Privacy Policy

Introduction

Your privacy is important to us, especially when you consider the number of ways we communicate and interact these days and because we’re guided by privacy laws, you can be sure we take your rights seriously.
Belmont Dental Group is committed to adopting the highest standards to safeguard our patients’ personal information.
Our practice realizes that it is important that you understand the purpose for which we collect details about your health, as well as how this information is used at our practice and to whom this information might be disclosed and your rights for requesting either access or amendment to your personal information.

Information We Collect

We will only collect and use information that is important for the purpose of providing treatment to you.
We collect the following personal information:

1. name and contact details
2. personal details such as date of birth and gender
3. medical history
4. family medical history
5. previous dentists and previous dental history if you have provided them with consent
6. current health and dental assessment
7. health insurance details
8. Medicare details
9. financial information (i.e. credit card numbers on payment slips received in mail)

Collection

It is our usual practice to only collect health information directly from our patients or their authorized representative in the following ways:
•    you may complete forms, send us an email, provide information during a visit to our practice or by phone.
•    we may also collect information from third parties such as your health insurer or Medicare or via a publicly available source, but only if the patient consents to such collection or would reasonably expect us to collect their health information from the third party, or if collection is necessary to provide the patient with appropriate heath care.

We will take all reasonable steps to inform you if we have collected your personal information from a third party.
As an employer, the practice also collects personal information related to staff employment and human resources management.

Use and Disclosure

The practice only uses health information for the purposes of providing you with health care or for the purposes which are directly related to providing you with health care.  We will not use your health information for any other purpose unless one of the following apples:

1. You have consented.
2. The other purpose is directly related to providing you with health services and you would reasonably expect that your information may be used for that purpose; or
3. The use of your health information is required or authorized by law.

For example, the practice may disclose your health information to another health service provider for the purpose of providing you with health care.

Data quality and Security

Information provided by you will be handled in accordance with Australian Privacy Laws including the National Privacy Principles.
The practice takes steps to ensure that the health information we collect is accurate, up to date and complete.  These steps include maintaining and updating personal and health information when you attend the practice or you advise us that your personal information has changed.

The practice keeps hard-copy and electronic records and takes steps to protect those records against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification or disclosure, or other misuse.

The practice ensures that hard-copy records are kept in secure files and there are security processes in place regarding computer access.  The practice has taken step to ensure that electronic data is backed-up.

All staff are required to enter into confidentiality agreements to protect the information you provide from unauthorized access and patient information will only be handled for the purposes of providing a service to you.

Website Security

We collect standard web server/visitor traffic information, commonly referred to as aggregate information, regarding overall website traffic patterns.  Normally, web servers collect this type of basic information as part of web log processes. We only use this information for statistical, reporting and website administration and maintenance purposes. It is not used in a way that individually identifies you, and we do not report on individual users.

Cookies

The only cookies used on our website are Google Analytics cookies for tracking user traffic and interaction for report purposes.  We do not use cookies to capture any personal information such as name, phone, passwords etc.  The type of information captured by cookies may include the user’s server address, the user’s operating system, the date, time and duration of the visit and the type of internet browser used.

Marketing

The practice’s marketing functions support the growth and development of the practice and to provide you with information about services offered at the practice.  The practice may use your information for the purpose of direct marketing, however, we will not on-sell your personal information or add any email addresses onto a mailing list without your consent.  If you would prefer not to receive such information, a request can be easily be made to the Privacy Officer or another staff member at the practice.

Sending information overseas

As part of maintaining your records, the practice does not use off-site electronic data storage providers or internet cloud storage.

What happens if I don’t provide information?

Although we respect your right to privacy, if you choose not to provide us with information relevant to your care, we may not be able to provide a service to you or the service we are asked to provide may not be appropriate for your needs.

Importantly, you could suffer some harm or other adverse outcome if you do not provide information relevant to your care.

Access/Amend/Update Information

If you believe that any information held by us about you is incorrect or incomplete you should contact us to amend this information.
You  have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.  We are able to deny access to some or all of your personal information in specified circumstances.  We will provide reasons for any refusal in writing.

Complaints

We take your privacy seriously. If you suspect there has been or may have been a breach of your security, you can complain directly to the practice Privacy Officer.

Any complaint regarding a possible breach of Belmont Dental Group’s privacy obligations may be directed to:-
The Privacy Officer
Level 1 73 High Street
BELMONT  VIC   3216
Ph. 03 52439111
Email: info@belmontdentalgroup.com.au
In the event of a privacy breach, the practice will comply with applicable guides or guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner for the handling of privacy breaches.

Changes to The Privacy Statement

From time to time we may change the content or services found on our website without notice.  As a result our Privacy Statement may change at any time without notice.

Enquiries

For further information about Belmont Dental Group’s management of privacy, please contact our privacy officer.

Dated 17th March, 2014