Privacy Policy

We are committed to ensuring that your personal information is kept private and confidential.

This Privacy Policy sets out how we use and manage your personal information. Personal information includes information that can identify you and information about your past and current health. As a provider of health services, we are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. We also have professional and ethical obligations to protect your privacy and keep your personal information confidential.

1. What information do we collect?

We will only collect information that is necessary to provide our services and carry on our dental practice.

We collect the following types of personal information from patients and prospective patients:

• name and contact details;
• age, date of birth and gender:
• dental history and previous dentists;
• medical history:
• details about your current health and medications: and
• health insurance details.

2. How do we collect your personal information?

We may also collect personal information about you from third parties if you have agreed that they can provide us with this information. For example, we may collect information from:

• your health insurance provider;
• Medicare; and
• other dentists, dental specialists or other health practitioners (including your General Practitioner).

If a person is unable to provide us with personal information which we need to provide them with dental services we will require this information to be provided by the patient’s legal guardian or another person who is legally entitled to act for that person.

3. How do we use your personal information?

We may use your personal information for any of the following purposes:

• to assess whether we can safely provide you with our dental services;
• to maintain and administer your patient file;
• to invoice you for our fees;
• to contact you for follow up services and check-up reminders;
• to collect unpaid invoices; and
• to send information to you about our dental practice.

4. How do we make sure that your information is accurate?

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect from you is accurate, up-to-date and complete. These steps include:

• maintaining and updating your personal information when you attend the practice; and
• amending information when you let us know that any of your information has changed.

5. How do we protect and store your information?

We provide ongoing training to our staff to ensure the personal information which we hold about you is kept confidential.

We keep hard copy and electronic records of all patients’ personal information. We take steps to protect these records against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, use, modification or disclosure.

After a period of 7 years (or in the case of a person under 18, until the person turns 25) we may securely destroy or de-identify your records in accordance with Australian laws.

6. When will we disclose your personal information?

We will disclose your personal information to third parties if you have agreed that we can do so. For example, we will disclose your personal information:

• if you ask us in writing or provide us with your written consent to disclose your information to a third party;
• in an emergency situation, if you have nominated relatives or next of kin as emergency contacts;
• to other dentists, dental specialists and healthcare providers, for the purpose of seeking a second opinion or a referral; and
• to laboratories and dental specialists (within Australia or overseas) to provide advisory services relating to your treatment.

We may also disclose specific personal information (your name, address, contact details and amount owing to us) to debt collection providers engaged by us if you do not pay our invoices within the required time.

Other than as set out in this Section 5, we will only disclose your personal information without your agreement if we are legally required to do so.

7. Accessing your personal information

You have the right to access the personal information that we hold about you. You can contact us in writing, by email or by telephone and request access to your personal information. Our contact details are set out in Section 8 of this Policy. We will always try to meet your request within a reasonable time.

In some circumstances, your request for access may be denied. These circumstances include:

• if we no longer hold any personal information about you;
• if your request is frivolous or vexatious;
• if the information requested relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings and would not normally be disclosed as part of those proceedings;
• if providing access would be unlawful; and
• if denying access is required or allowed by law.

If we are unable to give you access to the information you have requested, we will give you written reasons for this decision when we respond to your request.We may charge you a reasonable fee for access to some types of information requested by you.

8. Correcting your personal information

To enable us to provide you with the best service, it is important that the information we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date. You will need to provide us with any changes to your personal information (including change of address, name, telephone number, and health providers) to enable us to update your records. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information that we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date.

9. Our contact information and resolving your concerns

You can contact us during our office hours if you have any questions, concerns or a complaint about this Privacy Policy or the way in which we collect, store and disclose your personal information.

This Privacy Policy is available on our website at ameliastreetdentaLcom.au