PRACTICE POLICIES

PATIENT EMAIL & sms POLICY

Our patients will be given the option of being contacted by electronic means such as via email and/or SMS.

All new and existing patients in the practice are asked to provide signed consent on the New Patient Information form to agree or disagree to be communicated with in this manner.

It is acknowledged by the practice that consent is implied if the patient initiates electronic communication with the practice.

Reception staff are to check each patient has this information on their record on arrival to the practice, along with the verification of their name, date of birth and address.

The signed consent will be scanned and recorded in the patient electronic record and their response recorded on the practice software.

Further information will state that the practice: 1. cannot guarantee confidentiality of info transferred via email, 2. will comply with Australian Privacy Principles & the Privacy Act 1988, 3. Communications will not contain sensitive information, due to the risk of confidential information being accessed inadvertently or intentionally by a third party and 4. Communications will not contain results that only the general practitioner should be divulging in a follow-up appointment, i.e. abnormal results, education concerning a new diagnosis, etc

Patients will be advised through the consent form that:

• emails will be answered within 2 business days.

• patients should not use email to contact the practice in an emergency.

Our practice email account for patients and stakeholders for non-urgent communication with our practice is umccaboolture@unitedmedical.net.au

This email account will the routinely checked throughout the business day by the delegated authority, reception staff including: at the start of business, midday and one hour before end of business.

The email message will then be forwarded to the appropriate team member for response. Communication conducted with a patient via electronic means will be added to the patient’s medical record by the team member resolving the enquiry.

Should patients contact the practice via email for:

• Appointment bookings or cancellations as a form of contact

• Form of contact for doctors’ requests

A response will be sent stating to contact the practice as this is not a form of communication we use for these types of request, as previously stated in this policy.

PRIVACY POLICY EXTRACT

The management of your personal health information is of the utmost importance to United Medical Centres Caboolture. All medical records (both manual and computerised) are treated as strictly confidential.

It is the policy of this practice to maintain security of personal health information at all times and to ensure this information is only available to authorised people.

This is a summary of our Full Privacy Policy. A copy may be requested with reception at any time.

PHONE consultations: we’re here to help

United Medical Centre Caboolture is offering telephone appointments where it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so. We are also still offering face-to-face consultations as per usual. Telephone appointments will be processed in line with our regular Billing Policy.

Criteria for a telehealth consultation are as follows:

• You must have a valid Medicare card

• You must have seen one of our GP’s in the past 12 months

• Book a telephone appointment online or via Reception

Please be aware, you will still need to attend the clinic and/or pay for some services.