Privacy

1. Introduction

The medical practice of Dr Amber Kennedy ABN 23 067 882 993 (“we or us”) is committed to protecting the personal information of our patients. We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (the “Act”). We will only collect, use or disclose personal information in accordance with the Act and this Privacy Policy.

We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. The updated version will be available at www.dramberkennedy.com.au/privacy. You should check the Privacy Policy regularly for changes.

In this Privacy Policy, “personal information” means any information or opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not.

2. When do we collect personal information?

The most common situations in which we collect personal information from you are when:

• you book an appointment; or
• we provide you with medical advice or treatment.

3. What personal information do we collect?

The kinds of personal information we collect from you will depend on the circumstances in which that information is collected. We may collect personal information including:

• name and date of birth;
• contact details (for example, address and phone numbers);
• emergency contact details;
• information about your health and medical condition;
• Medicare and health insurance details; and
• payment details.

4. What do we use personal information for?

The purposes for which your personal information will be used will depend on the circumstances in which that personal information is collected. We will inform you of the purposes for which we intend to use your personal information in a collection notice at or before the time we collect your personal information.

Generally, we may use your personal information for:

• the purpose for which you provided it to us;
• purposes which are directly related to the purpose for which you provided it to us; and
• any other purposes to which you have consented.

For example:

• when you request an appointment, we may use your details to contact you to organise the appointment and send you reminders about the appointment;
• when we provide you with medical advice or treatment, we will use your health and medical information to provide that advice or treatment;
• when we refer you to another provider, we will provide your contact details and relevant health and medical information to them; and
• after we provide services to you, we will use your payment details to arrange payment.

We will never use your personal information for direct marketing. We may use de-identified information to review and improve our services.

5. To whom do we disclose personal information?

The third parties to whom your personal information will be disclosed will depend on the purposes for which that personal information is used. We will inform you of the third parties to whom your personal information will be disclosed in a collection notice at or before the time we collect your personal information.

Generally, we may disclose your personal information to third parties as necessary for:

• the purpose for which you provided it to us;
• purposes which are directly related to the purpose for which you provided it to us; and
• any other purposes to which you have consented.

For example, when we provide you with medical advice or treatment, we may disclose your personal information to:

• your GP or to other medical practitioners who are involved in your care;
• other providers we refer you to (for example, Newlife IVF);
• Medicare or your health insurer;
• the Victorian Cancer and/or Cervical Cytology Registries; and
• contractors who provide services (such as administrative, archiving, communications, information technology and professional services) to us in support of our practice.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be required or permitted by law to disclose personal information, for example to law enforcement authorities or to prevent a serious threat to public safety.

We will not disclose your personal information to any third party located outside Australia without your consent.

6. How is personal information secured?

We will take all practicable steps to ensure that your personal information is protected against unauthorised access, processing, erasure, loss or use.

We store your personal information in Australia.

7. Accessing and correcting your personal information

You may contact us to seek access to or correction of personal information which we hold about you. There are certain exemptions under the Act which may apply to access and correction requests. We may require that the person requesting access or correction provide suitable identification and we may charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to an access request.

Requests to access or correct personal information held by us should be addressed to [email protected].

8. Complaints

If you have any complaints about our personal information handling practices, please contact [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve your complaint. If you are not happy with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Contact details can be found at www.oaic.gov.au.