Privacy Policy

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

  1. All personal information is subject to the Privacy Act of 2002.
  2. All staff sign a Confidentiality Agreement.
  3. All charts with patient information are kept securely.
  4. Parental consent is required for the information to be provided to a paediatrician, psychologist or school guidance officer.
  5. Information on diagnosis and treatment suggestions will be provided to the referring practitioner.
  6. Confidentiality is needed between a teenager and their treating clinician to encourage a trusting therapeutic alliance, and for treatment to be successful. Clinicians will encourage a teenager to talk with their parent, but will break confidentiality only when safety is at risk.

 

PRIVACY STATEMENT

OVERVIEW

VITA HEALTH CARE is committed to protecting the privacy of staff, clinicians, clients and their families/carers. You can have peace of mind that The Clinic ensures that all relevant privacy laws are fully complied with, when it comes to collecting, holding, using, disclosing and sharing your personal information.

THE CLINIC NEEDS TO KNOW OUR CLIENTS’ REAL NAMES

As a health practice, The Clinic ensures that our clients tell us their real name. To provide an appropriate standard of care for our young clients, all our clients cannot use a different name other than their real name to identify themselves to us.

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

As a health practice, The Clinic is required to collect sensitive personal information so that we can provide you or your child with an appropriate level of health related services. The Clinic collects this information from clients and their families/carers, and also from third parties such as health care practitioners and schools.

When collecting personal information, The Clinic sometimes needs to ask sensitive questions so that we can provide an accurate medical diagnosis or assessment. The Clinic then ensures that we provide appropriate treatment or therapy for the right amount of time.

If a client refuses to provide The Clinic with certain sensitive personal information, we may not be able to provide them with an appropriate level of service.

NOTIFICATION OF CERTAIN MATTERS

When collecting personal information, The Clinic will notify our clients of certain matters, such as test results, in a timely manner. This usually requires you to meet with one of The Clinic’s clinicians, so that we can properly interpret and explain the test results for you.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Clinic only uses and discloses personal information when:

It is in accordance with the express written consent of the client or family member to which the information relates,
There are significant safety concerns with a client or others,
As required by law (such as making a notification of alleged child abuse to the relevant government authorities or in complying with a subpoena issued by a court).

DIRECT MARKETING

The Clinic will never use someone’s personal information for any direct marketing purposes. The Clinic may, from time to time, notify clients or their families/carers of available treatment options or programs; however this is for therapeutic purposes only, and not for marketing purposes.

ADOPTION, USE OR DISCLOSURE OF GOVERNMENT RELATED IDENTIFIERS

The Clinic does not adopt, use or disclose government related identifiers that the government uses to identify our clients, other than Medicare Card numbers.

QUALITY AND SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Clinic ensures the personal information collected is accurate, up-to-date, complete and relevant. The Clinic also ensures the personal information held is protected from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

ACCESS TO OR CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Clinic can provide access to the personal information held about a person to that person or their parent / legal guardian (if that person is under 18 years of age) upon receipt of a request in writing. It must be noted however that The Clinic may choose not to disclose personal information if it significantly impacts on another person’s privacy, or could pose a significant risk to the life or health of you or another person. 

PRACTICE POLICY

  1. The clinic offers outpatient care only. Private hospital admissions can be arranged for during business hours.
  2. Urgent appointments are a priority for existing clients.
  3. Unfortunately, phone support is not available, although reception can relay messages to clinicians between appointments.
  4. Payment is required at the time of the appointment. We are unable to book a further appointment until the account is settled.
  5. Appointment cancellation requires 24 hours notice, or a fee will apply.

Consent Form to share information to another Clinic/Agency

Please complete this form if you are a current patient and would like Vita Health Care to share certain information with another third party as discussed with your clinician as part of your ongoing care. 

If you would like your file transferred to a new clinic or clinician that will be managing your care from now on, the form for this request will need to be provided by your new provider/clinic. 

Once we receive this form with your authorisation we will review the request and provide the necessary information as approved by your clinician. Please email or fax the request. 

Transferring medical file TO Vita Health Care

 Please complete this form if you wish to have your medical file or certain information transferred TO Vita Health Care from a previous provider or Medical clinic.  This may occur if you are a new patient and have a previous medical history that may be helpful for your clinician as part of your ongoing care and continuity of care.

 

Freedom of information form for access to documents

Please complete this form if you are requesting a copy of your medical records. Please read the information below to become familiar with the process.

 

How do I request access to my Personal Information? 

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), you have a legal right to access the personal information Vita Health Care holds about you (such as your medical record), subject to some exceptions. 
Patients who wish to access or obtain a copy of their personal information should put their request in writing using the attached 
Freedom of information form for access to documents, and submit the form to our Practice reception. All requests will be acknowledged in writing within 14 days of receipt of the request. Ordinarily, access to the requested information will be provided within 30 days unless otherwise specified. 
 

Access Fees

The Practice is entitled to charge an appropriate fee, determined in accordance with the Health Records Regulations 2002 (Vic), plus GST, to cover the administrative costs of this service. Our reception will advise you of the applicable fee, which is not redeemable under Medicare or private health insurance. 

 

How will Access be Provided? 

Access may be provided by: 
– inspecting your medical record (or a print out of your record) at the Practice.; and/or 
– providing a copy of the requested information in person or or post (additional fees for postage may apply); or 
– providing an accurate summary of the information, instead of a copy, if you and the doctor agree that a summary is appropriate. 
 
We recommend that you make an appointment with your doctor to view your medical record together, so the doctor can assist you to understand and interpret the material contained within it. A consultation fee will apply in addition to the administration fee, plus GST. The fee is not redeemable via Medicare or private health insurance. 
 

Can I Amend my Medical Record? 

You will not be permitted to remove any contents of your medical record from the Practice. Should you wish to amend or delete any personal information, you will need to fill out a separate written request using the Request to Amend Medical Record Form.

 

When will Access to My Medical Record be Refused?

Access to your personal information may be legitimately withheld in certain situations, including (among others): 
where access would pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual or the public; 
– where access would cause an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individuals; 
– where the request is frivolous or vexatious; or 
– where the information is privileged as a result of actual or anticipated legal proceedings. 
 
If access to your personal information is refused, the Practice will provide you with written reasons for the refusal. You will not be charged an access fee in this instance. 

 

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