Privacy Policy

Contact Forward Health

If you have any questions regarding this Policy or any other privacy or information-related issues, please contact:

Clinical Directors

Joe Vos & Stephanie Pyle
hello@fwdhealth.com.au

0420 522 558

Policy last revised 20/12/2024

Indroduction

Forward Health Group and its managed practice locations are committed to providing excellent and individualised care and treatment to each patient, client and employee/organisational member. To achieve this, we take the safety of your privacy and information seriously and ensure that we collect, store, manage and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This Privacy Policy will describe:

The kind of information we collect and hold about our exisiting or prospective patients, clients, suppliers, stakeholders,
How and why we collect information,
What we will do with collected information, when and with whom we share it,
Your right to request access to, and if required, provide correction of the information we hold of you,
Your right to receiving treatment anonymously,
Your right to make a privacy complaint to us and others, and how to make a privacy complaint,

Any revisions or changes of this Policy will be published on our website. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the content in this Policy, please email hello@fwdhealth.com.au

Your personal information will not be shared or disclosed to any party or individuals other than what is explained in this Policy, nor will your personal information be used for any purpose other than what it was originally collected for

What kind of information does Forward Health collect?

Forward Health Group collect a variety of personal information about our exisiting and prospective patients, clients, employees and suppliers that may include:

Name, date of birth, mailing and residential address, email address, contact numbers
Information about your family members or key contact individuals (such as emergency contacts)
Health fund details
Any government identifiers such as Medicare details, DVA number, NDIS number, Workcover or insurance claim number for the purpose of invoicing and billing
Other health information about you such as a record of your symptoms, relevant medical history (such as exisiting or previous conditions and diagnoses, surgeries, etc), the reason you presented to the clinic for, the diagnosis determined and treatment provided by our practitioners.
Other medical information may include:
Specialist/surgeon letters and reports
Test results such as imaging reports
Prescriptions
Your healthcare indentifier
Any other information for the purpose of providing care to you
Occupation and employer information
Lifestyle and hobbies

How does Forward Health collect and hold your personal information?

We will typically collect personal information about you through the following ways:

From you personally when you provide us with your details (e.g by completing our patient intake forms or outcome measures, face-to-face, over the phone or an online form, feedback or reviews, by entering our Catch of the Month fishing competition or leaving your information in a voicemail or text)
From a person responsible for you (e.g a carer, parent/guardian, etc)
When you purchase or request in-clinic products
Through an enquiry or complaint
Incoming caller ID
Third-party government agency (when legally permitted to), such as Medicare or Department of Veteran Affairs
Private health insurers (such as Allianz, RACQ, etc)
Worker’s Compensation companies, solicitors and lawyers
Medical professionals (such as general practitioners, allied health professionals, specialists, surgeons, etc)

Why does Forward Health collect/use your information?

Forward Health Group collects personal information for the purpose of providing you with excellent and individualised health care, to correspondence with you and others involved in providing you health care. Examples of how we use your information can include:

Administrative purposes in running our clinics
Billing and invoicing purposes
Direct marketing purposes (such as clinic updates), email and SMS reminders
To comply with any legislative or regulatory requirements relating to your health care and privacy
Communicating to you about products and services we offer (such as Pilates, Remedial Massage, etc)
Contacting you regarding a product you ordered through us
To update or confirm your personal information

When and why Forward Health might share your information

Forward Health Group may use your personal information for some of the following purposes:

To comply with legal obligations (such as mandatory reporting in accordance with legislation, responding to a court order or subpoena, auditing purposes, etc)
To consult with with other medical professionals involved in your healthcare, including health professionals from third-party practices and organisations (such as specialists, general practitioners, etc)
To communicate with others within a multidisciplinary treating team
To provide treatment discharge information if required to insurers, employers, or physicians (or other medical professionals)
To collect test results from imaging clinics or medical practices
To claim on insurance or when corresponding with insurance companies (such as communications between our staff and your case manager regarding the care we provide)
To communicate with your health fund organisation or other government agencies such as Medicare or Department of Veteran Affairs
To use for the management of our accounts and administrative systems and processes (e.g for invoicing and billing purposes, taking payments over-the-phone, investigating outstanding/unpaid invoices, etc)
To provide patients and clients with information on products and services, upcoming promotions, changes to our fees, etc
When responding to and handling enquiries, complaints, requested products and orders, etc
To develop and improve our website and social media platforms
Direct marketing purposes, email and SMS reminders
Reminding patients of upcoming appointments or advising patients of changes to appointments over-the-phone, face-to-face, via SMS or email correspondence
Advising patients of a practitioner’s availability
To advise another professional or emergency service personnel of a serious threat to the health and safety of a patient, employee or the general public.
To provide information to emergency service personnel (such as police) if required
To contact an emergency contact
For the purpose of gathering information in preparation for an upcoming or exisiting legal proceeding

How Forward Health safeguards your information

Forward Health Group has rigorous security measures in place to ensure your personal information is kept protected, managed confidentially and securely, and destroyed correctly, in accordance with legislative requirements and obligations as well as our organisational policies and procedures.

All organisational members of Forward Health Group are held accountable by the employment contract they entered upon commencement of work which outlines our confidentiality agreement terms. Any prohibited disclosure of your personal information is classed as a serious breach of our employment contracts. In the event of a serious breach occurring, disciplinary or legal action will be taken.

Forward Health Group is committed to keeping our records of your information accurate and current, and therefore, we may contact you (face-to-face, over-the-phone, or via electronic correspondence such as email or SMS communication) to request confirmation of your contact details or personal information. If any of your personal contact details (such as your legal name, residential address, email, contact number, etc) or any other relevant information that may impact the way we contact you or provide you with healthcare, please contact us on 0420 522 558 or hello@fwdhealth.com.au. Additionally, if you believe that our records of your personal information is not current or accurate, please contact us and we will endeavour to amend your information appropriately.

All exisiting patients can request copies of their personal information, clinical notes, images and reports sent to them or a third-party organisation (such as a Workers Compensation company) by contacting their Physiotherapist or Myotherapist. Forward Health Group will only disclose your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988, and may be disclosed for:

The purposes Forward Health Group would collect information for that has been outlined in this policy,
In instances that we have your verbal or written consent to disclose your information,
Or where we are required or permitted to disclose your information in accordance with legislative requirements.

Your right to receive treatment from us anonymously (or by using a pseudonym)

In any instances that it is legal, ethical and suitable, Forward Health Group respects your decision to receive treatment anonymously, or under an alias or pseudonym.

Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have any concerns regarding how Forward Health Group has handled, collected, stored or disclosed your privacy, please inform us in writing. Your complaint will be investigated and handled reasonably and you will receive a written response to your complaint within 30 days. If you are discontent with the response you have received from Forward Health Group, you may escalate this by submitting an official privacy complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland by completing an OIC Privacy Complaint form from the OIC website: www.oic.qld.gov.au