Before Your Appointment
- Please arrive 10-15 minutes before your appointment
- Your Medicare card
- Please bring any health care, pension or health insurance cards
- Any details of your current medical condition
- Details of any medication schedule you are currently administrating
- Any referral letters
- You are welcome to bring a friend or relative
- Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
- It is preferable that mature minors (ages 13 – 16) be accompanied by a parent or guardian, but not required.
HOME VISITS
In certain circumstances home visits may be required. This may be able to be arranged for patients living in the local area at the discretion of the doctor. Please contact the clinic to see if your GP is able to do a home visit. Please check with the receptionist regarding fees for home visits.
WALK-INS
Marden Medical Clinic runs by bookings only. If patients do not have an appointment, we will accommodate to the best of our ability. Patients will be triaged at the time of the walk in to determine the urgency of the appointment.
CONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVACY
Marden Medical Clinic has systems and standards in place in order to ensure a high level of security is maintained at all times. We are committed to respecting your privacy and we are required by law to protect any personal information we collect about you. Your medical records are kept confidential and only available to authorised staff members. Patients are able to access their own health information on request by filling out a Request for personal health information form available at reception.
If you wish to receive your results via a telephone consult, this is possible by calling the clinic and making an appointment with a doctor or via the Hot Docs appointments.
EMAIL POLICY
Doctors at this clinic do not use email communication with their patients as it breaches patient confidentiality. For confidential purposes, doctors use encrypted electronic communication between medical specialists. Our full privacy policy is available at reception, please ask our friendly reception staff if you would like a copy.
TELEPHONE CALLS
Although most problems are best handled via direct consultation, a doctor may be available during normal hours for emergency advice. Both nursing and reception staff are experienced in helping you decide whether the matter requires an appointment, a return telephone call from your doctor or urgent attention
FEEDBACK
If you feel there is any way in which we can improve our service to you or if there are any problems you would like to discuss, please speak to the Practice Manager or tell our receptionist or your doctor. We believe that problems are best dealt with within the practice. However, if you feel there is a problem which you wish to take up outside, you may prefer to contact the Healthcare Complaints Commissioner on 82268666.[/cs_text]
Mixed Billing
Fees
We are a mixed billing practice and accounts are required to be paid in full following any consultations. Payment of your account can be made by cash, credit card or EFTPOS.
The Medicare rebate will be deposited into your nominated bank account within 48 hours.
Bulk billing will continue for Aged and Disability Pensioners, Children under 16 years and GOLD DVA card holders.
Concession card holders must present a valid card for concession billing purposes. Please bring your card with you to each appointment.
If you have no Medicare card, you will be charged the same fees as private patients. You will need to take your receipt to your health fund and they will reimburse the Medicare portion.
Cancellation Policy
Please inform us at least 2 hours prior to your appointment if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, to avoid a fee. This allows us to offer the appointment slot to other patients who may have a need for our care. The fee for less than 2 hours notice $30.
No Show Policy
Our time, as is yours, is very valuable and if you fail to show up for an appointment, a cancellation fee of $30 will apply and is payable before your next appointment.
Records Transfer Request Form
The records transfer request form is for those patients wanting to have their past medical records sent through to our surgery. This can be helpful for you doctor to look over past medical history and medications to help with any current conditions. Once completed it can be given to our receptionists who will fax it through to your previous doctor.
Marden Medical Centre Privacy Policy
Our Privacy Policy is as follows:
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal
information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice
staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best
possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to
you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes:
• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, emergency contact
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events,
• immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• healthcare identifiers
• health fund details
Definition of a Patient Health Record
A ‘medical record’ is a general term for all of the information collated about a patient for the purpose of treating that patient, including: Progress notes – handwritten or computerised. Specialists’ letters and other correspondence including test results.
Dealing with us anonymously
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is
impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice will collect your personal information:
1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and
demographic information via your registration.
2. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources.
Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly.
This may include information from:
• your guardian or responsible person
• other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals,
• hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
• your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (as necessary).
Who do we share your personal information with?
We sometimes share your personal information:
• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with Australian Privacy Principles and this policy
• with other healthcare providers involved in your health care including other treating
doctors. This may occur through referral to other doctors or medical tests. Our practice utilises digital medical document automation technologies to ensure only relevant and accurate medical information is included in referral letters
• when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or
safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through encrypted Electronic Transfer of referrals, Prescriptions, MyHealth Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary)
Only people that need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under
exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt-out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms.
• All medical records are electronic
• All reports e.g. results and x-rays are downloaded into your medical records
electronically
Our practice stores all personal information securely.
All doctors and staff are bound by the ethical and legal rules of confidentiality. There can be no deviation from these rules as legislation safeguards these rights and considerable penalties apply.
In summary:
• All aspects of patient’s medical records are confidential i.e. name, address, telephone numbers, medical notes, investigations, reports.
• It is the policy of this Practice that all medical staff sign a Confidentiality Agreement. All medical staff are expected to comply with the Code of Ethics and/or Code of Conduct as determined by the relevant professional body.
How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.
Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing. The request will then be bought to the attention of your regular doctor. Our practice will respond within 30 working days. This request may attract an administrative charge.
Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the
information is not accurate or up-to-date. From time-to-time, we will ask you to verify your
personal information held by our practice is correct and up-to-date. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to either your regular doctor or the practice manager.
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.
These can be addressed to your regular doctor or the practice manager and sent to either via email, admin@mardenmedical.com.au 12 Lower Portrush Rd Marden SA 5070. Please allow 30 business day for the handling process.
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to
respond, before they will investigate. For further information, visit www.oaic.gov.au
(Australian Government Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) or call
the OAIC on 1300 336 002
Practice Details
Hours:
M: 8:30am – 6pm
T: 8:30am – 6pm
W: 8:30am – 6pm
T: 8:30am – 6pm
F: 8:30am – 5pm
S: 8:30am – 5pm
S: 8:30am – 2pm
Contact Us:
P: (08) 8362 7032
F: (08) 8362 1083
E: admin@mardenmedical.com.au
A: 12 Lower Portrush Rd, Marden, SA, 5070
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