YOUR PRIVACY AT SYDNEY ULTRASOUND FOR WOMEN (SUFW)
Aim
Your right to privacy has always been important to Sydney Ultrasound for Women (SUFW).
This document aims to explain clearly the personal information we have on our records and the manner in which we use that information.
What information does SUFW hold?
Your doctor, counsellors and sonographers needs information about your past and present health in order to provide you with high quality care. We will ensure that your discussions with our doctors and sonographers are private. Information is called “personal health information” if it concerns your health, medical history or past or
future medical care and it would be able to identify you.
Our records include other information that identifies you – name, address, telephone number, date of birth, Medicare number, blood group etc.
This information will be kept private and secure.
Your medical records
Your doctor, counsellors and sonographers will do their best to make sure that your medical records:
• Are accurate, comprehensive, well-organised and legible
• Are up to date
• Have enough information to allow another doctor to care for you
• Do not contain offensive or irrelevant comments about you
• Contain a summary of your care
Our doctors, counsellors and sonographers only collect information which is relevant to your medical care. If you are uncertain as to why information is being requested, please ask.
Providing your information to others
We use this information to aid us in providing an accurate assessment of your medical condition/pregnancy in order to supply your referring doctor with a report. It may be necessary to forward blood or tissue samples to other services for diagnosis. It is understood that by consenting to providing a sample of blood or tissue, that you consent to your personal information being forwarded to the laboratory or service that will process the sample.
In most group practices, it is customary for all doctors, counsellors and sonographers in the practice to have access to all the medical records. If you have concerns about other doctors being able to see your records, discuss your concerns with your doctor.
Our doctors, counsellors and sonographers will not disclose your personal health information to a third party unless:
• You have consented to the disclosure
• This disclosure is necessary because you are at risk of harm without treatment and you are unable to give consent, for example, you might be unconscious
• Your doctor is legally obliged to disclose the information (eg. Notification of certain infectious diseases or a subpoena or court order)
• The information is necessary to obtain Medicare payments or other health insurance rebates
In any of the above cases, only information which is necessary to achieve the objective will be provided.
Using health information for quality improvement and research
We use patient health information to assist in improving the quality of care we give to all our patients by reviewing the services provided in the practice.
We may also use information that cannot be identified with you in research projects to improve health care in the community or articles in medical journals.
The information used for research will not be in a form that would enable you to be identified. The publication of research results which use your information will never be in a form that enables you to be identified.
Security of information in the practice
SUFW will ensure that any of your personal information on our computer system will be kept private in the same way as occurs with paper records. Your records will be protected from unauthorised access.
Your access to your health information
You have access to the information contained in your medical record. You may ask your doctor about any aspect of your health care including information in your records. We believe that sharing information is important for good communication between you and your doctor and for good health care.
Information in your record can be provided to you by way of an accurate and up to date summary of your care, for instance if you are moving away and transferring to new doctor. If you request a summary or direct access to your full medical record, the doctor will need to take out any information provided by others on a confidential basis.
Your doctor will also need to consider the risk of any physical or mental harm to you and any other person which may result from disclosure of your health information.
Depending on what is involved, you may be asked to contribute to the cost of providing the information.
Should you require further information or clarification please contact Central Management on 1300 557 226
