Assure Health Medical Centre is committed to protecting the privacy,
confidentiality and security of our patients’ personal and health information.

We collect and manage personal information in accordance with applicable
Australian and Victorian privacy laws, including the
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the
Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the
Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store, use, disclose and protect
your personal and health information.

What information do we collect?

To provide you with appropriate healthcare, we may collect information including:

• Your name, date of birth, address and contact details;
• Medicare, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and other healthcare identifiers;
• Emergency contact and next-of-kin details;
• Medical history and family medical history where relevant;
• Medications, allergies, diagnoses and treatment information;
• Consultation notes and clinical records;
• Pathology, imaging and investigation results;
• Referrals, specialist reports and correspondence from other healthcare providers;
• Billing and payment information;
• Appointment, recall and reminder information; and
• Other information reasonably necessary to provide healthcare or operate our practice.

How do we collect your information?

Where possible, we collect personal and health information directly from you.

We may also receive information from:

• Your parent, guardian, carer or authorised representative;
• Other general practitioners;
• Specialists;
• Hospitals and health services;
• Pathology and diagnostic imaging providers;
• Pharmacies;
• Allied health professionals; and
• Other healthcare providers involved in your care.

We may also collect information when you contact us by telephone,
electronically, through our website or through an appointment booking service.

Why do we collect and use your information?

Your personal and health information is primarily collected and used to provide
you with safe, appropriate and coordinated healthcare.

We may also use your information for purposes directly related to your healthcare
or the operation of our practice, including:

• Managing appointments;
• Communicating with you about your healthcare;
• Referrals and coordination of care;
• Requesting and receiving pathology, imaging and other investigations;
• Prescribing and medication management;
• Recalls, reminders and follow-up care;
• Medicare and DVA claims and billing;
• Clinical and administrative record keeping;
• Accreditation, clinical audits and quality improvement activities;
• Responding to enquiries and complaints; and
• Meeting our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

Where your information is to be used for another purpose, we will obtain your
consent where required by law.

How is your information stored and protected?

Patient information is primarily stored securely within our electronic clinical
and practice management systems.

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal and health information against
loss, misuse, interference, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Our safeguards include:

• Appropriate access controls;
• Individual user accounts;
• Password protection;
• Secure clinical systems;
• Confidentiality requirements; and
• Information security measures.

Paper records, where used, are stored securely with access restricted to
authorised persons.

Our staff and healthcare practitioners are required to maintain the privacy
and confidentiality of patient information.

When may we disclose your information?

Your information may be shared with other healthcare providers where necessary
for your treatment and ongoing care.

This may include:

• Doctors and specialists;
• Hospitals and health services;
• Pathology and diagnostic imaging providers;
• Pharmacies;
• Allied health professionals;
• Nursing and community health services; and
• Other healthcare providers involved in your care.

Information may also be disclosed to Medicare, DVA, government agencies,
insurers or other organisations where you have provided consent or where
disclosure is authorised or required by law.

We do not ordinarily disclose your health information to family members,
friends, employers or other third parties without your consent unless
disclosure is permitted or required by law.

My Health Record

Where applicable, our healthcare practitioners may access and upload relevant
health information to My Health Record in accordance with applicable legislation
and My Health Record requirements.

Patients can manage access to their My Health Record through the Australian
Government’s My Health Record services.

SMS, email and electronic communication

We may use telephone, SMS, email or other electronic communication to contact
you regarding matters such as:

• Appointment confirmations and reminders;
• Recalls and follow-up notifications;
• Administrative matters; and
• Other communications relating to your healthcare.

Electronic communication may involve privacy and security risks. We take
reasonable precautions when communicating patient information electronically
and may verify your identity before providing sensitive information.

Please ensure that you notify us when your telephone number, email address,
home address or other contact information changes.

Accessing your medical record

You may request access to personal and health information that we hold about
you, subject to any exceptions permitted by law.

Requests can be made by contacting the practice. We may ask you to provide
identification and, where appropriate, make the request in writing.

Depending on the circumstances, access may be provided by allowing you to
inspect your records, providing a copy, or another appropriate method.

A reasonable administrative fee may apply where permitted. We will advise you
of any applicable fee before processing your request.

Correcting your information

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the information we hold about you
is accurate, complete and up to date.

Please tell us if your contact details or other relevant personal information
changes.

If you believe information in your health record is inaccurate or incomplete,
you may ask us to correct it. We will consider requests in accordance with
applicable privacy and health records legislation.

Quality improvement and accreditation

Patient information may be used where permitted for activities such as
clinical audits, quality improvement and practice accreditation.

Where appropriate, information used for these purposes will be de-identified
or otherwise handled in a manner that protects patient privacy and confidentiality.

Research

We will only use or disclose identifiable patient information for research
where appropriate consent has been obtained or where the use or disclosure
is otherwise permitted under applicable privacy and health records laws.

Overseas disclosure

We do not routinely disclose patient health information to overseas recipients.

If it becomes necessary to disclose personal information overseas, we will
manage the disclosure in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

Data breaches

We take privacy and information security incidents seriously.

Suspected or actual data breaches will be assessed and managed in accordance
with applicable privacy laws and our internal procedures. Where notification
is legally required, affected individuals and the relevant authorities will
be notified.

Privacy complaints

If you have concerns about how we have collected, stored, used, accessed
or disclosed your personal or health information, please contact us.

We will take your concerns seriously and will investigate privacy complaints
in accordance with our complaints process and applicable privacy requirements.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the
Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or the appropriate Victorian health
complaints authority.

Contact Us

Assure Health Medical Centre

 

Phone:
(03) 9002 1018

Phone:
(03) 9828 7557

Website:

assurehealth.com.au

Attention: Practice Manager

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may review and update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect
changes in legislation, technology or practice operations.

The most current version of our Privacy Policy will be available on our website.

Last reviewed: August 2026