Privacy Policy

Updated 8 December 2022

PART 1 – ABOUT THIS POLICY 

1.1    Purpose

Insight Rehab is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information we collect and hold about our clients. Insight Rehab complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), other privacy laws that govern how private sector health service providers like Insight Rehab handle your personal information (including your health information), and Speech Pathology Australia’s Code of Ethics (2010).

This Privacy Policy explains how Insight Rehab manages the personal information we collect, use and disclose. Insight Rehab is a private speech pathology practice under the ownership of Jason Bransby-Bell.

PART 2 – HOW INSIGHT REHAB HANDLES YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

2.1 Insight Rehab’s Legal Obligations

In order to provide you with the health services that you have requested; Insight Rehab will need to collect and use your personal information for the direct purpose of providing health services to you. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information to us, or withhold personal and health information from us, we may not be able to provide you with the services you are seeking.  

2.2 What information does Insight Rehab collect?

We will only collect the information we need for the function or activity we are carrying out. We collect information from you that is necessary to provide you with health services and to manage our relationship with you. The information we collect includes:

  • your name, address, date of birth, email and contact details;

  • information about your family or relatives;

  • information about other health professionals involved in your care;

  • any government identifiers such as NDIS participant number, Medicare number, DVA number. However, we do not use these for the purposes of identifying you in our practice;

  • your health fund details;

  • your insurance details, such as your claim number;

  • photographs, videos, and/or audio recordings of you necessary to provide you with health services;

  • other health information about you such as:

    -        a record of your symptoms

-        your relevant medical history, the diagnosis made

-        your social history

-        specialist reports

-        test results

-        your appointment and billing details

-        your prescriptions

-        the treatment we give you

-        other information about you collected for the purposes of providing care to you.

We require this information to assist the speech pathologist to diagnose and treat you.  

2.3 How does Insight Rehab collect health information?

We will usually collect your health information directly from you (e.g., face-to-face, over the phone, via online referral form). Sometimes, we may need to collect information about you from a third party (such as a relative or another health service provider).

2.4 How does Insight Rehab use your information?

Insight Rehab uses your personal information for the purpose you have given the information to us. We will use your information to provide health services to you, to manage our relationship with you and to contact you in relation to matters concerning your care. We may also use your information for other purposes permitted under the Privacy Act 1988.

2.5 Who might we disclose your information to?

We may disclose your information to the following people:

(a) disclosure to other health professionals involved in your treatment
Your personal information will generally only be used by the therapist involved in your care, however on occasion your care may be provided by several health professionals (for example, an occupational therapist and psychologist) working or consulting together. We may disclose your information to these health professionals as part of the process of providing your care and to other health professionals involved in your care.

(b) the referrer
Insight Rehab will usually provide verbal or written updates, including a discharge summary to the referrer (e.g., your case manager or medical practitioner) following discharge from Insight Rehab, or at other times, as required for your care. If you do not wish for us to provide updates or a copy of your discharge summary to the referrer you must let us know. If the referrer’s details have changed, please let us know.

(c) relatives, guardian, close friends or legal representative
We may provide information about your condition to your parent, child, other relatives, close personal friends, guardians, or to a responsible person for you for the purpose of providing health services to you, unless you tell us that you do not wish us to disclose your health information to any such person. 

(d) Other uses and disclosures
In order to provide the best possible environment in which to treat you, we may also use or disclose your personal and health information as permitted or required under law for:

  • analysing and interpreting assessment data, providing treatment, and monitoring treatment progress;

  • activities such as quality assurance processes, accreditation, audits, risk and claims management, patient satisfaction surveys and staff education and training;

  • invoicing, billing and account management;

  • to liaise with your health fund, insurer, National Disability Insurance Agency, Medicare, or the Department of Veteran's Affairs and where required provide information to your health fund, insurer, National Disability Insurance Agency, Medicare or the Department of Veteran's Affairs to verify treatment provided to you;

  • the purpose of sending you standard reminders, for example for appointments and follow-up care, by text message or email to the number or address which you have provided to us;

  • to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., mandatory reporting under legislation, responding to a court order or subpoena);

  • to assist in a stage of an emergency;

  • to prepare the defence of anticipated or existing legal proceedings;

  • to lessen or prevent a serious threat to your or another person’s life, health or safety or a serious threat to public health or safety;

  • to help in locating a missing person;

  • if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that unlawful activity has been or may be engaged in;

  • to discharge notification obligations to liability insurers.

(f) Other uses with your consent
With your consent we may also use your information for other purposes such as including you on a marketing mail list, or research. Please note, however, that unless you provide us with your express consent for this purpose, we will not use your information in this way.

2.6 Disclosing information about you overseas

We may disclose your personal information to the following overseas recipients:

  • any health professional who helps us to provide our speech pathology services to you (e.g., health professionals who treated you when you were overseas) or anyone else you authorise us to contact;

  • overseas cloud-based storage.

