Privacy Policy

In order to provide the best possible eyecare, your optometrist needs to acquire certain information about their patient.

This Privacy Policy outlines how we protect patients' privacy, with respect to that information.

Information about our patients is acquired when they contact any of our practices to make an appointment. This information is usual limited to contact details.

More detailed personal information is obtained when a patient attends our practice for a consultation. Such information is provided by a patient when they fill out our "Welcome to the Practice" form, and includes address, date of birth, GP's name, health fund, type of employment, hobbies, medications, eye disease history of patient or their family. These questions are clearly stated as not compulsory. A patient may choose not to answer them. However, as they are designed specifically to allow us to better service the eyecare needs of patients, it is likely that the optometrist will ask similar questions during the course of the consultation. A copy of our "Welcome to the Practice" form is available on request.

In the consultation itself, the optometrist may obtain more information, or ask for more detail to the questions that have clinical relevance. For instance, they may ask about eye disease in the family history. This will only be pertinent to the clinical needs of the patient.

A corollary of the above is that information about a patient may have been provided to an optometrist by a relative of that patient, when that relative has been asked about their family history of eye disease.

At all times the information described above is pertinent, and required to best service the interests of the patient.

Occasionally, patient information is acquired through a third party, such as Medicare, Department of Veterans Affair, etc. This information only relates to eligibility for services provided by those bodies, and is not used except in office, for third party billing procedures.

Apart from using information to best serve their eyecare needs, we sometimes use patients' details to contact them subsequently. Contact may be appropriate to remind the patient when they need a check-up, to advise them on a practice relocation or change of personnel, or to send them a practice newsletter of other information relevant to their eyecare. If a patient does not wish to be contacted in this way, they can ask for this to be noted, and every attempt will be made to ensure they do not receive such material.

Personal details are sometimes forwarded to other health professionals, for instance, when a patient is referred to an ophthalmologist for specialist eyecare, or if a report is sent to the patient's GP. In these cases, the patient is informed.

Apart from the above inter-professional exchange of information, we do not disclose patient information in any form, except with the expressed permission of the patient.

Record cards are kept for each patient, accessible only to the optometrist and staff, who are bound by confidentiality clauses in their terms of employment. Accounting and contact details are also kept on computer. This is accessed only by trained staff and is password protected.

A patient can arrange to view information that is held about them, and correct or update it, if need be. A suitable time would be arranged for such a viewing, with an optometrist on hand to interpret the information, or explain any terms used. A fee may be charged for this service.

Privacy management is part of Total Eyecare's commitment to totally professional eyecare. Any queries on Privacy can be directed to:

Bruce Palmer

153 Liverpool St, Hobart 7000

(03) 6231 1444