The Privacy Act 1988 requires medical practitioners to obtain consent from their patients to collect, use and disclose a patient’s personal information. Your privacy is of utmost importance, and we are committed to protecting your personal information. This policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information.

Collection of information pertains to acquisition of information that is necessary to advise and treat you as best as possible. Necessary information may include:

• Full name, date of birth and contact details

• Full medical and family history, management plans and general health information

• Ethnicity, Genetic information

• Medicare and Private Health Fund details

• Billing / Account details

The information will be used for the following purposes:

• Providing medical care and treatment

• Communicating with you regarding appointments and follow-ups

• For consultations with other doctors and healthcare professionals involved in your healthcare

• To obtain, analyse and discuss test results from diagnostic and pathology labaratories

• Processing payments and managing billing information

• If you have a My Health Record, to upload your personal information to, and download your personal information from, the My Health Record System.

• Fulfilling legal and regulatory obligations - this includes notification to Medicare and medical indemnity insurers.

• To prevent or lessen a serious threat to public health or safety. Where legally required to do so, we may need to produce records to court, mandatory reporting of child abuse, or notification of communicable disease.

• For the purposes of training, education and audit, where your de-identified medical information and age may be utilised for research purposes.

Disclosure of your information will not occur without your provided consent below. Disclosure will only occur where it is required for your treatment (for example, to refer to another specialist), where it is legally required or is necessary for billing or administrative purposes.

Data security is maintained as best as possible. We take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected from unauthorized access, misuse, or loss. This includes secure storage, encryption, and restricted access protocols. We are not liable for improper disclosure of confidential information that is not caused by our intentional misconduct.

This privacy policy will be updated from time to time. You will always be provided with the latest version and can request this at any time.

By accessing or using this website, you acknowledge and agree to the terms outlined in our privacy policy.

You understand that Dr. Ruoss and staff may collect, use, and disclose your personal information as necessary to provide medical care, unless you have explicitly stated otherwise.

This may include sharing confidential information, such as test results, with other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.

You have the right to access your health records, except in cases where doing so would be considered unreasonable. Associated costs may apply.