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At Tweed Surgery, we are committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

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What Information We Collect

We collect personal and health information necessary to provide you with safe and effective medical care. This may include:

• Your name, date of birth, address, and contact details

• Medicare number, health fund details, and other identifiers

• Medical history, medications, allergies, family history, and social history

• Appointment and billing information

• Test results, imaging, and clinical correspondence from other healthcare providers

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How We Collect Your Information

Your information may be collected:

• Directly from you during consultations, phone calls, or via patient registration forms

• From third parties such as specialists, pathology services, radiology services, hospitals, or other healthcare providers (with your consent)

• Through Medicare, My Health Record, or other government agencies as authorised or required by law

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Why We Collect Your Information

We collect your information to:

• Provide high-quality medical care and treatment

• Communicate with you, other healthcare providers, and specialists

• Process billing and Medicare/DVA claims

• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations

• Improve our services through quality assurance and practice audits (de-identified where possible)

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Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose your information:

• To other healthcare providers involved in your care 

• To pathology, imaging, or allied health services (with your consent)

• To Medicare, private health insurers, or government agencies for billing and reporting

• When required or authorised by law, such as in the case of notifiable diseases or court subpoenas

 

Access to your personal information is restricted to those who need it to provide your care. Except when required for your treatment or as outlined in this Privacy Policy, our practice will not disclose your personal information to any third party without your consent.

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We will not transfer your personal information outside of Australia unless you have given consent or it is required or permitted by law in exceptional circumstances.

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Storage and Security

Your information is stored securely, whether in electronic or paper format, and is protected against misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our staff are trained in privacy and confidentiality practices, and we regularly review our security measures.

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Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You have the right to access your personal health information. Requests should be made in writing and may attract a small fee for administrative costs. We will respond within a reasonable time.

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Our practice is committed to maintaining accurate and up-to-date personal information. We will take reasonable steps to correct any information that is incorrect or outdated. Periodically, we may ask you to confirm that the information we have on file is accurate and current. You may also request correction of your information if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.

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Privacy Complaints

If you have a concern about your privacy or how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Practice Manager. We take complaints seriously and aim to resolve them quickly and fairly.

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If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992

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Further information on privacy legislation can also be found on the OAIC website.

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Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation or our practice operations. The latest version will always be available at reception or on our website.

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