Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 1st January 2024
At Nina Lake Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal and health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and other applicable Australian health privacy laws.
As a registered Chinese medicine and acupuncture practice, we collect and manage health information to provide safe, effective, and high-quality healthcare services.
1. What Information We Collect
We may collect personal information and sensitive health information necessary to provide healthcare services, including:
Personal Information
Full name
Date of birth
Residential and postal address
Email address
Telephone number
Emergency contact details
Medicare number (where applicable)
Private health insurance details
Payment information
Occupation (where relevant to your healthcare)
Health Information
Medical history
Current symptoms and presenting complaints
Previous illnesses and surgeries
Medications and supplements
Allergies and adverse reactions
Family medical history (where relevant)
Lifestyle information relevant to treatment
Pregnancy status (where applicable)
Treatment records and clinical notes
Tongue and pulse assessments
Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnoses
Treatment plans
Referral letters
Pathology or imaging reports you provide
Correspondence with your GP or other healthcare providers (with your consent)
2. How We Collect Your Information
We collect information directly from you when you:
complete our new patient forms
attend consultations
communicate with us by telephone, email, SMS or online
make appointments
complete online booking forms
provide updates to your medical history
With your consent, we may also collect information from:
your general practitioner
specialists
allied health practitioners
hospitals
pathology or imaging providers
other healthcare professionals involved in your care
We may also collect limited technical information through our website, including cookies and website analytics.
3. Why We Collect Your Information
We collect your information so that we can:
provide acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment
assess your health and develop treatment plans
maintain accurate clinical records
communicate with you regarding appointments
process payments
issue receipts and invoices
process private health fund claims where applicable
communicate with other healthcare providers involved in your care (with your consent or where authorised by law)
comply with our legal, professional and regulatory obligations
improve the quality of our services
If you choose not to provide requested information, we may be unable to safely provide treatment.
4. Use and Disclosure of Your Information
Your personal information is kept confidential.
With your consent, we may disclose your information where necessary to:
your nominated GP or specialist
other healthcare practitioners involved in your care
pathology or diagnostic providers
Medicare or private health insurers
payment processing providers
our practice management software provider
IT support providers under confidentiality obligations
accountants or professional advisers where required
government agencies where required by law
regulatory authorities where legally required
We will not sell or rent your personal information.
We do not disclose your health information for marketing purposes without your consent.
5. Overseas Disclosure
Some of the software and cloud-based services we use may store or process information on servers located outside Australia.
These providers may include:
cloud practice management software
secure cloud data backup providers
email providers
website hosting providers
online appointment booking systems
Where overseas disclosure occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure service providers maintain privacy protections consistent with Australian privacy laws through contractual arrangements and appropriate security measures.
6. Storage and Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Our security measures include:
secure electronic medical records
password-protected computer systems
multi-factor authentication where available
encrypted data transmission
restricted staff access
secure cloud storage
locked premises
secure destruction of paper records when appropriate
regular software updates and cybersecurity measures
Nina Lake, the service provider is the only authorised person who has access to patient records.
7. How Long We Keep Records
We retain health records in accordance with Australian legal requirements and professional obligations.
When records are no longer required, they are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified.
8. Access to Your Information
You may request access to your personal or health information by contacting us.
We will respond within a reasonable period.
In some circumstances, access may be refused where permitted by Australian privacy law. If this occurs, we will explain the reasons where permitted.
Reasonable administrative charges may apply for providing copies of records.
9. Correction of Information
If you believe any information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please contact us.
We will take reasonable steps to correct your information promptly.
10. Privacy Complaints
If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact us.
Privacy Contact
Practice Name: Nina Lake Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Email: hello@ninalake.com.au
Phone: 0487 217 85
We aim to acknowledge privacy complaints promptly and investigate them fairly.
Where possible, we will respond in writing within 30 days of receiving your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
11. Data Breaches
If we become aware of a data breach involving your personal information that is likely to result in serious harm, we will respond in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme.
Where required by law, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
12. Website Privacy
If you visit our website, we may collect limited information such as:
browser type
IP address
pages visited
date and time of visit
referring website
We may use cookies and website analytics to improve our website.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings, although some website functionality may be affected.
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our legal obligations or business practices.
The current version will always be available on our website and may also be requested at reception
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact:
Nina Lake Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Phone: 0487 217 859
Email: hello@ninalake.com.au
Website: www.ninalake.com.au