Privacy Policy
Updated April 2024
This privacy policy sets out how Cairns Surgery will manage your personal information and other information.
In this privacy policy "your information" means your personal information, as defined under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("Privacy Act"). For parents, your child's information will be treated in the same manner as "your information" is treated throughout this Privacy Policy.
1. Information collected by Cairns Surgery
Depending on the particular circumstances, Cairns Surgery may collect and hold a range of different information about you. This can include your name, date of birth, Medicare details, health information (including information relating to your lifestyle, medical history, medications, family history, occupation and treatments) contact details (including address, email address, phone number or mobile telephone number) and financial information (such as credit card or bank account numbers). The kinds of personal information we collect depends upon the nature of our relationship with you.
In most cases we will only collect credit information about you if you disclose it to us. Our usual purpose for collecting, holding, using and disclosing credit information about you is to enable us to process payments for the medical services.
This policy does not apply to acts and practices that relate directly to the employee records of our current and former employees.
2. How Cairns Surgery will collect your information
Cairns Surgery may collect your information in a number of ways, including:
directly from you (such as where you provide information to Cairns Surgery when you retain our services or visit the Website or contact Cairns Surgery with a query or request)
from other health service providers including hospitals, clinics and other healthcare professions if they have referred you or are involved in your care
from publicly available sources of information
from Cairns Surgery’s own internal records
If you choose not to provide certain information about yourself, Cairns Surgery may not be able to provide you with the services or information you require.
3. How Cairns Surgery will hold your information
Cairns Surgery may store your information in hard copy or electronic format, in storage facilities that Cairns Surgery owns, or that are owned and operated by third party service providers.
Cairns Surgery takes the privacy and security of your information seriously and Cairns Surgery is committed to maintaining the security of your information under Cairns Surgery's control.
Cairns Surgery uses a combination of technical solutions, security controls and internal processes protect your information from unauthorised access and disclosure.
While Cairns Surgery takes these steps to maintain the security of your information, you should be aware of the range of information security risks that exist today and take appropriate care to help safeguard your own information.
4. Purposes for which Cairns Surgery will collect, hold and use your information
Cairns Surgery may collect, hold and use your information for a range of different purposes, including
to provide services to you, to provide you with information about those services, to assist you with enquiries, or to provide you with better health services;
to coordinate and/or communicate with you and healthcare providers involved in your care;
to procure additional healthcare services on your behalf (such as referrals to other providers or obtaining second opinions);
to improve or develop services, or to perform research and analysis.
to liaise with your health fund, Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Department of Health or another payer or contractor of services;
to fulfil regulatory and public health requirements, including liaising with regulatory or health authorities, as required by law;
to administer and manage the services Cairns Surgery provides to you, to charge and bill you for them, and to collect any amounts you may owe Cairns Surgery; and
We will not collect personal information that would be unlawful, unnecessary or unrelated to our business.
5. When Cairns Surgery will disclose your information
Cairns Surgery may disclose your information:
as required or authorised by law, including to law enforcement and national security agencies, and other government and regulatory authorities
to other Healthcare service providers or other relevant parties involved in your care or requesting services on your behalf(including for the purpose of obtaining second opinions or making referrals, on your behalf, for specialist medical services)
to third parties who assist Cairns Surgery to manage or develop Cairns Surgery's business; or
for the purposes of facilitating or implementing a transfer/sale of all or part of Cairns Surgery's assets or business
Cairns Surgery does not intend to disclose your information to third parties outside of Australia.
6. Overseas disclosure of the information
We will not disclose your personal information to overseas entities unless you expressly advise us to, apart from the offsite storage of our information or to the extent that it is necessary or desirable to make such disclosure to obtain payment of money owed to us.
7. Links to other websites
The Website may contain links to other websites. These links are meant for your convenience only and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these other websites. Links to third party websites do not constitute sponsorship or endorsement or approval of these websites. This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by this website and we recommend that you refer to the privacy policies of each other website a link may take you to.
8. Cookies
Cairns Surgery's website may employ the use of cookies in order to monitor the usage levels relating to Cairns Surgery's website and to monitor which features of Cairns Surgery's website are most frequently accessed. Using cookies allows Cairns Surgery to constantly enhance its website in order to make it more user friendly.
Most web browser software allows you to block cookies if you choose to do so.
9. Your email Address and the Spam Act
Cairns Surgery is fully compliant with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and Cairns Surgery will not send you promotional material if you do not want it sent to you. Cairns Surgery will not forward your email address to any third parties without your express permission.
10. How to access or correct your personal information or make a privacy complaint
If you wish to access any of your personal information that Cairns Surgery holds or would like to correct any errors in that information, please contact Cairns Surgery using the contact details set out at the contact page.
You may also use these contact details to notify Cairns Surgery of any privacy complaint you have against Cairns Surgery, including if you think that Cairns Surgery has failed to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP)
Cairns Surgery will investigate any complaints received in writing and endeavour to respond to your complaint within 14 days of receipt of the complaint.
While Cairns Surgery will use its best endeavours to address any complaint that you may have, if you are unsatisfied in the manner in which Cairns Surgery deals with your complaint, you may also be able to lodge a complaint with a relevant regulator such as the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au).
11. About this Policy
This policy has been issued by Cairns Surgery, effective as at March 2024. From time to time, Cairns Surgery may need to change this policy.
If you would like to complain about a breach of the APP, you may contact our Privacy Officer by emailing admin@cairnssurgery.com.au or telephone 07 4015 3015 and ask to speak to our Privacy Officer.