Privacy Policy

Ping Ming Health Privacy Policy

Ping Ming Health is committed to ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information you entrust to us.

This Privacy Policy outlines how Ping Ming Health handles your health information. It applies to companies in the Ping Ming Health group listed at the end of this Privacy Policy.

1. Our legal obligations

As a private sector health service provider, Ping Ming Health is required to comply with the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) of Australia.

To provide you with health care services, Ping Ming Health needs to collect and use your personal information. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information to us, or choose to withhold personal health information from us, we may not be able to provide you with the services you are seeking.

2. What information do we collect?

We collect information from you that is necessary to provide you with health care services.

Often this may include collecting information about your health history, family history, your ethnic background or your current lifestyle to assist our health care team in diagnosing and treating your condition.

We may also collect billing and payment information. Where credit card numbers are collected, they are stored in a secure and tokenised format which prevents the theft of your payment card details.

3. How do we use your information?

Ping Ming Health only uses your personal information for the purpose you have given the information to us unless one of the following applies:

• The other purpose is directly related to the purpose for which you have given us the information and you would reasonably expect, or we have told you, that your information is usually disclosed for another purpose or to other individuals, organisations or agencies;
• you have consented for us to use your information for another purpose;
• we are required or authorised by law to disclose your information for another purpose;
• the disclosure of your information will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to somebody’s life or health;

3.1 Use among our staff involved in your care
Our health care practices mean that your treatment will be provided by a team of staff who work together. Our staff will share your health information as part of the process of providing your treatment and ongoing care. Your health information will only be disclosed to our staff who are involved in your treatment. The confidentiality of your information and your privacy will be protected at all times in accordance with the law.

3.2 Other health service providers
If in the future you are being treated by another health practitioner who needs to have access to the health record of your treatment at Ping Ming Health, we will require prior written consent from you to provide a copy of your record.

The only time we would provide information about your health records to another medical practitioner without your consent is in the event of an emergency where your life is at risk and you are not able to provide consent.

3.3 Relatives, guardian, close friends or legal representative
We may provide information about your condition to your parent, child, other relatives, close personal friends, guardians, or a person exercising your power of attorney under an enduring power of attorney, unless you tell us that you do not wish us to disclose your health information to any such person.

3.4 Research purposes
Ping Ming Health may use your health information, in a de-identified format, for research and teaching purposes. Your health information held by us will never be provided to any third-parties for research purposes without your prior explicit consent.

3.5 Other Ping Ming Health entities
Ping Ming Health may share your health information amongst its facilities listed at the end of this Privacy Policy. For example, this may occur where you are transferred between any of Ping Ming Health’s facilities or to coordinate your care.

3.6 Other common uses
In order to provide the best possible environment in which to treat you, we may also use your health information where necessary for:

• activities such as quality assurance processes, accreditation, audits, risk and claims management, patient satisfaction surveys and staff education and training;
• invoicing, billing and account management;
• to liaise with your health fund as necessary; and
• the purpose of complying with any applicable laws – for example, in response to a subpoena or compulsory reporting to State or Federal authorities (for example, for specified law enforcement or public health and safety circumstances).

3.7 Contractors
Where we outsource any of our services or hire contractors to perform professional services within our clinics we require them to also comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (or other relevant privacy legislation) and our Privacy Policy.

3.8 Other uses
We may also use your information for other purposes such as including you on a marketing mailing list. You have the option to opt-out from receiving any marketing communications from us at any time.

Please note, Ping Ming Health may use or disclose your personal information as specified above via electronic processes, where available or relevant.

Your personal information will never be sold or provided to any third-parties for any reasons without your prior explicit consent.

4. Access to and correction of your health information

You have a right to have access to the health information that we hold in your health record. You can also request an amendment to your health record should you believe that it contains inaccurate information.

Ping Ming Health will allow access or make the requested changes unless there is a reason under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or other relevant law to refuse such access or refuse to make the requested changes.

If we do not agree to change your medical record/personal information in accordance with your request, we will permit you to make a statement of the requested changes and we will enclose this with your record.

Should you wish to obtain access to or request changes to your health record you can ask for our Privacy Officer (see details below) who can give you more detailed information about Ping Ming Health’s access and correction procedure.

