Movement Science is committed to safeguarding the privacy rights of our clients and to treating all personal information with absolute confidentiality.
PURPOSE
This privacy policy explains how Movement Science Pty Ltd (‘Movement Science’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) manages the personal information of clients and other individuals who have shared personal information with us in person, over the telephone, by mail or online. It additionally describes the types of information that we hold and why, and explains how we collect, store, use, disclose and dispose of it.
APPLICATION
Movement Science adheres to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 and also complies with certain State and Territory legislation.
WHAT IS PERSONAL OR SENSITIVE INFORMATION?
Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual which can be used to identify that same individual, whether the information or opinion is true or not. Sensitive information is personal information that is granted a higher level of protection by privacy laws. It includes information about an individual’s health, race or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, political opinions, memberships (e.g. to political parties, professional bodies or trade unions) and any criminal activity. Where personal information is mentioned in this Privacy Policy, sensitive information is included.
WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED AND HELD?
The personal information that we collect from individuals may include the following:
- Name;
- Contact details (i.e. postal address, email address and telephone numbers);
- Date and country of birth;
- Gender, marital status, occupation and employer;
- Next of kin;
- Medical history and/or other health information collected whilst we provide our services;
- Health fund details, Medicare details and/or other health insurance cover details;
- Bank and credit card details;
- Personal interests and hobbies;
- Other information that we may require in order to provide our services.
WHY DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?
If an individual has or is due to receive a service from us we will collect, use or disclose their personal information for the following reasons:
- To ensure the continuity of care of individuals treated in our clinic;
- To provide services where the individual would expect disclosure;
- For administrative purposes (i.e. to ensure the regular running of our clinic);
- For billing purposes;
- To send appointment reminders by email, telephone, SMS or mail;
- To send communications if appointments or services are changed or cancelled;
- For direct marketing purposes (i.e. to advise of any future promotions, discounts or sales);
- To amend records and keep contact details up-to-date;
- To respond to enquiries, comments and complaints;
- To improve our services;
- To develop and improve our website;
- To disclose to others involved in an individual’s treatment, including external healthcare providers;
- To advise if our clinic will be merging, relocating or closing down;
- To comply with legal and regulatory requirements;
- To undertake accreditation, quality assurance or clinical audits.
HOW DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We collect personal information directly where it is reasonable and practical to do so. This is usually when an individual attends our clinic for a service, completes documents in order to receive that service, provides information over the telephone, submits an enquiry or booking through our website, or contacts us with any other question, comment or complaint. We may also collect personal information from third parties such as the following:
- Agencies (e.g. Medicare and the Department of Veteran Affairs);
- Medical professionals (e.g. GPs, allied health professionals and specialists);
- Private health insurers;
- Solicitors, lawyers and compensation companies.
USE OF AI FOR PATIENT CHARTING
By using our services, you acknowledge and consent that artificial intelligence (AI) may be used for the documentation and charting of your medical information. This AI technology helps enhance the accuracy and efficiency of your medical records but is used under the supervision of healthcare professionals. Please be aware that your personal and medical data may be processed through AI systems in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection regulations. If you do not agree to this, please notify us or refrain from using our services.
STORING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may store personal information in electronic or paper format and take its security very seriously. We ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to protect personal information from loss, misuse, modification, unauthorised access and disclosure. These measures include the following:
- Requiring that all staff and contractors enter into a confidentiality agreement and observe privacy laws;
- Implementing security measures for access to computer systems and other storage facilities;
- Retaining personal information only for the period of time determined by law and disposing of it securely.
ACCURACY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We strive to ensure that the personal information we collect, use and disclose is comprehensive, correct and up-to-date. However, the accuracy of this information is largely dependent on the quality of the information provided to us. We therefore encourage you to quickly inform us if the personal information that we hold about you contains errors, or if you need to let us know about any changes (e.g. to your name or address). Please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 02 8540 7319.
ACCESSING PERSONAL INFORMATION
Individuals have the right to access their personal information and can contact us in order for this to be released. However, we will not disclose an individual’s personal information unless their written consent has been received and processed. We can only provide an authorised representative with access to an individual’s personal information if they can demonstrate that they have either the individual’s consent or the legal authority to do so.
OUR WEBSITE
Visitors to our website only disclose personal information if they provide it through our booking form. When individuals visit our website anonymously, non-personal information including, but not limited to, browser type, version and language, operating system and webpages viewed may be collected. We alone may use this information solely for the purpose of developing and improving our website and gauging visitor traffic and trends.
CONTACTING US
If you have any questions or comments about the way that we manage your personal information, would like to update or request access to your personal information, or wish to discuss or complain about our privacy practices, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing [email protected], telephoning 02 8540 7319 or writing to us at the following address:
Movement Science
Suite 1
181 High Street
North Willoughby
NSW 2068
We treat all feedback with great importance and will respond to any questions or complaints shortly after they are received. It is also within your rights to make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Should you wish to obtain more information about privacy in general, please refer to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s website.