Privacy Policy

Our practice respects your privacy

We take your privacy seriously.  

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and the Health Records Act Victoria 2001.

This Privacy Policy outlines how we use and manage your health information.  A Notice to Patients is posted in our patient waiting area as a summary statement of this policy.

Collection and use of information

We collect personal and health information from you, your authorised representatives and third parties such as health funds or referrers, to provide you with dental treatment and services. 

Personal and health information (such as your name, address, contact details, health insurance and financial details) are used and disclosed for the purposes of and in relation to:

  1. Providing you with health care
  2. Informing you about our services, including check-up reminders 
  3. Informing you about any issues affecting your healthcare or treatment
  4. Addressing accounts to you
  5. Processing payments, and
  6. Collecting unpaid invoices (including from your health insurer), which may be via an external collection agency.

We will only collect your e-mail address if you send us a message or you provide us with your address directly. It will only be used for the purpose for which you provided it.  You have the option of having your email address deleted from our records at any time.

Disclosure

The purpose of collecting your information is to provide you with a dental service; for internal and external administrative purposes, insurance purposes and record keeping.

We will not use or disclose your health information for any other purpose unless one of the following applies:

  1. You have consented
  2. You would reasonably expect that your information may be used for that purpose; for example we may disclose your health information to another health service provider such as a specialist dentist, a technician, your GP or another health practitioner for the purpose of providing you with health care, or
  3. The use of your health information is required or authorised by law. 

Non-disclosure of information

If you choose not to provide us with information relevant to your care, we may not be able to provide a service to you, or the service we are asked to provide may not be appropriate for your needs.  

Importantly, you could suffer some harm or other adverse outcome if you do not provide to us information relevant to your care.    

Website security

Our Internet Service Provider makes a record of your visit to our practice website and logs the following information for our reference:

  • Your server address
  • Your domain or top level domain name (for example, practice.com, .gov, .au, etc)
  • The date, time, and duration of your visit to the site
  • The pages you accessed and the documents you downloaded
  • The previous site you visited
  • The type of browser you are using
  • Your ISP may collect more or less information for you.

This non-identified information is used to monitor usage patterns on our site in order to improve navigation and design features, helping you yo get information more easily.

Our website contains links to other websites.  We are not responsible for other websites’ privacy practices, and care should be taken when providing personal information on any website.

Cookies

This website only uses session cookies during a search query of the web site. 

Upon closing your browser the session cookie set by this website is destroyed and no personal information is maintained. 

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics to collect visitor data and analyze traffic on the site. This information helps us understand customer interests and helps us improve our website.

When you visit our site, the pages that you look at, and a short text file called a cookie, are downloaded to your computer. A cookie is used to store small amounts of information. This information is collected for traffic analysis only. The cookie does not contain personal details. Depending on the browser that you use, you can set your preferences to block/ refuse cookies, and/or notify you before they are placed.

Neither we nor Google Analytics sells, gives, or trades the statistics they have gathered to any 3rd parties for data-mining or marketing purposes.

The privacy policy of Google Analytics is available at: http://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html.

Employer/employee responsibilities

All staff employed in this practice are required to undergo training to understand their responsibilities in maintaining your privacy and to sign a confidentiality agreement in order to protect your personal information.

Data quality

The practice takes steps to ensure that the health information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete.  These steps include maintaining and updating personal and health information when you attend the practice or you advise us that your personal information has changed. 

Data security

The practice keeps hard copy, electronic records or a hybrid of both. 

We protect them by ensuring hard-copy records are kept in locked files and there are security processes in place regarding computer access.   Electronic data is backed-up.  

Given the inherent insecurity of information passed over the Internet, we do not currently support the transmission of personal health information to or from our patients over the Internet. If you send any personal health information to us via the Internet or you specifically request that we send personal health information to you via the internet, we cannot guarantee its security. 

Access and correction

You can request access to your health or personal information we hold, or request that we change that information.   Requests for access or correction must be in writing and directed to the practice Privacy Officer.  

You can access or make changes to your health or personal information unless we consider that there is a sound reason under the Privacy Act, or other relevant law to withhold the information, or not make the changes.

The practice may charge for access to or copies of health records.

After a period of 7 years (and if you attended the practice as a child, you have reached the age of 25) we may destroy your records in accordance with applicable laws. 

Marketing

Our practice may use your information for the purpose of direct marketing. However, we will not on-sell your personal information.   

We understand that you may not wish to receive marketing materials.  If you would prefer not to receive such information, please approach the Privacy Officer or another staff member at the practice.

Sending information overseas

As part of maintaining your records, the practice may use off-site electronic data storage providers, professional indemnity insurers, marketing agencies or other third-party service entities. These providers may be located offshore (though this is not the case as at the date of this policy). 

We will try to inform you about where your information is sent. Please be assured that we take reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to any off-shore transfer of your information. 

Complaints

If you suspect there has been or may have been a breach of your privacy, you can complain directly to the practice Privacy Officer (see Enquiries below).  You can lodge a complaint in a number of ways: by phone, in writing or in person.

We take complaints very seriously. Your complaint will be reviewed in-house.  You will be sent a letter explaining the review process and the consequences of the review.

Any appropriate corrective action required to manage this breach and any preventive actions required in order to prevent breaches in future will be discussed and decided.  

In the event of a privacy breach, we will comply with applicable guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.  

For more information about Privacy laws, or to raise concerns about any matter not satisfactorily resolved with the practice you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au or Ph. 1300 363 992).

Privacy and general complaints about your care can also be directed to the Health Services Commissioner. We would be grateful, however, if any privacy and general concerns are raised with the Practice in the first instance as we would appreciate the opportunity to address them as effectively and expeditiously as possible.

Enquiries

Our practice reviews and updates this Privacy Policy on a regular basis.

For further information about the practice’s management of privacy, please contact our Privacy Officer, Dr Ailin Teo.