• We prefer patients to make appointments wherever possible. Patients with appointments will naturally be given priority over casual callers. In cases of emergency or urgent medical care, patients will be seen immediately. In the case of an acute illness, particularly a child, please let the receptionist know.
• Please inform the receptionist if you require a long consultation when making an appointment, this can be arranged.
• We appreciate your time is valuable, and our doctors always endeavour to run to time; however, sometimes situations arise which cause delays. Please consider others by arriving on time for your appointment, and advise us if you’re running late. If you need to see your doctor regarding complex or multiple issues, please tell our staff when booking the appointment so they can schedule accordingly.
• We would appreciate AT LEAST 24 hours notice if you need to change or cancel your appointment as this allows us to offer this space to other patients. Missed appointments, or appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice is subject to a cancellation fee of $45.00.
• Our Doctors are able to provide telehealth consultations via Skype to families living in eligible rural and regional areas. Please speak with our reception staff for more information.
• The doctor may refer you to have blood tests or medical imaging. In some circumstances they will advise you to book a follow-up appointment to review the results with you personally. This ensures a safe approach and allows us to maintain a high standard of medical care.
• If you haven’t heard from us when you were expecting to, or you have any concerns, please call our clinic and we’ll follow up for you.
• If the Doctor has prescribed you with a new medication or altered a regular dosage, he may organise a follow up review appointment. It’s important to attend this appointment as requested.
• If the Doctor has said he can provide a repeat prescription without an appointment, a $25 fee for script preparation may also apply.

Advantage HealthPoint operates as a private Medical Practice. Consultation fees are outlined below. Our standard appointment length is 15 minutes. We require full payment of any fees on the day of consultation. Payments may be made by cash, EFTPOS and credit card (Mastercard and Visa only). Please speak to us before the appointment if you have any queries or concerns.

Department of Veterans Affairs, and (in most cases), children and patients with an eligible concession card will receive a discount on normal consultation fees. We do not accept DVA Gold Cards.

Accounts for work-related injuries (Work Cover) or motor vehicle-related injuries (Transport Accident Commission, TAC) are the responsibility of the patient.

Please note that some procedures or tests performed by your doctor may incur an extra charge in addition to the usual consultation fee. You will be informed of the extra charge when applicable.

Some services provided by the practice do not attract a Medicare rebate. Examples are outlined below. You will be informed of the charge for these services at the time of appointment.

Concession/Pension receive a $10 discount on consultation items – NOT Nursing and Telehealth items. Children 15 and under have a reduced gap. 

Appointments for all childhood and government-scheduled immunisations will be bulk-billed (i.e. no charge to you).

Please note that our fees have changed
(see consult fees below)

The new fee structure will come into effect on 01/07/24. We endeavour to keep our fees as low as possible, and thank you for your understanding about these changes.

The Medicare rebate is the amount that is set under legislation by the Australian Government as a contribution to the cost of medical services provided by doctors registered in Australia. The Medicare rebate falls significantly short of the actual cost of providing quality medical services.

All patient information is confidential. Advantage HealthPoint has strict guidelines to ensure that your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain the security of personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised staff. If you require access to your medical information, or for you wish for a transfer, we require your written authority and a fee may be charged. (also, please see our privacy policy below).

The doctors may on the rare occasion, return phone calls relating to you or your family’s health. However, please understand that in in most cases they prefer you to come in person to see them.  Patients are encouraged to leave a message with reception indicating what the problem is and your contact details.  If the matter is urgent please advise reception staff immediately.

Removal of skin cancers and other suspicious spots, freezing of warts, treatment of ingrown toenails and other minor surgery as well as setting and plastering of fractures is available. A $65.00 fee will be billed for all procedures which require the use of the theatre room and sterile instruments, this fee is not covered by Medicare.

If you or your family members face barriers to understanding our practice information sheet please let our reception staff know and help will be offered.

A free interpreter service is available on the day of your consultation, but it is helpful to book in advance. Please inform the receptionist if you require an interpreter for your consultation.

All routine vaccinations are available and provided free of charge.

It is in your best interest to see a doctor for repeat scripts. Therefore, this clinic will generally not give scripts over the phone. However, they can be ordered via the HotDoc App.

It is the general policy of this practice not to prescribe any drugs of dependence unless it is clinically indicated and in the best interest of the patient. (For example benzodiazepines, Narcotics etc.).

Test results will not be given over the phone, however if your results are abnormal someone will contact you to make an appointment for a review.  If you would like to discuss your results with the doctor you will need to make an appointment.

The Practice provides the best care for patients, should you need medical attention outside of clinic hours you will need to attend the Bairnsdale Regional Hospital (Phone: 03 5150 3333).

Our recorded after hours message at the clinic will inform you of these alternatives.

Patient records are to contain reports or notes from after-hours consultations.

Please note that Advantage HealthPoint may send out reminder letters to patients for procedures such as Pap smear tests and flu vaccines.  Please advise your doctor if you would rather not be contacted.

Most common travel vaccines are available from a Pharmacy. Please discuss travel plans 4-6 weeks before departure to ensure that you and your Doctor can plan your vaccinations appropriately.

We are proud to offer the following services: same day appointments, on-site pathology collection, skin checks, health checks and paediatric medicine.

We appreciate your feedback: Do you have a complaint or comment please email us at admin@advantagehealthpoint.com.au.

Practice Manager/Director: Anna Kantzides, Brooke Linford

Reception Staff: Elise, Krystal, Tammie & Kayla

Nurse: Mel & Mary

Current as of: 11/12/2023

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 (eg staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• 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.

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 may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. In order to provide the highest level of care, we participate in My Health Record, and thus information may also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My HealthRecord, eg via Shared Health Summary, and Event Summaries.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
4. 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 Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

• 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 APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (eg 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 (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

Only people who 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. Our practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data. We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. It is stored in electronic medical records most commonly, but if received by us in paper or other formats from a third party, we will import into your electronic medical file, and then shred the paper records (or other) in accordance with our local policies and comply with the Privacy act 1988. Our practice stores all personal information securely. Your electronic medical records are stored in password-protected information systems. We also maintain secure areas for information not yet imported into your electronic medical file, and systems that enable information to be imported as quickly as possible. All staff who have access to your personal medical information sign strict confidentiality agreements and agree to abide with them.

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 and addressed to the practice manager, and our practice will respond within 30 days. Please note that this may incur a cost. Our standard fees are 30c/page, plus an administration fee of $50.00. 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 that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to Anna Kantzides on anna@advantagehealthpoint.com.au

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. Please allow up to 30 days for a response. Please contact us at: Advantage HealthPoint P.O Box 975 Bairnsdale, 3875 Ph: 03 51523500 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 or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992. Privacy and our website Advantage HealthPoint uses both Social Media and email as a means of communication with the public. Please note that we do not collect any information via these means. Please review our email policy separately.

Policy review statement

This policy is reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any legislative or other changes that may occur. Patients will be notified of this by a sign in the waiting room, and updates on the website.