New Health Privacy Guidance Material
Michelle McGillivray April 2008
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner is pleased to announce the release of a series of new guidance materials for health practitioners and consumers.
The Office has developed five information sheets for health practitioners in the private sector, as well as seven frequently asked questions for consumers.
The information sheets contain a page of key messages for busy providers, with more detailed advice and examples further on. They address the following issues:
- Fees that can be charged for patients to access their records.
- Use and disclosure of health information for managing a health service.
- Sharing health information within a treating team.
- Sharing health information with relatives of an incapacitated patient.
- Denial of access to health information due to a serious threat to life or health.
The FAQs answer consumer-based questions relating to patients accessing their medical records, who doctors can disclose patient information to, and whether doctors need to obtain the patient's consent each time they share information.
The Privacy Commissioner, Ms Karen Curtis, stated that the guidance materials will also serve to dispel some myths associated with privacy in the health sector:
"Medical practitioners may not, for example, realise that it is not always necessary to seek a patient's direct consent for every treatment-related disclosure within a treating team. The guidance materials clarify that disclosure could be permitted as long as the patient would reasonably expect this disclosure to occur."
The new materials were developed in consultation with representatives from the health, consumer and privacy sectors.
Hard copies
Hard copies of the information sheets can also be sent to Divisions or individual practitioners. These can be requested by calling the Office's Enquiries Line on 1300 363 992.
More: information sheets and frequently asked questions
This article is available online at http://bddgp.org.au/article/2008/04/privacy
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