We are required, by law, to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of your protected health information and to provide our patients with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your protected health information.
We inform our patients about our practice’s policies regarding the collection and management of their personal health information via:
- A sign at reception ,
- Brochure/s in the waiting area
- Our patient information sheet
- New patient forms – “Consent to share information”
- Verbally if appropriate
- The practice website.
Disclosure of your health care information
Hills Physiotherapy will only collect personal information that is necessary for providing those services offered in our clinic or website. We shall advise you at all times the purpose of our collection and ensure that your personal information is collected by lawful and fair means and by your express consent.
When submitting information in our practice, we will collect details including your name, address, and contact details. The information we collect is essential for us to be able to identify you accurately and the nature of your treatment.
Such information which is collected will be held in the strictest confidence. Should Hills Physiotherapy intend utilising this information for secondary purposes your express consent would first be obtained.
Security: In house safeguards will monitor and maintain personal information to protect against unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, destruction and loss. Furthermore, all information that Hills Physiotherapy no longer requires will be destroyed or permanently de-identified to ensure continued protection of your personally identifiable information
We may disclose your health care information to other healthcare professionals within our practice for the purpose of treatment, payment or healthcare operations.
Workers’ Compensation: We may disclose your health information as necessary to comply with Workers’ Compensation Laws.
Emergencies: We may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for your care about your medical condition or in the event of an emergency or of your death.
Public health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, and reporting disease or infection exposure.
Judicial and administrative proceedings: We may disclose your health information in the course of any administrative or judicial proceeding.
Law enforcement: We may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena, and other law enforcement purposes.
Deceased persons: We may disclose your health information to coroners or medical examiners.
Public Safety: It may be necessary to disclose your health information to appropriate persons in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.
Specialised Government Agencies: We may disclose your health information for military, national security, prisoner and government benefits purposes.
Hills Physiotherapy publicly exhibits its personal information practices and management policies. As well as making these guidelines available, Hills Physiotherapy will take reasonable steps to bring to your attention what information it holds, for what purposes and how it collected, uses and discloses that information.
Where information is held by Hills Physiotherapy regarding an individual, access will be provided upon request in a form reasonably suitable to the information held, except to the extent that;
(a) The request for access by the individual is frivolous or vexatious; or
(b) Providing access would unreasonably impact on the privacy of others; or
(c) Providing access would be unlawful; or
(d) Providing access would prejudice commercial negotiations between the individual and Hills Physiotherapy.
If access is denied to an individual then written reasons will be provided outlining why access has been denied.
Where an individual establishes that the information held about them by Hills Physiotherapy is not accurate, complete, or up to date, Hills Physiotherapy will take reasonable steps to correct that information.
We will provide full access to all personal information you have given to us. If you do not wish to have personal information used for a particular purpose we will not do this.
If you desire to review or make necessary corrections or remove personal information you do not wish us to retain please e-mail us hillsphysiotherapy@hotmail.com to do so.
If you should require your physiotherapy record to be forwarded to another practitioner or medical practice, you will need to book an appointment to go over these medical records with a Physiotherapist, and they will be copied and forwarded as requested. A medical record release consent form is to be signed by the patient. A cost may be incurred for copying and postage.
Use of AI for Clinical Record Keeping
How We Use AI
To streamline our clinical documentation process, we may use a combination of practitioner hand-recorded notes, voice transcriptions, or even a voice recording of your consultation. If voice transcription is used, our AI tool transcribes these recordings into written notes, allowing your practitioner to focus more on your care during consultations.
After transcription, the AI system helps format the information into formal clinical documents. These documents are always reviewed and finalised by your practitioner to ensure accuracy and completeness before they are included in your medical records.
Data Privacy and Security
Your privacy is our top priority. We have implemented strict safeguards to keep your data secure:
- Once your clinical notes or letters are finalised, the audio recordings are permanently deleted.
- Our AI system is hosted within Australia, and it does not store your data or use it for any external purposes, including training or development.
Your Consent
By receiving care at our practice, you are consenting to the use of AI to assist with creating your clinical notes and letters. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, or if you prefer alternative documentation methods, please speak to your practitioner. They will be happy to accommodate your personal preferences.
Your Health Information Rights
- You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. Please be advised, however, that this practice is not required to agree to the restriction that you requested, such in the case that it conflicts with any of the above.
- You have the right to have your health information received or communicated through an alternative method or sent to an alternative location other than the usual method of communication or delivery, upon your request.
- You have the right to inspect and copy your health information.
- You have a right to request that this practice amend your protected health information. Please be advised, however, that this practice is not required to agree to amend your protected health information. If your request to amend your health information has been denied, you will be provided with an explanation of our denial reason(s) and information about how you can disagree with the denial.
- You have a right to receive an accounting of disclosures of your protected health information made by this practice.
- You have a right to a paper copy of this notice of privacy policy at any time upon request.
- You have a right to comment about Hills Physiotherapy’s Privacy Policy. If you have a comment or complaint, please do contact us using our contact details at the top of this Policy.
Website Usage Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. It is Hills Physiotherapy’s policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across our website, https://hillsphysiotherapy.com.au, and other sites we own and operate.
We only ask for personal information when we truly need it to provide a service to you. We collect it by fair and lawful means, with your knowledge and consent.
What data we store, we’ll protect within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
We share Personal Data with a limited number of our service providers. We have service providers that provide services on our behalf, such as website hosting, SEO, data analysis, information technology and related infrastructure, customer service and email delivery.
Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and practices of these sites, and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy policies.
You are free to refuse our request for your personal information, with the understanding that we may be unable to provide you with some of your desired services.
Your continued use of our website will be regarded as acceptance of our practices around privacy and personal information. If you have any questions about how we handle user data and personal information, feel free to contact us.
This policy is effective as of 16 May 2019.
