Privacy Policy

At George Pratt Plastic Surgery, we value and prioritise your privacy. We understand the importance of protecting your personal information and maintaining the confidentiality of your health records to ensure quality healthcare services. As a result, we are fully committed to safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of the information we handle on your behalf.

This website is owned and operated by Coco Medical Pty Ltd, trading as Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery, with ABN 31 034 664 783. Our Medical Director is Dr. Craig Rubinstein MBBS FRACS ASPS ASAPS ISAPS. (to change)

Our registered addresses are Cabrini Specialist Centre Level 1, 494 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick 3185, and Epworth Richmond Suite 5.3, 32 Erin St, Richmond 3121.

This policy explains:

• Collection, Storage, Use, and Disclosure:

- We explain how we collect, store, use, and disclose your personal information to ensure transparency and clarity.

• Access to Personal Information:

- We outline the process for accessing your personal information, allowing you to review and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you.

• Quality and Security:

- We describe the measures we take to protect the quality and security of your personal information, ensuring its accuracy, completeness, and confidentiality.

• Requesting Corrections:

- We provide instructions on how you can request corrections to any inaccurate or outdated personal information we hold about you.

• Complaints:

- We explain the procedure for making a complaint if you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal information, ensuring your concerns are addressed appropriately.

In addition to meeting our professional and ethical obligations, our practice adheres to federal and state privacy laws. This includes compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) outlined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Victorian Health Privacy Principles (HPPs) stated in the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).

For more details about the APPs and HPPs, you can visit the Australian Information Commissioner's website at www.oaic.gov.au.

Collection of Information

We collect and retain personal information about you to ensure accurate assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and proactive healthcare measures. The personal information we may collect includes:

• Personal details such as name, address, date of birth, email address, and phone numbers.

• Medical history relevant to your healthcare.

• Notes taken during medical consultations.

• Referrals to other healthcare providers.

• Results and reports received from other healthcare service providers.

• Credit card or direct debit information for billing purposes.

Whenever possible, we will collect this information directly from you, either in person at our practice, over the phone, through written correspondence, or online if you engage with us through the internet. However, in certain situations, we may need to obtain information about you from other sources such as referring doctors, specialists, pathology services, radiology centers, hospitals, or other healthcare providers. In emergency cases, we may also collect information from your immediate family, friends, or carers.

Use and Disclosure

We will only use or disclose your personal information for purposes directly related to providing you with quality healthcare services, or for purposes that you would reasonably expect us to use in order to deliver this service to you. This includes:

• Sharing information with the professional healthcare team involved in your treatment, including treating doctors, pathology services, radiology services, and other external specialists. For instance, this may involve referring you to other doctors for medical tests or receiving reports and results from those referrals.

• Disclosing personal information to our administrative staff for billing and other necessary administrative tasks essential for the operation of our practice. Our staff are trained to handle personal information in accordance with the Practice Privacy Policy.

• Sharing information with your health insurance fund, Medicare, or other organizations responsible for managing the financial aspects of your care.

• Disclosing information when required by law, such as in response to a subpoena.

• Providing information to insurers or lawyers for medical claim defense purposes.

• Assisting in the training and education of other healthcare professionals.

Please note that our practice does not intend to disclose your personal information to recipients located overseas.

Information Quality

We strive to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate, complete, up to date, and relevant. Our staff may ask you to verify your personal details during consultations to maintain the accuracy of your information. If you notice any incorrect or outdated information in our records, please inform us in writing so that we can promptly make the necessary corrections.

Storage

We take reasonable measures to ensure the security of the personal information we hold. These measures include:

• Securing our premises.

• Implementing passwords on all electronic systems and databases, as well as varying access levels to protect electronic information from unauthorized interference, access, modification, or disclosure.

• Storing hard copy records in secure filing cabinets or rooms that are accessible only to authorized practice staff.

• Access to Your Personal Information

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, as provided by the law. For more information about accessing your medical records, please contact our Clinic Manager. We request that you submit your access request in writing. Please note that a fee may be charged for the retrieval and copying of your medical records, in accordance with the Health Records Regulations 2008 (Vic), plus GST. This fee is not redeemable through Medicare.

Amendment of Your Personal Information

If you believe that the information we hold about you is incorrect, please contact our practice in writing. You have the right to have any inaccuracies corrected promptly.

Withholding Personal Information

Providing us with your personal information is not obligatory. However, choosing not to provide the requested personal details may limit our ability to offer you comprehensive services. We encourage you to discuss any concerns you may have with our reception staff prior to your first consultation or with your doctor.

Use of Personal Information for Direct Marketing

We do not use your personal information for direct marketing purposes. Australian privacy laws restrict the use of personal information for direct marketing of goods and services.

Privacy Complaints

If you have a complaint regarding the handling of your personal information by our practice, please submit your complaint in writing to our Operations Manager at Cabrini Specialist Centre Level 1, 494 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick 3185, and Epworth Richmond Suite 5.3, 32 Erin St, Richmond 3121. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 14 days and provide a full response within 30 days.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may lodge a written complaint with the Victorian Privacy Commissioner at https://www.privacy.vic.gov.au and/or the Victorian Health Services Commissioner at http://www.health.vic.gov.au.

If you have any queries regarding our practice's privacy policy, please contact our Operations Manager, who will be pleased to assist you in addressing your concerns.