Use and disclosure

Clinics will only use or disclose patient information for the purposes of care and treatment, or as expected by the patient. This may include sharing test results with other specialists, or communicating with referring doctors.

Sharing with third parties

Clinics may be required or permitted to disclose patient information to third parties, such as Medicare, insurers, or the police. They may also disclose information to outside contractors, such as IT service providers or debt collection agents.

Patient consent

Patients generally have the option to restrict how their information is used. They can also request access to their medical records at any time, unless there are legal or other reasons to deny access.

Complaints

Patients can contact the clinic in writing to make a complaint about their privacy. If they are dissatisfied with the clinic’s response, they can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Website use

Some clinics log information about website visitors, such as their IP address, the date and time of their visit, and the pages they accessed.