Our practice respects your right to privacy. We realise that it is important that you understand the purpose for which we collect details about your health, as well as how this information is used at our practice and to whom this information might be disclosed.
In line with standard practice as recommended by the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch, and in accordance with the Privacy Act (1988) and the Victorian Health Records Act (2001), the policy of our practice is to follow these procedures:
The information collected will be used for the purpose of providing treatment to you. Personal information such as your name, address and health insurance details will be used for the purpose of addressing accounts to you, as well as processing payments and writing to you about our services and any issues affecting your health care.
We may disclose your health information to other health care professionals, or require it from them if, in our judgement, that is necessary in the context of your treatment. In that event, disclosure of your personal details will be minimised wherever possible.
We may also use parts of your health information for research purposes, in study groups or at lectures and seminars as this may provide benefit to other patients. However, in such situations, your personal identity will not be disclosed without your consent to do so.
Your medical history, treatment records, x-rays and any other material relevant to your care will be kept here. In addition, we rely on cloud storage providers to backup copies of our electronic records, however, we will ensure that these providers comply with their obligations under Australian privacy laws.
You may inspect or request copies of our records of your treatment at any time, or seek an explanation from the orthodontist. Statutory fees may apply in relation to the types of access you seek. If you request an explanation of our records or a written summary, our usual fees apply to these services.
If any of the information we have about you is inaccurate, you may ask us to alter our records accordingly.
You can otherwise rest assured that your health information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Disclosure will not be made to any person not involved in either your treatment or the administration of this practice, without your prior written consent. If you have any queries or concerns about our handling of your health information, please do not hesitate to raise these concerns with our practice.