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Bulent Yaprak's Rooms: Privacy Policy
Privacy, Security, and Act Compliance.
Bulent Yaprak’s practice takes your privacy seriously. Privacy protection and confidentiality of health information is essential for quality health care and we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information we handle about you.
This policy explains:
- how we collect, store, use and disclose your personal information;
- how to access your personal information;
- how we protect the quality and security of your personal information;
- how to seek correction of any personal information we hold; and
- how to make a complaint about our handling of your personal information.
In addition to our professional and ethical obligations, our Dr Yaprak’s Rooms handles your personal information in accordance with governmental laws and acts.
This includes complying with:
The New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000
The Health Information Privacy Code 2020
The Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996
The Official Information Act 1982
Cancer Regulatory Regulations 1994
PRIVACY STATEMENT
We are committed to providing quality healthcare for our patients. As a fundamental part of this commitment, we recognise the importance of ensuring that our patients are fully informed and involved in their healthcare.
As a healthcare provider in the private sector, we are bound by the HEALTH INFORMATION PRIVACY CODE 2020. This code sets the standards by which we handle personal information collected from our patients. Further information is available online from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner
As part of our commitment to providing quality health care it is necessary for us to maintain records pertaining to your medical treatment, the provision of advice to you and also to perform administrative functions including record keeping, confirming eligibility for funding/insurance, invoicing and processing of claims/payments. If you do not provide us with the information requested we may not be able to provide you with medical treatment and advice.
Collection of information
The Practice collects and holds personal information about you so that we may properly assess, diagnose, treat and be proactive in your health care needs.
Wherever practicable we will collect this information from you personally – either at the Practice, over the phone, via written correspondence or via internet.
In some instances we may need to collect information about you from other sources such as referring doctors, treating specialists, pathology, radiology, hospitals or other health care providers.
In an emergency, we may collect information from your immediate family, friends or carers
Our records may contain, but is not limited to, the following types of information:
- Your Personal details (e.g. your name, address, date of birth, NHI number etc.)
- Names and contact information of people who are your emergency contacts.
- Your medical history
- Clinical and administrative notes made during the course of consultations or treatment.
- Digital images taken during your consultation or treatment
- Referrals to other health service providers
- Test results and reports received from or sent to other health service providers involved with your care.
- Payor related details and financial transactions.
Your records are handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. They will be used by your specialist as part of providing your care. Administration and Clinical staff will also handle your medical records as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
All staff are bound by confidentiality requirements as a condition of their employment and these requirements will be observed if it is necessary for them to review your records.
Correspondence with yourself and other parties involved with your care, may use digital communication methods instead of printed material.
Use and disclosure
Your personal information will only be used or disclosed for purposes directly related to providing you with quality health care, or in ways you would reasonably expect us to use it in order to provide you with this service.
This includes use or disclosure to the professional team directly involved in your health care, including treating doctors, pathology services, radiology services and other specialists outside this medical practice. For example, this may occur through referral to other doctors when requesting medical tests or in the report or result returned to us following the referrals;
- to the Practice’s administrative staff for billing and other administrative tasks necessary to run our practice. Our staff are trained in the handling of personal information in accordance with the Practice Privacy Policy;
- to your health insurance fund, ACC, or other organisations responsible for the financial aspects of your care;
- where required by law, for example, pursuant to a warrant;
- to insurers or lawyers for the defense of a medical claim; and/or
- to assist with training and education of other health care professionals.
Our practice does not intend to disclose your personal information to overseas recipients.
Where possible any digital correspondence will be strongly encrypted so that the content cannot be understood if intercepted.
At times, for business-related purposes, it may also be necessary to allow external organisations to access our facility and possibly to have restricted access to your records. Any external organisation that provides services or advice to us will be aware of the need to preserve the requirement of the Privacy Act and will be bound by a confidentiality agreement.
Ordinarily we will not release the contents of your medical file without your consent. However, we advise that there may be occasions where we will be required to release the details of your file irrespective of whether your consent to the disclosure of the information is given. This will occur where the law requires disclosure, such as pursuant or subpoena.
We advise, that as a patient, you have the right of access to any information we hold concerning you and also to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. Should you wish to access this information please discuss this with your specialist.
Information Quality
We aim to ensure the information we hold about you is accurate, complete, up to date and relevant. To this end our staff may ask you to confirm that your personal details are correct when you attend a consultation. Please let us know if any of the information we hold about you is incorrect or not up to date.
Storage
Our Practice takes all reasonable steps to protect the security of the personal information we hold, by:
- securing our premises;
- using passwords on all electronic systems and databases and varying access levels to protect electronic information from unauthorised interference, access, modification or disclosure; and
- storing back-up copies of all digital records in a secure off-site place.
Access to your personal information
Under law you have a right to access personal information we hold about you. Please contact our Clinic Manager for more information on our Access to Medical Records Policy.
We ask that you put your request in writing. A fee for the retrieval and copying of your medical record may be, charged.
Amendment of your personal information
If you consider the information we hold about you is not correct, please contact the Practice in writing. You have the right to have any incorrect information corrected.
What happens if you choose to withhold your personal information?
You are not obliged to give us your personal information. However, if you choose not to provide the Practice with the personal details requested, it may limit our ability to provide you with full service. We encourage you to discuss your concerns with our reception staff prior to your first consultation or with your doctor.
What should I do if I have a privacy complaint?
If you have a complaint regarding the way your personal information has been handled by our Practices, please put it in writing and address it to our Rooms at 83c Tristram Street, Hamilton Central, 3204. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 14 days, and endeavor to provide a full response within 30 days of receipt.
Authortisation
By filling out our online patient registration form, filling in our paper patient registration form in the rooms, or continuing to engage the practice in your care and treatment, you agree that you:
- Have read the Privacy Statement and give permission for medical records to be kept about you and for correspondence to be sent to your referring doctor, general practitioners, other associated clinical providers, agencies and insurers, where appropriate.
- Undertake to pay all fees owing to my specialist, including, in the event that liability is denied, any outstanding accounts that have not been paid in full by my insurer.
- Understand that any outstanding monies requiring debt recovery will incur additional charges and you will also be responsible for any legal costs incurred.