Current as of April 2025
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, the patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our facility, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties with the approval of your doctor.
Independent doctors and Medeco staff are required to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act, the AAP’s regulate how we may collect, use, disclose and store personal information and how individuals may access and correct personal information which is held about them.
1. Who can I contact about this policy?
You can contact the Practice Manager by phone on 02 47 24 2000
2. When and why is your consent necessary?
When you register as a patient of this practice, you provide consent for independent GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information to facilitate the delivery of healthcare. Access to your personal information is restricted to independent practitioners and the practice team members who require it for your care. If we ever use your personal information for purposes other than healthcare provision, we will obtain additional consent from you.
It is important to that as a patient, you understand why and how your personal information is collected.
3. Why do we collect, use, store, and share your personal information?
The practice collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal information primarily to manage your health safely and effectively. This includes providing healthcare services, managing medical records, and ensuring accurate billing and payments. Additionally, we may utilise your information for internal quality and safety improvement processes such as practice audits, accreditation purposes, and staff training to maintain high-quality service standards.
4. What personal information is collected?
Personal information is defined under the Privacy Act as ‘information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable: whether the information or opinion is true or not; and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not’.
It may also include ‘health information’ as defined under the Privacy Act. ‘Health information’ is a type of personal information, including information about your health or disability (at any time), your medical records, your wishes about health services to be provided to you, and genetic information.
The information collected about you includes your:
- names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
- medical information including medical history, medication/s, diagnosis, allergies and adverse reactions, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors, your ethnic background and results of pathology/histology/radiology test.
- Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
- healthcare identifier numbers
- health fund details.
5. Can you deal with us anonymously?
You can deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
6. How is personal information collected?
Your personal information is collected by Medeco staff and/or independent doctor from you in the following ways:
- by reception and nurse employees of Medeco
- by independent healthcare practitioners located within Medeco
The practice may collect your personal information in several different ways:
When you make your first appointment, the practice team will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
Your personal information may also be collected when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment, or communicate with us using social media.
In some circumstances, personal information may also be collected from other sources, including:
- Your guardian or responsible person.
- Other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services, and pathology and diagnostic imaging services.
- Your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (if relevant).
- While providing medical services, further personal information may be collected via:
- electronic prescribing
- My Health Record
- online appointments
Various types of images may be collected and used, including:
- CCTV footage: Collected from our premises for security and safety purpose
- Photos and medical images: These can be taken using personal devices for medical purposes, following the guidelines outlined in our guide on using personal devices for medical images.
“Your Independent Practitioner will always comply with privacy obligations when collecting personal information from third-party sources. This includes ensuring transparency with patients, obtaining necessary consents, maintaining data accuracy, securing the information, and using it only for specified purposes.”
7. When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?
We sometimes share your personal information:
- with third parties for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
- with other healthcare providers (e.g. In referral letters)
- when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
- when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
- to assist in locating a missing person
- to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
- for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
- when it is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
- when it is provision of medical services, through electronic prescribing, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
Only people who need to access your personal information will be able to do so. Other than providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, the practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We do not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
8. Will your information be used for marketing purposes?
The practice will not use your personal information for marketing any goods or services directly to you without your expressed consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying the practice in writing.
9. How is your information used to improve services?
The practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services offered to patients through research, analysis of patient data for quality improvement and for training activities with the practice team.
We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified, and the information is stored within Australia. You can let reception staff know if you do not want your information included.
10. How are documents automation technologies used?
Document automation is where systems use existing data to generate electronic documents relating to medical conditions and healthcare.
The practice uses document automation technologies to create documents such as referrals, which are sent to other healthcare providers. These documents contain only your relevant medical information.
These document automation technologies are used through secure medical software Zedmed.
All users of the medical software have their own unique user credentials and passwords and can only access information that is relevant to their role in the practice team.
The practice complies with the Australian privacy legislation and APPs to protect your information.
All data, both electronic and paper are stored and managed in accordance with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
Medeco ensures that all independent doctors, employees and third parties have confidentiality agreements.
11. How are Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scribes used?
The practice does not use an AI scribe tool to support GPs take notes during their consultations with you.
12. How is your personal information stored and protected?
Your personal information may be stored in various forms by:
- paper
- electronically and
- visual
The practice stores all personal information securely.
Medeco takes reasonable steps, and implements reasonable safeguards, to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. All patient information is handled securely and in accordance with professional duties of confidentiality.
Medeco will destroy or permanently de-identify any of your information once it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected provided we are not otherwise required by law to retain that information.
Medeco needs to comply with a range of rules relating to the periods for which it must retain certain health information and records. Medical records, must retain health information about an individual:
- for 7 years from the last occasion in which we facilitated the provision of a health service to the individual – if we collected the information when the individual was at least 18 years old; or
- until the individual turns 25 – if we collected the information when the individual was less than 18 years old.
13. How can you access and correct your personal information at the practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. Your doctor will require you to put this request in writing.
Your doctor and Medeco acknowledge patients may request access to their medical records. Please note there may be circumstances where access is denied under the Privacy Act or other law.
Examples of these circumstances are:
- where providing access will pose an unreasonable impact on the privacy of another individual; or
- where your request for access is frivolous or vexatious; or
- where the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings between Medeco, Independent practitioner and you, and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those legal proceedings; or
- where providing access would be unlawful, would pose a threat to the life or health of an individual, may prejudice an investigation of possible unlawful activity, may prejudice the enforcement of laws, or denying access is specifically authorised by law.
Medeco will endeavour to acknowledge a request for access to personal information and provide the information requested within 30 days.
If access is provided to you as the result of a request, you will be charged a fee for costs incurred in providing access to that information.
If access is denied, Medeco will provide you with reasons for its decision.
Medeco will ask you to verify your personal information held by the facility to ensure it is correct and up to date. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to:
Practice Manager
Medeco Medical Centre
535 High Street
Penrith NSW 2750
14. How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at the practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with the resolution procedure.
Your doctor takes complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to your doctor. They will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with their resolution procedure.
Your doctor and Medeco take the privacy of your information seriously and it is important that you understand how your doctor will manage your personal information. If you have any questions or comments in relation to this Privacy Policy, if you wish to access or correct your personal information, or if you wish to make a complaint about a privacy matter, please contact us by mail on the address below. Your complaint will be dealt with within 30 days of lodgement by your doctor or Medeco.
Privacy Officer
Medeco Medical Centre
535 High Street
Penrith NSW 2750
If you do not feel we have resolved your issue You may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will require you to give them time to respond before they investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) on 1300 363 992.
15. How is privacy on the website maintained?
At Medeco any personal information you share with us through website, email, and social media, is handled securely and confidentially. This practice uses analytics and cookies.
16. Policy review statement
Our privacy policy is regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with current obligations.
If any changes are made:
- They will be reflected on the website.
- Significant changes may be communicated directly to patients via email or other means.
Please check the policy periodically for updates. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.