Please do not email requests for scripts and referrals. Please call us and ask for a telehealth appointment with your doctor.

If you are a patient of Rose Bay Medical Practice (and have been physically seen by one of our doctors in the last 6 months) you can request a telehealth appointment with a doctor to renew your scripts or get a repeat specialist referral. A prescription is a legal document issued by the doctor and the doctor accepts liability for any consequence arising from the use of prescribed drugs. In the interest of good medical care, our doctors will need to review and assess your file before issuing a repeat prescription. A consultation is therefore required before a script can be issued. We require patient identifiers (3) when discussing results.

The doctors at our practice have no hesitation in referring patients at their request, or where a problem requires specialist expertise. Generally, referrals are given after consultation with the general practitioner. This ensures that the referral is appropriate and allows the doctors to coordinate the management of a problem. Doctors are not permitted to backdate referrals, so please ensure that your referral is current prior to seeing the specialist.

SPECIALIST FEES ARE SEPARATE TO ROSE BAY MEDICAL PRACTICE FEES. ADDITIONAL FEES MAY ALSO BE INCURRED FOR TESTS,IMAGING, INJECTIONS REQUESTED BY SPECIALISTS

Rose Bay Medical Practice has a privacy policy that complies with both Federal and State Legislation. The application of general privacy laws enhances the provision of quality health care. At Rose Bay Medical Practice we help our doctors manage health information in an ethical and lawful way, consistent with the maintenance of high professional standards and quality practice. A copy of the privacy policy of Rose Bay Medical Practice is available from reception desk on request.

If you would like to make a complaint, please advise reception and they will provide you with a complaints form to be filled out. This should be returned to reception in a sealed envelope and will then be passed on to the practice manager. The practice manager will respond to your complaint within seven days as long as your name and is provided.

The practice is located at

535 Old South Head Road

Rose Bay

NSW 2029

(Opposite Bunnings)

phone: 9371 8377

Fax: 9371 7578

reception@rosebaymedicalpractice.com.au

Most medical matters are not handled over the phone.

Please be aware that the doctors may not be able to take your calls if they are in consultation with a patient. In many cases our reception staff will be able to help with your inquiry.

Our email address is:

reception@ rosebaymedicalpractice.com.au

This address is checked daily, you can expect a reply from us within 48 hours. For urgent matters please call us on 9371 8377.

To protect the confidential nature of our medical records please be aware that details of a clinical nature are unable to be discussed over email.

We routinely send recall and reminder letters/ text messages to patients regarding further consultation and assessment. Patients also have access to the diabetic register, pap screen register, bowel screening register, and childhood immunisation registers. The practice operates a reminder system to ensure patients have access to regular health assessments

and to assist in the management of chronic diseases. Once registered patients are routinely recalled. You may advise your doctor if you object to being included in reminder systems or registers.

Patient Information collected by this practice is accessible only by medical practitioners and will not be released to third parties without your consent. Please refer to our privacy statement for more information.

We take pride in the services we offer and welcome any comments. There is a suggestion box in the waiting room for this purpose. Please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor, or with Zillah our Practice Manager.

More serious complains may be directed to the Healthcare Complaints Commissioner Locked Bag 18, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012. Ph. 02 9219 7444.

Thank you for taking the time to read our practice information sheet. We look forward to welcoming you to our practice.

535 OLD SOUTH HEAD RD

ROSE BAY 2029

Ph. 02 9371 8377 Fax 02 9371 7578

reception@ rosebaymedicalpractice.com.au

http://www. rosebaymedicalpractice.com.au

Thank you for visiting our practice which has provided continuous medical care.

Personal health information is defined as information concerning your health, medical history, or past or present medical care; and which is in a form that enables or could enable you to be identified. It includes information about your current medical situation, your medical history and your express wishes concerning current and future health services.

All GPs and practice staff will ensure that you can discuss issues relating to your health, and that the GP can record relevant personal health information, in a setting that provides visual privacy and protects against any conversation being overheard by a third party. Staff will not enter a consultation room during a consultation without knocking or otherwise communicating with the GP.

Clinical and Administrative staff may only view, access, use and disclose personal health information when it is necessary for them to do so in order to carry out their work duties.

PRACTICE POLICY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Nature and scope of this practice policy

This policy primarily addresses the management of ‘personal health information’ in the practice.

