Privacy Policy for Bloom Together
Introduction
Bloom Together is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in a confidential and secure manner. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and store your personal information, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy also explains how you may access your information, seek to correct any information, and make a complaint about a suspected breach of privacy legislation. A copy of the APPs may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.
Definition of Personal Information
Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not. Examples of personal information include, but are not limited to, a person's name, address, phone number, email address, a photograph or video where a person is identifiable, medical records, other health information, and billing or payment details.
Sensitive information is a subset of personal information and includes information or an opinion about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, health information, and genetic information. Sensitive information is subject to stricter privacy protections and will only be collected when it is reasonably necessary to provide you with the services and with your consent, except in specific circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act.
Collection of Personal Information
Bloom Together collects various kinds of personal information from you that is reasonably necessary and relevant to provide our services and manage the practice. These reasons include, but are not limited to:
To provide speech pathology services, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
To communicate with you about your treatment and related services.
To liaise with other healthcare providers involved in your care, with your consent.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
We may collect personal information from you in several ways, including when:
You interact with us on the phone.
You interact with us in person.
You interact with us by email or through our website.
You interact with us via social media.
You complete electronic forms (including online forms).
You participate in our surveys.
You subscribe to our mailing list.
You provide referrals or reports from another healthcare provider.
We may also collect your personal information from third parties directly involved in your care, for example, from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or other healthcare providers (such as General Practitioners, specialists, and hospitals). We collect your personal information from these third parties only for the purposes of providing services to you. We may also collect your personal information from others associated with your healthcare to attend to your speech pathology needs and for associated administrative purposes.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Bloom Together will treat your personal information as strictly private and confidential. We will only use or disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:
To provide speech pathology services, including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
To communicate with you about your treatment and related services.
To third parties, with your consent.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
Storage and Security of Personal Information
Bloom Together will take reasonable steps to store your information securely. Personal information held by Bloom Together is stored on electronic document and records management systems. Bloom Together takes reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. This includes:
Secure storage of electronic records.
Access controls and security measures for our computer systems.
Regular review and updating of our security practices.
Bloom Together stores and disposes of personal information in accordance with the Archives Act 1983.
Access to and Correction of Personal Information
You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you and request corrections if it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. You may also request that we give a third-party organization access to your health information, or we may receive a request for access to your information from a third party on your behalf, with your consent. To request access or correction, please contact us using the details provided below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.
Complaints and Concerns
If you have any concerns or complaints about how we handle your personal information, please contact us. We take all complaints seriously and will investigate and respond to your concerns in accordance with our complaints handling process.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated policy will be available on our website or provided to you on request.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at:
Effective 20th July 2024