Electronic Communication Policy at Heide
Heide Clinic patients are asked to consider the following Electronic Communication Policy, and provide written consent to receive any appropriate future correspondence by email or SMS. Heide Clinic patients will receive a copy of this Policy to review and sign prior to their first appointment with a Heide Clinic practitioner.
The Heide Clinic may use electronic means (i.e. email and SMS) to communicate with patients. At all times, the clinical team will consider the quality and safety of care when providing information by electronic means.
Heide Clinic does not use encrypted email and cannot guarantee confidentiality of information received or sent by email.
Heide Clinic Staff will be mindful of personal information privacy and only use electronic means of communication in the following circumstances:
· where the patient has completed the initial patient registration / privacy and research consent form / electronic communication information and consent form which includes permission to use electronic means of communication
· to request patient to contact the Practice by phone
· to remind the patient of an upcoming appointment
· to send the patient clinical test requests
· to send a non-urgent reminder or recall for follow-up or regular testing
Should our patients not consent to electronic communication, all communication will occur via telephone only.
Email contact is for clerical issues only and is only accessed between 8.30am-5:00pm Monday -Friday (excluding public holidays). We will endeavour to respond to your email within 72 hours of receipt. We do not use encrypted email and cannot guarantee confidentiality of information sent by email.
To help us to provide the best care for our patients, Heide Clinic request that patients do not email with medical questions. Neither the Practice, nor the Clinician, will respond to any clinical queries received by email. All medical questions should be addressed in a consult with your doctor or healthcare practitioner. Appointments to answer your medical questions can be made by phoning the clinic on 03 7000 4888. If it is a medical emergency, please phone 000 or present to your nearest Emergency Department.
Some Risks Associated with Email Communication
Email is inherently unsafe unless it is fully encrypted requiring the use of strong authentication and password protection. Most email does not meet those standards. The risks of using email to communicate sensitive medical information include:
• Email can be forwarded, printed, and stored in numerous paper and electronic forms and be received by many intended and unintended recipients without explicit knowledge or agreement.
• Emails may be sent to the wrong address by any sender or receiver.
• Email is easier to forge than handwritten or signed papers.
• Copies of email may exist even after the sender or the receiver has deleted his or her copy.
• Email service providers have a right to archive and inspect emails sent through their systems.
• Email can be intercepted, altered, forwarded, or used without detection or authorisation.
• Email can spread computer viruses.
• Email delivery is not guaranteed.
• Email can be used for Phishing. Phishing is a technique of obtaining sensitivepersonal information from individuals by pretending to be a trusted sender.
The use of open internet email channels is not secure or encrypted –meaning that messages could potentially be viewed by unauthorised persons who might intercept or read those emails. Email is not an appropriate method for sharing urgent information. Email is not an appropriate method of communication for patients to direct clinical questions their Heide Clinic practitioner. The Practice will never ask for personal identifying information or other sensitive information using open email.
YourHealth Information and Our Privacy Policy
In accordance with the Victorian Health Records Act 2001 and Federal Privacy Act 1988
The Heide Clinic respects your right to privacy. We realise that it is important that you understand the purpose for which we collect details about your health, as well as how this information is used at the Heide Clinic and to whom this information might be disclosed.
The policy of our practice is to follow these procedures:
1. The information collected will be used for the purpose of providing appropriate healthcare to you. Personal information such as your name, address and health insurance details will be used for billing purposes including compliance with Medicare and Health Insurance Commission requirements. We also need this information to contact you about our services and any issues affecting your treatment. We may disclose your health information to other health care professionals, or request your health information from them, if, in our judgement, that is necessary in the context of your treatment.
2. Your medical history, treatment records, pathology results, imaging results (such as ultrasounds, MRI or CT scans, echocardiograms, etc) and any other material relevant to your treatment are stored by our secure medical software (Xestro). We may request copies of these results from other practitioners or diagnostic service providers if deemed relevant to your care. You may inspect or request copies of our records of your treatment at any time or seek an explanation from the doctor. Statutory fees will apply in relation to the types of access you seek. If you request an explanation of our records or a written summary, our usual fees apply to the seservices.
3. If any of the information we have about you is inaccurate, you may ask us to alter our records accordingly.
4. Several of the Heide Clinic clinicians actively participate in medical research. With your consent, one of our doctors may ask a research assistant to contact you to see if you would be willing to participate in clinical trial research. We would never use your personal information or medical records for medical research without your written informed consent.
5. The Heide Clinic may share relevant information with trusted clinicians or third-party services to support your care. Services your clinician may wish to refer you to include (but are not limited to) Eugene [https://eugenelabs.com] for genetic carrier screening, and Matilda Health (https://www.matilda.health] to support your surgical journey. We will seek your written consent
