privacy policy

At Prescribe Practice Management we have implemented systems and procedures in place to protect our clients and their patients’ personal and sensitive information from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Personal information is information that enables you or your patients to be identified. This includes you and your patients’ name, address, date of birth and contact details. We may also collect on your behalf sensitive information, including information about your patients’ illnesses, symptoms, disabilities and any information necessary to enable you to provide an efficient and professional health service.

1. Our obligations

In dealing with personal and sensitive information are such that Prescribe Practice Management abides by the Australian Privacy Principles as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 together with the provisions of the equivalent State and Territory legislation. Your personal and sensitive information, and the information of your patients, will always be collected and stored by fair and lawful means.

Our obligations extend to any contractors we may use in the provision of our services to you. All officers, employees and contractors of Prescribe Practice Management are required to work according to the Privacy Principles and to treat personal information they may see with care and confidentiality. Any breach of these requirements would be a breach of contract. If you have any queries, problems or special requirements associated with the collection of information about you or your patients, please advise us.

2. Why does Prescribe Practice Management collect information?

The information collected and stored by Prescribe Practice Management is for a purpose that is lawful and directly related to the activity of Prescribe Practice Management – that is, to provide a health service. Information is obtained for the following purposes and all purposes associated with them:

a) to provide your practice with reception, administration, marketing and billing services;
b) to schedule appointments for patients;
c) to take all relevant patient identification details and input them directly into your Medical Software data files and systems. Information will be collected directly from you or your patients, as well as incoming information from third parties, such as pathology or x-ray results.

3. Security of the information

Our use of Medical Software programs will ensure that electronic information, including your patients’ health records, are stored securely and access is only granted to authorised personnel. Similarly, we have systems in place to ensure the protection of hard copy information in accordance with the Privacy Principles. Therefore, your and your patients’ information is protected against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure or any other misuse.

4. Making sure your information is accurate

We will ensure that record keeping is accurate and up-to-date to enable you to conduct your practice at a highly professional standard. You must inform us of changes to your information and we will endeavour to update our records as soon as practicable. We may also contact you or take other reasonable steps to ensure that your information is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

5. Accessing the information

We will assist you in circumstances where your patients request access to their information. There may be reasonable administration costs involved in providing them with such access, which we will inform you of as soon as practicable. In special circumstances, under the applicable provisions of privacy legislation dealing with access to documents, you may refuse a patient access to their records.

6. How will Prescribe Practice Management use and disclose personal information?

Prescribe Practice Management will use your information in a way that is consistent with, or directly related to, the purpose for which it is collected. There may be circumstances where we are obligated by the law to disclose your or your patients’ information, including circumstances where:

a) presentation of medical records is subpoenaed by a court;
b) compulsory reporting is requested by Government Authorities (such as registration of births,deaths, diseases and treatments);
c) reporting of information regarding health services is required by the Department of Human Services

7. How will Prescribe Practice Management use and disclose personal information?

Prescribe Practice Management will use your information in a way that is consistent with, or directly related to, the purpose for which it is collected. There may be circumstances where we are obligated by the law to disclose your or your patients’ information, including circumstances where:

a) presentation of medical records is subpoenaed by a court;
b) compulsory reporting is requested by Government Authorities (such as registration of births,deaths, diseases and treatments);
c) reporting of information regarding health services is required by the Department of Human Services

8. Updating this Privacy Policy

Prescribe Practice Management may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most recent version of our Privacy Policy can be obtained from our website.

9. Further queries

If you have queries or wish to make a complaint regarding the privacy of any information collected by Prescribe Practice Management, please email us at privacy@prescribepm.com.au. If you are not satisfied with how we handle your complaint, you may make a formal complaint to The Office of the Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or visit: https://www.privacy.gov.au/complaints