Integrated Neurology   Practice Privacy Policy (Version 3; August 2025).

1. Introduction

Our practice is committed to best practice in relation to the management of information we collect. This practice has developed a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (‘the Privacy Act’).  Our policy is to inform you of:

• the kinds of information that we collect and hold, which, as a medical practice, is likely to be ‘health information’ for the purposes of the Privacy Act;
• how we collect and hold personal information;
• the purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information;
• how you may access your personal information and seek the correction of that information;
• how you may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with such a complaint;
• whether we are likely to disclose personal information to overseas recipients;

2. What kinds of personal information do we collect?

The type of information we may collect and hold includes:

• Your name, address, date of birth, email and contact details
• Medicare number , DVA number and other government identifiers, private health fund details, although we will not use these for the purposes of identifying you in our practice
• Other health information about you, including:
  • notes of your symptoms or diagnosis and the treatment given to you
  • your specialist reports and test results
  • your appointment and billing details
  • your prescriptions and other pharmaceutical purchases
  • your genetic information
  • any other information about your race, sexuality or religion, when collected by a health service provider.

3. How do we collect and hold personal information?

We will generally collect personal information:

• from you directly when you provide your details to us. This might be via a face to face discussion, telephone conversation, registration form or online form
• We may use an AI scribe tool (i-scribe) to collect medical information for storage in your medical records and your specific consent for this will be sought
• from a person responsible for you
• from third parties where the Privacy Act or other law allows it – this may include, but is not limited to:  other members of your treating team, diagnostic centres, specialists, hospitals, Medicare, your health insurer, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Medical Device manufacturers and My Health Record

4. Why do we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information?

In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• to provide health services to you such as e-scripts
• to communicate with you in relation to the health service being provided to you
• to comply with our legal obligations, including, but not limited to, mandatory notification of communicable diseases or mandatory reporting under applicable child protection legislation.
• to help us manage our accounts and administrative services, including billing, arrangements with health funds, pursuing unpaid accounts, management of our ITC systems
• for consultations with other doctors and allied health professionals involved in your healthcare;
• through electronic prescribing, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event) if appropriate
• to obtain, analyse and discuss test results from diagnostic and pathology laboratories
• for identification and insurance claiming.
• To liaise with your health fund, government and regulatory bodies such as Medicare, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) (if you make a privacy complaint to the OAIC), as necessary.
• To keep you updated regarding changes at the practice.  This may include marketing material regarding new services or a change in services provided by the practice.  This type of information will only be sent to you if you have indicated that you wish to receive it by emailing us; or via signed consent provided on your attendance at the practice premises.  You may withdraw your consent to receive Marketing material at any time by contacting the Practice Manager (see 10 below for contact details), or as per the opt-out option on digital communications.
• Please note that email correspondence is undertaken for administrative purposes only after receiving written confirmation of acceptance of the Integrated Neurology email correspondence policy.  Our doctors do not undertake clinical correspondence by email with patients or their relatives/carers.

5. How can you access and correct your personal information?

You have a right to seek access to, and correction of the personal information which we hold about you. This information is usually provided in hard copy format. A fee for photocopying and postage is generally charged for this service, payable in advance.

For details on how to access and correct your health record, please contact our practice as noted below under ‘Contact Details’

We will normally respond to your request within 30 days.

6. How do we hold your personal information?

Our staff are trained and required to respect and protect your privacy. We take reasonable steps to protect information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. This includes:

• Use of strong passwords for computer, server and medical software access
• Antivirus software
• Access to personal information is restricted on a ‘need to know basis’.
• Our practice has document retention and destruction policies.

7. Privacy related questions and complaints

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or the handling of your personal information by us, you may lodge your complaint in writing to (see below for details). We will normally respond to your request within 30 days.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the OAIC:

Phone: 1300 363 992

Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

Fax: +61 2 9284 9666

Post: GPO Box 5218 
Sydney NSW 2001

Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/individuals/how-do-i-make-a-privacy-complaint

8. Overseas disclosure

We may disclose your personal information to the following overseas recipients:

• any practice or individual who assists us in providing services (such as where you have come from overseas and had your health record transferred from overseas or have treatment continuing from an overseas provider)
• anyone else to whom you authorise us to disclose it

9. Updates to this Policy

This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and other necessary developments. Updates will be publicised on the practice’s website.

10. Contact details for privacy related issues

The Practice Manager

Integrated Neurology

Suite 2 Level 5 NSMC

66 Pacific Highway

St. Leonards NSW 2065

Phone: 02 9437 4733

Email: admin@integratedneurology.net