Your Privacy

I-MED collects personal information in order to provide quality diagnostic services and assist in the provision of medical care.

The main categories of personal information I-MED collects are:

• name
• address
• phone contact
• date of birth
• gender

I-MED also collects sensitive (health) information in the course of providing health services to an individual including:

• the results of any tests or procedures;
• information about your past clinical history (e.g.: medication taken, previous test results, etc);
• other health information provided by your referring doctor;
• payment and administrative information such as your Medicare or private health insurance information;
• information collected directly from you when you attend our clinics; and/or
• information provided by third parties such as your referring doctor or your authorised representative.

If you choose not to provide your personal information to I-MED, we may be unable to provide you with the services you request.

How we use your information

I-MED may use your information for the purpose of:

• making an assessment of your health status;
• providing a specialist medical report about your health to your referring doctor;
• billing and collection of any outstanding debts;
• sending you reminder notices of specific tests as required by law (e.g.: Pap smear registry, Mammography, etc);
• notifying relevant organisations such as insurance companies and legal advisers of an incident/accident when a claim of medical malpractice has been alleged; and/or
• ongoing research of specific cases for the continuing education of professional personnel (such information being de-identified prior to use).

Disclosure of your information

I-MED does not sell or disclose information about our patients to drug companies or other health organisations who are not involved in your medical care.

I-MED may sometimes need to disclose information about you to organisations outside of I-MED for medical, ethical, legal and/or procedural reasons. These organisations may include:

• forwarding to consultant medical specialists or organisations outside of I-MED for further advise on your medical condition;
• contractors who (under strict privacy guidelines) assist us in some of our business operations, such as:
  • maintenance of our information systems;
  • administration such as mailing;
  • billing and debt-recovery, corporate risk management, finance, and general office services; and
  • installation, maintenance and repair services.
• contractors who (under strict privacy guidelines) review or perform further tests/procedures, including:
  • pathology tests that may be required after an x-ray; or
  • pathology tests that may not be performed by our laboratory and are referred to an outside organisation to perform
• your representative(s) (e.g.: your guardian, authorised representatives such as family members or legal advisors);
• Medicare or your private health fund for the purpose of benefits payable;
• our professional advisors (such as accountants, auditors and legal advisers);
• government and regulatory authorities and other organisations, as required or authorised by law;
• a new business operator in the event that the assets and operations of an I-MED business are transferred to another party as a going concern; and/or
• our related companies.

Accuracy of your information

I-MED endeavours to ensure the information we collect, use and disclose is accurate and up-to date. The accuracy of that information depends on the information you provide to us. We recommend that you:

• tell us if there are any errors in the information we hold; and
• inform us of changes to your information such as you name, address or Medicare number.

Your information is being kept safe and will not be disclosed to anyone without your permission. Internal procedures have been developed and staff training has been provided to ensure the privacy of your information is secure.

Access to your information

The best way to obtain your results is in consultation with your doctor so they can be explained in the context of your healthcare.

You may however, request access to information we hold about you. In some instances, charges may apply for the reproduction of results or films (if available). We will inform you of any costs before they are incurred. In some circumstances your request may be denied for specific legal reasons as set out in the Privacy Act, including if the request is vexatious or a criminal investigation is under way.

If your request is denied, a reason will be given to you. In order to maintain the security of your information, two (2) forms of identification are required before copies of information will be supplied (such as drivers licence, or evidence of home address such as from a power bill).

Privacy is important to your medical care. At I-MED we are committed to protecting our patients privacy, through explaining our practices, only collecting and disclosing medical information with patients consent, and resolving and privacy-related problems as quickly as possible.

Amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 require private sector organisations to protect the privacy of an individual’s personal information. This document explains I-MED.s measures to comply with the Privacy Act.

I-MED will protect your privacy by:

• only obtaining information about your health with your consent;
• keeping your health information secure;
• giving you access to the information we have concerning you;
• not disclosing this information outside the organisation without your consent;
• allowing you to withdraw your consent at any stage;
• providing you with a simple complaints mechanism for complaints relating to privacy issues;
• ensuring a process for working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to resolve any complaints that cannot be resolved directly with you;
• providing written procedures and instructions for staff to ensure that privacy sensitive processes are adhered to;
• ensuring I-MED.s external contractors comply with the Act; and
• continuing to review and improve our privacy practices.

Complaints

You can complain about how we have treated your personal information or privacy generally. Please send your complaint to the I-MED Privacy Officer at the address below. The complaint will be investigated and a response will be sent to you as quickly as possible. We will endeavour to respond to you within 14 days. If you are dissatisfied with the response, you can refer the matter to the Privacy Commissioner.

Your privacy is important to I-MED.

I-MED Network Limited
Level 24, 201 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 8274 1000
Fax: (02) 8274 1077
Email: info@i-med.com.au