Briz Brain and Spine ensures all measures are taken to protect the patient’s privacy. In the event that Briz and Brain and Spine need to contact you, we will attempt to contact you on the above listed contact numbers. Should you have an answering service attached to the above contact number/s or if another member of your household answers, please sign below to consent to Briz Brain and Spine leaving a message for you.
Briz Brain and Spine to contact me on the above contact number/s and request that a return message be left in the event that I am unable to speak with Briz Brain and Spine directly.
Briz Brain and Spine is committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and to handling your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP’s) and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation (referred to as privacy legislation).
The APP’s regulate how we collect, use and disclose and store your personal information, how you may access that information and how you may seek the correction of any information. It also explains how you may make a complaint about a breach of privacy legislation.
This Privacy Policy is current from 12 March 2014. From time to time we may make changes to our policy, processes and systems in relation to how we handle your personal information. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes. Those changes will be available on our website and in the practice.
Briz Brain and Spine collects information that is necessary and relevant to provide you with the medical care and treatment services you have requested, and to manage our medical practice. This information may include your name, address, date of birth, gender, health information, family history, credit card or other financial details and contact details. This information may be stored on our computer medical records system and/or in hand written medical records.
Wherever practicable we will only collect information from you personally. However, we may also need to collect information from other sources such as treating specialists, radiologists, pathologists, hospitals, and other health care providers.
Briz Brain and Spine collects information in various ways, such as over the phone or in writing, in person in our clinic locations, or over the internet if you transact with us online. This information may be collected by medical and non-medical staff.
In emergency situations we may also need to collect information from your relatives or friends.
Briz Brain and Spine may be required by law to retain medical records for certain periods of time depending on your age at the time we provide services.
Your Doctor may use AI (artificial intelligence) software during your consult to help transcribe your conversation with them. This is purely a note taking exercise and will not be used for medical diagnosis. Using this software ensures your Doctor can focus more on your conversation and less on manual note taking, enhancing the quality of care you receive. Your audio file is not recorded or stored; rather it is transcribed in real time then placed inside your electronic medical record. The software used is compliant with the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act. The information management systems are ISO27001 accredited for data security.
Briz Brain and Spine will treat your personal information as strictly private and confidential. We will only use or disclose it for when you have provided consent and for purposes directly related to your care and treatment, or in ways that you would reasonably expect that we may use it for your ongoing care and treatment. For example, written correspondence to your referring medical practitioner or to other health service providers regarding your diagnosis, treatment and the disclosure of tests or other investigative results.
In addition, your personal information may be used in initiatives such as audits, surveys, or through patient feedback mechanisms for the purposes of Quality Assurance/Quality Initiatives which are an integral part of health care delivery. The primary purpose of these activities is to monitor, evaluate and maintain the high quality of health care delivered by Briz Brain and Spine. Personal information or identifying data will not be included in any reports.
There are circumstances where we may be permitted or required by law to disclose your personal information to third parties. For example, to Medicare and/or your health fund, Police, insurers, solicitors, government regulatory bodies, tribunals, courts of law, hospitals, or debt collection agents. We may also from time to time provide statistical data to third parties for research purposes.
We may disclose information about you to outside contractors to carry out activities on our behalf, such as an IT service provider, solicitor or debt collection agent. We impose security and confidentiality requirements on how they handle your personal information. Outside contractors are required not to use information about you for any purpose except for those activities we have asked them to perform.
Briz Brain and Spine will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete, up to date and relevant. For this purpose our staff may ask you to confirm that your personal information and contact details are correct when you attend a consultation. We request that you let us know if any of the information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date.
Personal information that we hold is protected by:
If you believe that the information Briz Brain and Spine has about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, we ask that you contact us in writing (see details below).
You are entitled to request access to your medical records. We request that you put your request in writing and we will respond to it within a reasonable time.
There may be a fee for the administrative costs of retrieving and providing you with copies of your medical records.
We may deny access to your medical records in certain circumstances permitted by law, for example, if disclosure may cause a serious threat to your health or safety. We will always tell you why access is denied and the options you have to respond to our decision.
If you have a complaint about the privacy of your personal information, we request that you contact us in writing. Upon receipt of a complaint we will consider the details and attempt to resolve it in accordance with our complaints handling procedures
If you are dissatisfied with our handling of a complaint or the outcome, you may make an application to the Australian Information Commissioner.
We will not transfer your personal information to an overseas recipient unless we have your consent or we are required to do so by law.
Please direct any queries, complaints, requests for access to medical records to the Privacy Officer:
I have reviewed a copy of Briz Brain and Spine’s Privacy policy, which I have read and understand and give the following authority for the collection, use and disclosure of my personal information for the purposes of quality health care and associated administrative purposes.
I also agree that should my treating Practitioner consider that I am a candidate for participation in clinical trials, that after discussion/consultation with me, my information may also be accessed by the Research Nursing Staff of Briz Brain and Spine.
I am also aware that should I require follow-up care, Briz Brain and Spine may contact me to advise of future appointments / investigations required.