2.7 Access to and correction of your health information

You have a right to access or request an amendment to the personal and health information that we hold about you. If you wish to access the personal and health information we hold about you, or you think that the information we hold about you is not correct, let us know in writing and we will respond within 30 days. We will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. To access or amend your personal and health information, please contact:

Name: Jason Bransby-Bell, Owner, Insight Rehab

Phone: 0414 560 421

Email: jason@insightrehab.com.au

Post: PO Box 3018, Rhodes NSW 2138

If we do not agree to change your medical record/personal information in accordance with your request, we will let you know the reasons in writing within 30 days. We will permit you to make a statement of the requested changes and we will enclose this with your record.

Please note that Insight Rehab may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

2.8 Data Quality

Insight Rehab will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information which we may collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. This includes checking your personal and contact details with you annually.

2.9 Data Security

Insight Rehab will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use technologies and processes to protect your personal information including:

  • holding information in a lockable cabinet;

  • holding information on an encrypted database and using secure online forms to collect information. Insight Rehab uses professional practice management software called Power Diary. Information about Power Diary’s security features can be found here: Our Secure Practice Management Software | Power Diary, and their Privacy Policy can be viewed here: Privacy Policy - Power Diary;

  • holding information in secure cloud storage. Insight Rehab uses Microsoft 365 for Business. Microsoft’s Privacy Statement can be found here: Microsoft Privacy Statement – Microsoft privacy;

  • encrypting website traffic via a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL);

  • requesting that staff sign confidentiality documents;

  • providing staff with training or induction etc. about confidentiality and (in particular) security issues;

  • access to information restricted on a ‘need to know’ basis; and

  • strong password protections when accessing the information on a computer or mobile phone.

Insight Rehab will destroy or permanently de-identify any of your information which is in its possession or control, and which is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, provided Insight Rehab is not required under an Australian law or court/tribunal or otherwise to retain the information.

2.10 Your right to receive treatment from us anonymously (or by using a pseudonym)

Where it is lawful and practicable for us to do so, you can be treated anonymously or through use of a pseudonym (a name other than yours). This does not apply:

  • if Insight Rehab is required or authorised by or under an Australian law, or a court/tribunal order, to deal with individuals who have identified themselves; or

  • it is impracticable for Insight Rehab to deal with you if you have not identified yourself or used a pseudonym.

In some cases, if you do not provide Insight Rehab with your personal information when requested, Insight Rehab may not be able to respond to your request or provide you with the services that you are requesting.

PART 3 – HOW INSIGHT REHAB HANDLES YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WHEN YOU VISIT OUR WEBSITE

This section of our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information which is collected from our website: www.insightrehab.com.au. This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our website and the use of any of the facilities on our website.

3.1 Collection

When you use our website, we do not attempt to identify you as an individual user, and we will not collect personal information about you unless you specifically provide this to us.

We may collect your personal information from you, or from your referrer, via an online form or by email, for example, if you or your referrer:

  • submits a general or referral enquiry via our contacts page;

  • registers to receive eNewsletters; or

  • sends a written complaint or enquiry to us.  

When you use our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) may record and log for statistical purposes the following information about your visit:

  • your computer address;

  • your top-level name (for example, .com.,gov., .org, .au etc.);

  • the date and time of your visit;

  • the pages and documents you access during your visit; and

  • the browser you are using.

Our web-site management agent may use statistical data collected by our ISP to evaluate the effectiveness of our website.

3.2 Cookies

A "cookie" is a device that allows our server to identify and interact more effectively with your computer. Cookies do not identify individual users, but they do identify your ISP and your browser type.

This website uses temporary cookies. This means that upon closing your browser, the temporary cookie assigned to you will be destroyed and no personal information is maintained which will identify you later.

Personal information such as your email address is not collected unless you provide it to us. We do not disclose domain names or aggregate information to third parties other than agents who assist us with this website and who are under obligations of confidentiality. You may be able to configure your browser to accept or reject all cookies and to notify you when a cookie is used. We suggest that you refer to your browser instructions or help screens to learn more about these functions. However, please note that if you configure your browser so as not to receive any cookies, a certain level of functionality of the Insight Rehab website and other websites may be lost.  

3.3 Links to third party websites

We may create links to third party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices employed by websites that are linked from our website.

3.4 Use and disclosure

We will use any personal information collected via our website in accordance with our privacy policy.

4. PART 4 – PRIVACY COMPLAINTS

4.1 If you have a privacy-related concern about us

If you have concerns about the way we’ve handled your privacy, let us know. You should do that in writing. We will then try to respond to you within 30 days. To contact us about any privacy related issues, please approach:

Name: Jason Bransby-Bell, Owner, Insight Rehab

Phone: 0414 560 421

Email: jason@insightrehab.com.au

Post: PO Box 3018, Rhodes NSW 2138 

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commission, whose contact details are:

Phone: 1300 363 992

Post:   GPO Box 5288 Sydney New South Wales 2001

Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/ 

4.2 Changes to this policy

We will update this policy from time to time via our website, to reflect any changes in our information-handling practices or the law or both.