BEAUMARIS MEDICAL CENTRE
Beaumaris Medical Centre is committed to conducting its services in compliance with all applicable law and regulations and in accordance with the highest ethical standards. Beaumaris Medical Centre complies with the Commonwealth Privacy Act and all other State/Territory legislative requirements in relation to the management of personal information. We believe that patients can feel safe in the knowledge that we safeguard their personal health information ensuring that confidentiality is respected and information is stored securely.
WHAT INFORMATION DOES YOUR DOCTOR COLLECT?
Your doctor may ask to collect information that is necessary for the provision of your healthcare. Often this may include collecting information about your health history, family history, ethnicity or current lifestyle to assist in diagnosing and treating your condition. Your doctor will always endeavour to be sensitive to your needs, however they are also committed to acting in your best interest by making a thorough assessment of your condition and medical history before recommending treatment.
HOW DOES YOUR DOCTOR USE YOUR INFORMATION?
Modern health care practices mean that your treatment will, at times, require your doctor to work together with other health care professionals to determine your diagnosis or optimal treatment. As a result you may be referred for diagnostic tests or to a specialist. Beaumaris Medical Centre will maintain confidentiality of all this information and will only disclose to those involved in your treatment. If at any time in the future you are being treated by a medical practitioner who consults outside this practice who requires access to your health records, authorisation from yourself is required for us to provide a summary of your records. The only time we will provide information about your health records to another health professional, without your consent, is in the event of an emergency for ongoing clinical management pertaining to your medical diagnosis. At times of accreditation, your records may be selected to be reviewed by the surveyors with strict confidentiality. Any services provided by allied health practitioners or outsourced services provided for your treatment are required to also comply with the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
ACCESS TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION
You have a right to have access to the information that is hold in your health record. Should you wish to obtain access to your health record, you can ask your Doctor or our Practice Manager, who can give you more detailed information about how to obtain this. We are only allowed to release information to the patient themselves and all applications must be in writing. We will verify your identity with three points of identification. This applies to all patients over the age of 16 years. If you wish to allow anyone else access your records on your behalf, consent must be given at the time of consultation or in writing.
We aim to release records within 30 days of receiving your request and records can be given electronically (on a disc) or in hard copy. The cost of this is $25 to cover administration time, discs, registered post, etc.
Occasionally full records cannot be released, for example if it is considered that this could lead to distress, contains information about another patient or requires permission from the original author. This will always be discussed with you by your doctor.
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH RECORDS
Our practice management software provides up to date and accredited information technology systems to ensure the safety and correct management of our patient records.
YOUR RIGHTS
We care about the quality of the service we provide. If you have any complaints or suggestions, please discuss them with your Doctor or our Practice Manager, or you can find a feedback form on the Contact page of our website.
All complaints will be dealt with fairly and as quickly as possible. Complaints may also be lodged directly with:
The Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner,
Telephone: 1300 363 992