Privacy Policy

iSight Specialists is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and information management. This Privacy Policy has been developed to safeguard the privacy of our patients in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“the Privacy Act”). It aims to inform you about:

• The types of information we collect and hold, with an emphasis on health information as it pertains to medical practices.
• How we collect and store personal information.
• The purposes for which we collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information.
• Your rights to access and correct your personal information.
• The process for making privacy-related complaints and how we address them.
• The potential disclosure of personal information to overseas recipients.

1. What Kinds of Personal Information Do We Collect?

We may collect and hold various types of personal information, including but not limited to:

• Your name, address, date of birth, email, and contact details.
• Medicare number, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) number, and other government identifiers (which we will not use for identification purposes within our practice).
• Health information related to your condition, such as symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, specialist reports, test results, appointment and billing details, prescriptions, genetic information, healthcare identifier, and any other relevant details collected by a health service provider.
• Photographs and ophthalmic scans related to your clinical presentation.

2. How Do We Collect and Hold Personal Information?

We typically collect personal information through the following means:

• Directly from you when you provide your details in person, over the phone, or through registration or online forms.
• From a person responsible for you.
• From third parties as permitted by the Privacy Act, including other members of your healthcare team, diagnostic centers, specialists, hospitals, the My Health Record system, electronic prescription services, Medicare, your health insurer, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

3. Why Do We Collect, Hold, Use, and Disclose Personal Information?

We collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information for the following purposes:

• Providing health services to you.
• Communicating with you regarding the health services provided.
• Complying with legal obligations, including mandatory notifications of communicable diseases and reporting under applicable child protection legislation.
• Managing accounts, administrative services, billing, health fund arrangements, and IT systems.
• Consulting with other doctors and allied health professionals involved in your healthcare.
• Obtaining, analyzing, and discussing test results from diagnostic and pathology laboratories.
• Identification and insurance claiming.
• Uploading and downloading personal information to and from the My Health Record system if you have one.
• Liaising with your health fund, government, and regulatory bodies such as Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as necessary.

4. How Can You Access and Correct Your Personal Information?

You have the right to request access to and correction of the personal information we hold about you. Please inform our staff if you need to update or obtain your clinical information.

5. How Do We Hold Your Personal Information?

We have implemented measures to protect the privacy and security of your personal information, including:

• Storing your information in an encrypted database and secure cloud storage.
• Utilizing lockable cabinets for physical records.
• Ensuring that our staff members sign confidentiality agreements.
• Adhering to document retention and destruction policies in accordance with national guidelines.

6. Privacy-Related Questions and Complaints

If you have any questions or wish to lodge a privacy-related complaint, please do so in writing to the following address:

We will aim to respond to your request within 30 days.