Breast Imaging : Privacy Policy

Radiology Management Services (Breast Imaging) - Privacy Policy January 2002

This privacy policy is based on the amended Privacy Act 1988 in operation from 21 December 2001.

Privacy and Health Care

Most people consider their health information to be highly personal, and want their privacy respected whenever they use a health service. Radiology Management Services Privacy Policy offers privacy protection and choice to patients, while balancing this with the need for health service providers to share information, where necessary, for the provision of quality health care.

The Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000

The legislation delivers 10 National Privacy Principles (NPP's), which form the core of the private sector provisions and set the minimum standards for privacy in the private health sector. These principals have been adopted by Radiology Management Services.

Radiology Management Services (Breast Imaging) Privacy Principles

Collection & 10: Sensitive Information - Radiology Management Services will collect health information only with consent, and will collect only the information necessary to provide the service required. When Radiology Management Services collects the information directly from the patient during a consultation, it will be reasonable to consider that consent is implied - as long as it is clear to the patient what information is being recorded and why.

Use and Disclosure - Once collected, health information can be used by Radiology Management Services or disclosed to third parties outside Radiology Management Services, in accordance with professional codes of practice. Radiology Management Services will only use or disclose information for the purpose it was collected, or if the secondary purpose is related to the primary purpose, and a person would reasonably expect such a disclosure.

Data Quality & 4: Data Security - Radiology Management Services has set standards for keeping information up-to-date, accurate and complete, as well as for protecting and securing it from loss, misuse and unauthorised access.

Openness - Radiology Management Services patient health information, is handled as is outlined in all principals of this document. On request by a patient, Radiology Management Services will take reasonable steps to let the person know, generally, what sort of personal information it holds, for what purposes, and how it collects, holds, uses and discloses that information.

Access & Correction - Radiology Management Services patients reserve the right of access to their own health records, and a right to have information corrected, if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Identifiers - Radiology Management Services agrees to limit the use of Commonwealth government identifiers (such as the Medicare number or the Veterans Affairs number) to the purposes for which they were issued.

Anonymity - Where lawful and practicable, Radiology Management Services patients have the option of using health services without identifying themselves.

Transborder data flows - Radiology Management Services may transfer personal information about an individual to a third party who is in a foreign country in accordance with the national codes of practice [see NPP9 in the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 as at 10/01/02]. Radiology Management Services will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information transferred, will not be held, used or disclosed by the recipient of the information inconsistently with the National Privacy Principles.

Access

The general right of access a patient has to their information relates only to their own health records. Access can occur in a number of different ways. A patient may:

Look at the information and talk though the contents with the Breast Imaging radiographer or radiologist.
Obtain a copy of the information (for example, a photocopy of paper records, or a copy of an x-ray) or take notes about the content.
Obtain a print-out of information stored in the Breast Imaging computer system.

Complaints

Complaints about alleged breaches of privacy can be made to the Federal Privacy Commissioner. The Commissioner can investigate, conciliate and, if necessary, make determinations about complaints.