Privacy policy
This web site and your privacy
At Fertility Solutions we respect your privacy. This website may contain forms that ask you to fill in personal details in order for us to contact you. Please be assured that the data collected by these forms will be held in strictest confidence by Fertility Solutions and used only for internal purposes, such as contacting you with requested follow-up information.
Fertility Solutions privacy policy
Privacy Act 1988, amended December 2001
New privacy legislation for the private sector
In Australia, there is now a comprehensive privacy law covering private sector health companies. In an amendment to the Privacy Act 1988 (the 'Privacy Act'), private sector organisations now have an obligation to protect the privacy of individuals' personal information.
Most people consider their health information to be highly personal and Fertility Solutions has always practiced the utmost discretion with regards to our patients' personal details. We balance this with the legitimate need for health service providers to share information in order to provide quality health care.
This document explains the steps taken by Fertility Solutions to keep your information secure, and the rights you have with regards to the information.
Your information
Your medical record with Fertility Solutions is established when your first treatment cycle is initiated. When a couple commences a course of treatment, a separate medical record is established for each partner. This allows for changing relationships over time. Information common to both partners (e.g. copies of correspondence) may be photocopied and a copy placed in each file.
Your medical record contains medical, nursing, counselling and scientific documentation. It includes any procedure or test carried out by Fertility Solutions. Details of any embryos produced are kept in the female partner's records.
Medical records are used on a day-to-day basis by our health care professionals to clearly identify and provide an accurate and appropriate level of care to our patients. Scientific data from medical records is also used in our ongoing programs of research and development.
Keeping records accurate, up-to-date and available
Fertility Solutions uses a unit numbering system. A unique number is assigned to each patient at the time of his or her first visit and retained until a medical record number is assigned.
It is important to note that, although your medical record may contain your Medicare number we do not use these numbers as a means of identification - a practice which may lead to cross referencing of records and hence an invasion of your privacy. Your Medicare number is used purely to fulfill our reporting obligations to the agency that issued it.
All medical records are kept in an electronic format on site with back ups occurring on a daily basis.
Can you see your record?
Of course - however, we ask two things.
Firstly, that for legal reasons your request be made in writing and addressed to our Quality Assurance Manager.
Secondly, that we have someone sit with you to explain the contents of your file. Medical records can be complicated and very hard for the non-professional to interpret accurately. Having our staff member there ensures you are getting the right perspective. You will need identification (e.g. a valid driver's license) when you come in.
There are certain rare circumstances (usually when legal action is involved) when you may be refused access to your file. If this is the case, we will provide you with a sound reason for our position.
If there are details within your record that you feel are inaccurate, we will take a note of your changes and add them to your record as an addendum.
If you would like, we can provide you with a photocopy of your record to take away. Patients requesting this service are advised that we have to charge for the time taken to prepare a copy - a charge which can sometimes be as much as $50 for a complete record.
Who has access to your records?
Your medical record is a permanent legal document and we take its security very seriously. Records can only be removed from our premises on a court subpoena, statutory authority, search warrant, coronial summons or similar.
If information is requested by any other third party (e.g. partners, relatives, solicitors, government departments, insurance companies, etc) we insist that it is accompanied by an original written authorisation from the patient that is less than 3 months old. Photocopies and faxes are not accepted.
All requests are directed to our Program Manager who will decide on each one and assign a person to prepare a response.
The request is filed in the patient's medical records so they can see who has been asking about them.
The only people who can see your medical record without getting your permission first are the ones who really need it - the health professionals directly involved in your treatment. If you are moved to another facility and your records are needed urgently for your treatment, they will be forwarded to the new organisation without waiting for written consent.
Accidental disclosure
Fertility Solutions has a range of policies regarding how confidential information should be treated in-house, all in place to protect your privacy from accidental disclosure.
These policies state that: documents containing personal information are not left where they may be visible to unauthorised persons; patient lists and medical records are covered when travelling in lifts and corridors; patient information is not discussed in areas where it may be overheard; and that computer screens are all turned away from the public and have screen savers to reduce the chance of casual observation.
Who Fertility Solutions reports to and why:
Fertility Solutions is required to report to ANZARD (Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database) which has been designed to facilitate the reporting outcomes of IVF treatments and the resulting pregnancies/outcomes. The data collected will be used for three purposes.
The generation of the NPSU (National Perinatal Statistics Unit) annual report. This is available for inspection in the public domain at www.npsu.unsw.edu.au.
The NPSU report documents details of IVF cycles conducted across Australia and New Zealand including success rates for each type of treatment in a de-identified way.
The success rates for each individual unit are collated and made available to the Reproductive Technology and Accreditation Committee (RTAC) officials at the time of inspection of the fertility unit (annually). This is to allow an independent external body to view the function of Fertility Solutions, to confirm that it is operating at an acceptable level, and to recommend areas for improvement as required.
The success rates of Fertility Solutions are made available to our staff at regular intervals to allow ongoing review, internal audit and ongoing improvements in quality service
Making a complaint
If you believe your privacy has been infringed, we ask that you contact our Quality Assurance Manager immediately. Contact details are at the bottom of this page.
The Quality Assurance Manager will assess your complaint and prepare a response. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the option to take your complaint to the Federal Privacy Commissioner.
More information
More information about your privacy rights is available on the Internet at www.privacy.gov.au.
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