Privacy policy
Our practice and your privacy
Health Professionals need to obtain and record information from individual patients to ensure that patients are suitable for osteopathic treatment and that any health care provided is as safe and effective as possible.
Your personal information is handled in accordance with the practice’s privacy policy. We strive to ensure this is consistent with contemporary privacy legislation. You are entitled to know what information is held about you; how and under what circumstances it may be disclosed; when consent is required for these purposes; and how your information is stored.
This policy is designed to outline how we endeavour to protect the privacy of your personal health information.
Collection, use, and disclosure of your health information
Information about your medical history and your family medical history is necessary to form accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. This information is generally collected directly from you or otherwise with your consent. However, from time to time we may receive information from others, like X-Rays and letters of referral. When this occurs, we will, where possible, make sure you know we have received this information.
Medicare, Department of Veterans Affairs, and other bodies like WorkCover require a range of patient health information to be collected by all health practitioners. Some information about you is also provided to Medicare and private health funds if relevant, for billing and medical rebate purposes.
To ensure quality and continuity of patient care your health information may have to be shared with other health care providers from time to time.
There are also situations where a health practitioner can be legally bound to disclose personal information. An example of this is mandatory reporting of certain crimes.
The Osteopaths at this practice are members of the Australian Osteopathic Association and have undertaken education in Privacy.
It is necessary for us to keep your information for 7 years after your last attendance, or as long as prudent administrative needs.
Access to your information
You have the right to access your information. You may ask to view the information or ask for a copy of a part or the whole record. You may be asked to clarify the scope of the request. Often such a request will need to be in writing. There are some circumstances where you may be declined, but in such an event you will be informed of the reasons.
A charge may be payable where the practice incurs costs in providing access- particularly if a copy is required. This is allowable under the privacy guidelines.
The material that the health professional has copyright over might be subject to conditions that prevent further copying or publication without the professional’s permission.
If you find the information is inaccurate or incomplete, you may have that information amended accordingly.
Upon a request, the patient’s health information held by this practice will be made available to another health service provider.
Parents/Guardians and Children
Under the privacy guidelines the right of children to the privacy of their health information is based on the professional judgment of the Health Professional and consistent with the law, might be restricted from access by parents or guardians.
Informed Consent to treatment policy
At Sydney Health Professionals, we adhere to best practices across the health care industry. When it comes to providing any type of intervention with patients in the form of hands-on osteopathic treatments like massage, joint mobilization, stretching and muscle techniques, best practice involves gaining informed consent. At Sydney Health Professionals, this is obtained from all our prospective osteopathic patients before any examination or treatment is performed. This process involves communication of the potential risks that are involved with manual therapy examination and treatment to a patient before it takes place to allow them to make an informed decision about whether it is right for them to proceed. We never treat without informed consent. If the patient decides not to consent to treatment, we will do our best to advise them of what other alternative options might be available to them.
Cancellation of Appointments policy
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may develop that prevent you from making an appointment. Please provide us with as much time as possible if you are unable to make your scheduled appointment. This allows other patients who may need treatment to utilise the booking time. We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee if you fail to provide 24 hours notice of a cancellation.
Referrals Policy
We strive to provide excellence in health care. This involves encouraging multidisciplinary approaches and open and timely communication. We will often rely on other tried and trusted health professionals to co-manage your complaints or provide other services that complement our treatment. The most appropriate health care professionals are often ones whom you have a trusted relationship with, so we always aim to work cohesively with them where possible.
Otherwise, the practice has a developed network of quality health care professionals with whom we may suggest you consult. Referrals will always be guided by direct communication with the relevant health professional in our network to ensure quality health care for our patients.
Health Care Philosophy
At Sydney Health Professionals, we strive to provide excellence in clinical services and therapy. We believe this involves striking a balance between utilizing the best from the expanding evidence base supporting specific therapies and working with traditional approaches that have been successful at other times.
At Sydney Health Professionals, we maintain a commitment to an approach centred upon the recognition of the body’s own innate capacity to heal itself and the direction of patients subservient to this principle.
We believe that the future of clinical therapies lies in progressive approaches and interpretations of philosophy in light of the advances in the core sciences that our professions are based upon. The best application of these standards involves the recognition of the essential role of the patient in the healing process. We strive to conduct all our patient consultations with these ideals in mind.
In practice, we will always involve you, the patient, in the decision-making process. In more complex cases more therapy might be needed and we will discuss this during the initial consultation process. We will consider your circumstances, but our end goal is to get you pain-free and functioning at optimal levels. Our prognosis and treatment plans will prioritise this. Feel free to discuss any concerns you might have at any stage during the consultation, or if you would like more information about our practices and services then please give us a call at the clinic.
Responding to the Global Pandemic
The health, safety and wellbeing of our patients and therapists is our priority. We will continue to follow the guidelines set out by the Australian Government, including increased cleaning and hygiene practices in the Clinic and maintaining social distancing in the common areas. Please do not come into the clinic if:
- You have a cough, sore/scratchy throat, fever, runny nose, loss of taste or loss of smell
- You have a sick family member at home or have been in contact with someone who is sick
If any of the above apply to you, please do not come into the clinic. Stay home, call your GP or the National Coronavirus Helpline 1800 020 080 and get tested for COVID-19.
Health Insurance Rebates
Most levels of private health insurance offer some rebate for osteopathic treatment.
- Please check with your insurance company before your appointment that your chosen service treatment is covered under your premium.
- The clinic has the HICAPS system installed allowing you to claim your rebate instantly. For more info and to check if your fund is covered you can check out their website here: www.hicaps.com.au.
Yours Sincerely
The Team
Sydney Health Professionals