The policy covers the following areas:

1. Privacy

2. Informing new patients

3. Patient access to your personal health information

4. Alteration of patient records

5. Access to personal health information by practice staff for the purposes of research, professional development and quality assurance/improvement

6. Confidentiality agreements

7. Disclosure to third parties

8. Requests for personal health information and medical records by other medical practices

9. Security

10. Complaints about privacy related matters

11. Retention of medical records

This policy:

• is based on The Handbook for the Management of Health Information in Private

Medical Practice published in November 2002;

• is consistent with the National Privacy Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal

Information in the Federal Privacy Act 1988 as amended; and

• takes into account legislation pertaining to privacy in NSW.

While the policy focuses on the management of your health record, it also relates to other

recorded information, for example Medicare data, billing and accounting records,

pathology and radiology results, medical certificates and letters to and from hospitals and

other doctors.

If you have any questions or complaints with regard to our collection, use or management

of your personal information, please contact:

Zillah Ehrlich

Practice Manager

Rose Bay Medical Practice, 535 Old South Head Road, Rose Bay, NSW 2028

535 Old South Head Road Rose Bay NSW 2029

T: 02 9371 8377| F: 02 9371 7578

manager@rosebaymedicalpractice.com.au

New patients will be offered access to the practice information policy. This practice tries to make sure that the information on privacy available to patients is appropriate for the range of people who come here. Feedback about the information is welcome.

Practice staff will ensure that current leaflets about the practice’s approach to personal privacy are at practice reception. Information provided to patients, both by GPs and staff verbally, and in writing through practice leaflets will advise that, for the purpose of patient care, this practice normally allows access to patient records by:

• other GPs in the practice

• GP locums

• Nursing staff

You have the opportunity to limit access to your record and your GP will note anyrequirements in the ‘alert’ section of the computerised record. GPs will make a contemporaneous note in your record outlining your consent to the collection and use of

information that is particularly sensitive.

Our practice staff, including GPs will endeavour to ensure that continuing patients of the practice are informed about the impact of changes to privacy legislation, by bringing relevant materials to their attention.

Under privacy legislation provisions you have the right to access your health information stored at the practice. The treating GP will provide an up to date and accurate summary of your health information on request or whenever appropriate.

The treating GP will consider any requests you may make for access to your medical record. In doing so the GP will need to consider the risk of any physical or mental harm resulting from the disclosure of health information.

If the GP is satisfied that you may safely obtain the record then he/she will either show you the record, or arrange for provision of a photocopy, and explain the contents to you.

This practice will alter personal health information at your request when the request for alteration is straightforward (e.g. amending an address or telephone number).

With most requests to alter or correct information, the General Practitioner will annotate your record to indicate the nature of the request and whether the GP agrees with it. For legal reasons, the doctor will not alter or erase the original entry.

The practice operates an opt out system for recalls and contact. By becoming a patient of

our practice you agree to participate in a recall or reminder system. Should you wish to opt out you must notify the practice in writing and the doctor will make a note of this in

your record.

Should the practice decide to stop a recall or reminder system, we will write to each person on the system at your last known address, and advise you that the system will be ceasing.

Our patients will be informed when quality improvement, professional development and research activities are being conducted and given the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of any involvement in these activities. The GP responsible for the activity will ensure that appropriate information is available to you from the reception staff.

When research projects are conducted in the practice under the approval of an institutional ethics committee, staff will be made aware of the requirements to obtain consent specified in the research protocol and ensure that consent is properly obtained. Where possible, identifying information will be removed from personal health information being used for research and QA activities. Where this is not possible, internal staff accessing personal health information are aware that they are under an obligation of confidentiality not to disclose the information. Breaches of that obligation may result in instant dismissal. The GP from the practice who is responsible will ensure that any external researchers are also under an explicit written obligation of confidentiality with appropriate penalties for disclosure.

In order to protect personal privacy, this practice has staff, including temporary or casual

staff; sub-contractors (e.g. software providers etc) sign a confidentiality agreement.

Disclosure to third parties

GPs and staff will ensure that personal health information is disclosed to third parties only where your written consent has been obtained. Exceptions to this rule occur when disclosure is necessary to manage a serious and imminent threat either to your health or welfare, or the health and welfare of those around you. There are occasions where disclosure without consent is required by law.

