This medical practice collects information from you for the primary purpose of providing quality health care. We require you to provide us with your personal details and medical history so that we may properly assess, diagnose, treat and be proactive in your health care needs. We will use the information you provide in the following ways:
- Administrative purposes in running our medical practice.
- Billing purposes, including compliance with Medicare Australia requirements.
- Disclosure to others involved in your health care, including treating doctors and specialists outside this medical practice as advised by you.
To comply with the Privacy Act 2001, all patients need to provide consent for the above aspects of their medical care. Staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements. Please be aware that we only keep scanned computer generated copies of your original documentation. All non-returned original documents are disposed of securely within 24 hours of your appointment. To assist in our administrative practices, please be aware that we use information software applications, including artificial intelligence. Please be aware that we do not routinely send correspondence and reports to My Health Record.
Communication by email
Sydney Gastroenterology offers patients the opportunity to communicate by email for non-urgent administrative matters.
Please find below the risks and guidelines for email communication.
Communication by email has a number of risks which include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Email can be circulated, forwarded and stored in paper and electronic form.
- Back up copies of email may exist even after the sender or recipient has deleted his/her copy.
- Email can be received by unintended recipients.
- Email can be intercepted, altered, forwarded or used with authorisation or detection.
- Email can be used to introduce viruses into computer systems
Guidelines for Communication
- Include the general topic of your message in the subject line of your email (eg appointment)
- Include your name, date of birth and phone number in the email
- Email should be used for non-urgent administrative issues only.
- It is your responsibility to notify Sydney Gastroenterology of any changes to your email address
- Sydney Gastroenterology will try to respond as soon as possible but not within any particular timeframe
Communication by SMS
Sydney Gastroenterology offers patients the opportunity to receive non-urgent administrative SMS messages for appointment reminders, recalls and other reminders or medical services we offer. It is your responsibility to notify Sydney Gastroenterology of any changes to your mobile phone number.
PATIENT CONSENT
- I understand the reasons why my personal information must be collected.
- I consent to the practice collecting information relevant to my condition from other medical practitioners such as GPs, specialists, health care providers, pathologists, radiologists, hospitals or day surgeries.
- I understand that I am not obliged to provide any information requested of me, but that not doing so might compromise the quality of the health care and treatment given to me.
- I am aware that I may apply to access my health records.
- I consent to the handling of my information by this practice for the purposes set out above, subject to any limitations on access or disclosure of which I may notify this practice.
