Effective 14 July 2026
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties. It aims to ensure transparency and compliance with privacy laws, safeguarding your data.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. This includes medical consultations, treatment, and administrative tasks. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes such as staff training.
The information we will collect about you includes your:
• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number, where available, for identification and claiming purposes
• healthcare identifiers
• health fund details
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals. However, providing services without knowing your identity in certain situations may be impractical. Accurate identification is essential for medical consultations, record-keeping, and ensuring the quality of care.
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:
• your guardian or responsible person
• other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
• your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, as necessary.
Our practice uses HotDoc, a third-party practice management and patient engagement software to support administrative functions such as maintaining patient records, processing billing, and managing appointment bookings and reminders. This software securely stores and processes your personal information in accordance with Australian privacy laws, and access is restricted to authorised personnel only. Where this software integrates with other third-party services, those parties are required to comply with our data protection standards and must not use your information for any other purpose. By booking an appointment online, you consent to your information being handled in accordance with this policy and the relevant provider’s privacy policy.
Some of our practitioners use artificial intelligence tools to support your care. We want you to be aware of this and to understand how your information is handled when these tools are used. There are two ways these tools may be involved in your care.
AI-assisted clinical documentation. During your consultation, your practitioner may use software such as Heidi, Lyrebird, MBSPro, that helps prepare the written record of your visit. This software captures the discussion during your appointment and produces a written summary for your practitioner to review, edit and confirm. Your practitioner remains responsible for the accuracy of your medical record. If you prefer that this software is not used during your consultation, you may tell your practitioner, and they will document your consultation without it.
AI-assisted pre-consultation contact. After you secure a booking, your practitioner may use software called Audri that contacts you before your appointment to gather information relevant to your visit. To do this, your name and contact number are shared with the software for that purpose. The information you provide helps your practitioner prepare for your appointment. If you prefer not to be contacted in this way, you may tell our reception team, and a member of our practice staff will contact you directly instead.
These tools are used to support the healthcare we provide to you. The information handled through them is treated with the same protection as all other personal information described in this policy. Where any recording or summary is created, it is used to produce your clinical record and is handled in accordance with our data handling practices and our agreements with the software providers.
We sometimes share your personal information:
• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers. These third parties are required to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law, such as court subpoenas
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of a confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information, such as some diseases that require mandatory notification
• during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record, for example via Shared Health Summary or Event Summary.
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia, unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law, without your consent.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. This includes electronic records and visual records such as X-rays, CT scans, videos and photos.
Our practice strives to store all data electronically and minimise use of physical storage such as paper records and removable or portable devices. All information, including your personal information, stored in electronic format is kept in highly protected, secured information systems on a server in a secured environment. Any information that is physically stored at Collingwood Medical is stored in locked cabinets in secure locations in the practice.
Where our practice uses third-party software to support your care, including the artificial intelligence tools described above, we require these providers to protect your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and to meet their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.
Passwords used to access any electronic information, including your personal data, are updated regularly.
Confidentiality agreements are in place for all staff and contractors.
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and either email, fax or post, and our practice will respond within 30 days.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to reception@collingwoodmedical.com.au.
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.
Contact details for complaints:
The Practice Manager
Collingwood Medical
Level 6, 51 Langridge Street, Collingwood VIC 3066
Fax: 03 9068 5842
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Policy review statement
This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. This policy will be updated on our website when a change is made.