The GP will refer to relevant legislation and your maturity (in the case of a minor) before deciding whether you can make decisions about the use and disclosure of information independently (ie without the consent of a parent or guardian). For example, for you to consent to treatment, the GP must be satisfied that you (a minor) is aware and able to understand the nature, consequences and risks of the proposed treatment. You are then also able to make decisions on the use and disclosure of his or her health information. GPs will explain the nature of any information about you to be provided to other people, for example, in letters of referral to hospitals or specialists. You consent to the provision of this information by agreeing to take the letter to the hospital or specialist, or by agreeing for the practice to send it.

GPs and staff will disclose to third parties only that information which is required to fulfil your needs.

These principles apply to the personal information provided to a treating team (for example, a physiotherapist or consultant physician also involved in a person’s care). The principles also apply where the information is transferred by other means, for example, via an intranet.

Information you have indicated is restricted will not be disclosed to third parties without your explicit consent. GPs will make a contemporaneous note when such permission is given. Information disclosed to Medicare or other health insurers will be limited to the minimum required to obtain insurance rebates or to confirm billings details for workers compensation claims.

Should an outstanding debt be referred to a collection agency, this practice will provide only the contact details of the debtor and the amount of the debt. No other personal information will be provided. Information supplied in response to a court order will be limited to the matter under consideration by the court.

From time to time General Practitioners will provide our medical defence organisation or insurer with information, in order to meet our insurance obligations. This practice participates in practice accreditation, which helps us improve the quality of its services. Practice accreditation may involve the ‘surveyors’ who visit the practice reviewing patient records to ensure that appropriate standards are being met. This practice will advise patients when practice accreditation is occurring by placing a notice in the reception area prior to the survey visit occurring. You will be given the opportunity of refusing accreditation surveyors access to your health information.

Access to accurate and up to date information about you by a new treating GP is integral to the GP providing high quality health care. This practice engages an after-hours service to provide care, and will allow this service to have access to a patient’s personal health information in order to assist the after-hours service provide high quality care. If a patient transfers away from the practice to another GP, and requests that the medical record be transferred, the existing GP will provide the record, a summary, or a copy to the new treating GP or to you. This practice will retain original documents and records. This practice will seek written and signed permission from you, for the provision of personal health information to another medical practice.

Medical practitioners, practice staff and contractors will protect personal health information against unauthorised access, modification or disclosure and misuse and loss while it is being stored or actively used for continued management of your health care. Staff will ensure that patients, visitors and other health care providers to the practice do not have unauthorised access to the medical record storage area or computers. Staff will ensure that records, pathology test results, and any other papers or electronic devices containing personal health information are not left where they may be accessed by unauthorised persons. Non clinical staff will have limited access to personal health information to that necessary for the performance of duties. Fax, e-mail and telephone messages will be treated with security equal to that applying to medical records.

Computer screens will be positioned to prevent unauthorised viewing of personal health information. Through the use of, for example, password-protected screen-savers, staff will ensure that computers left unattended cannot be accessed by unauthorised persons. Medical practitioners and staff will ensure that personal health information held in the practice is secured against loss or alteration of data. This includes adherence to national encryption protocols.

Patient records will not be removed from the practice, except when required by clinical staff for patient care purposes. Records will be kept securely while away from the practice and the responsible clinician will ensure that records are returned to the practice and left in an appropriate place for filing.

Manual medical records and other papers containing personal health information will be filed promptly after each patient contact.

Staff will ensure that manual and electronic records, computers, other electronic devices and filing areas are secured at the end of each day and that the building is locked when leaving. The data on the computer system will be backed up daily and be routinely tested to ensure daily duplication processes are valid and retrievable.

Complaints about privacy-related matters

Complaints about privacy-related matters will be addressed in the same way as other complaints. This procedure is outlined elsewhere in this practice’s procedures manual.

Retention of medical records

It is the policy of the practice that individual patient medical records be retained until you have reached the age of 25 or for a minimum of 7 years from the time of last contact, whichever is the longer. No record will be destroyed at any time without the permission of the treating GP or of the authorised GP in the practice.

In the event of a GP dying or transferring out of the practice, the practice will post a notice in the practice waiting room, or a GP who is leaving the practice may write individually to each patient, asking them to nominate a practitioner to whom the record should be transferred.

If the practice closes, patients will be contacted individually or, if this is not practical, a public notice will be placed in the local newspaper indicating how patients may arrange for your record to be transferred to another GP.