers such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, dentists, nurses
- Day care, teachers, child carers
- Hospital and Day Units
Both our practice staff and the medical practitioners may participate in the collection of this information.
In emergency situations, we may need to collect personal information from relatives or any other resources where we are unable to obtain your prior express consent.
Use & Disclosure
With your consent, the practice staff will use and disclose you/your child’s information for purposes such as;-
- Providing advice to the referring doctor
- Referral to another medical practitioner or health care provider
- Sending specimens such as blood samples for analysis
- Referral to a hospital for treatment and/or advice
- Advice on treatment options
- To prevent or lessen a serious threat to an individual’s life, health or safety
- Account keeping and billing purposes
- Where legally required to do so such as producing records to court, or the notification of diagnosis of certain communicable diseases.
Access to any information or records can be denied where;-
- To provide access would create a serious threat to life or health
- There is a legal impediment to access
- The access would unreasonably impact on the privacy of another
- Your request is frivolous
- The information relates to anticipated or actual legal proceedings and you would not be entitled to access the information in those proceedings
- In the interest of national security
A request for medical information may be denied at the discretion of the treating doctor.
All requests for information must be made in writing with permission from both parents in shared custody arrangements, as well as the patient if the patient is aged 12 years and over.
An administration fee may be charged for the time involved in processing your request. Where you dispute the accuracy of the information we have recorded, you are entitled to place in writing your requested correction which will be kept with the patient’s records. An amended document may be provided however, we will not erase the original record.
Any request for medical information may be denied at any time at the discretion of the treating doctor.
For further information please see our Privacy Policy.
Consent
I provide my consent for this medical practice by all staff and doctors to collect, use and disclose my/my child’s personal information as outlined above.
I understand that I am entitled to access my child’s records which must be made in writing with permission from both parents in a shared care custody arrangement, as well as the patient if aged 12 years and over, except where access would be denied as outlined above.
I understand that I may withdraw my consent at any time and that this must be in writing with permission from both parents in a shared care custody arrangement, as well as the patient if aged 12 years and over, except when legal obligations must be met.