Please note that Ping Ming Health may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

5. Data quality and security

Ping Ming Health will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information which we may collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

Ping Ming Health will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use technologies and processes such as access control procedures, network firewalls, encryption and physical security to protect your privacy.

The personal health information we collect and store in an electronic format is hosted by Internet Service Providers with servers located in Australia. Such information is unlikely to be disclosed to overseas recipients.

Upon request, Ping Ming Health will destroy or permanently de-identify any of your information which is no longer needed to be held by us according to the Health Records Act.

6. Information we collect from our website

This section of our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information which is collected from our website: www.pingminghealth.com.

This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our website and the use of any of the facilities on our website.

When you use our website, we do not attempt to identify you as an individual user and we will not collect personal information about you unless you specifically provide this to us.

Sometimes, we may collect your personal information if you choose to provide this to us via an online form or by email, for example, if you:

• post a comment on an article we have published;
• submit a general enquiry via our contacts page;
• register to receive our email newsletter; or
• send a written complaint or enquiry to our Privacy Officer.

When you use our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) will record and log for statistical purposes the following information about your visit:

• your computer address;
• your top level name (for example, .com,.gov, .org, .au etc);
• the date and time of your visit;
• the pages and documents you access during your visit; and
• the browser you are using.

Our website management agent may use statistical data collected by third parties such as Google Analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of our website.

We are, however, obliged to allow law enforcement agencies and other government agencies with relevant legal authority to inspect our ISP logs, if an investigation being conducted warrants such inspection.

6.1 Cookies
A “cookie” is a device that allows our server to identify and interact more effectively with your computer. Cookies do not identify individual users, but they do identify your ISP and your browser type. This website uses temporary cookies. This means that upon closing your browser, the temporary cookie assigned to you will be destroyed and no personal information is maintained which will identify you at a later date. Personal information such as your email address is not collected unless you provide it to us. We do not disclose domain names or aggregate information to third parties other than agents who assist us with this website and who are under obligations of confidentiality. You can configure your browser to accept or reject all cookies and to notify you when a cookie is used. We suggest that you refer to your browser instructions or help screens to learn more about these functions. However, please note that if you configure your browser so as not to receive any cookies, a certain level of functionality of the Ping Ming Health website and other websites may be lost.

6.2 Links to third party websites
We may create links to third party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices employed by websites that are linked from our website.

6.3 Use and disclosure
We will only use personal information collected via our website for the purposes for which you have given us this information. We will not use or disclose your personal information to other organisations or any one else unless:

• you have consented for us to use or disclose your personal information for this purpose;
• you would reasonably expect or we have told you that your information is usually used or disclosed to other organisations or persons in this way;
• the use or disclosure is required or authorised by law;
• the use or disclosure will prevent or lessen a serious or imminent threat to somebody’s life or health; or

If we receive your email address because you sent us an email message, the email will only be used or disclosed for the purpose for which you have provided and we will not add your email address to an emailing list or disclose this to anyone else unless you provide us with consent for this purpose.

6.4 Data quality and security
If we collect your personal information from our website, we will maintain and update your information as necessary or when you advise us that your personal information has changed. Ping Ming Health is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use technologies and processes such as access control procedures, network firewalls, encryption and physical security to protect the privacy of information. We will take all reasonable steps to prevent your information from loss, misuse or alteration. If you choose to complete our online forms or lodge enquiries via our website, we will ensure that your contact details are stored on password protected databases. Staff members associated with website maintenance have access to our website’s backend system. This is password protected. Our website service is also password protected.

The information we collect and store from our website is hosted by Internet Service Providers with servers located in the United States.

6.4 Access and correction
If you wish to obtain information about how to access or correct your personal information collected via our website, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below.

7. If you have a complaint about privacy issues

If:

• you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy;
• Ping Ming Health does not agree to provide you with access to your personal information; or
• you have or a complaint about our information handling practices,

You can lodge a complaint with or contact our Privacy Officer on the details below. If we are unable to resolve your issue, you can lodge a complaint directly with the Australian Information Commissioner.

8. How to contact us

• By letter: Privacy Officer, Ping Ming Health, 4/162 Wanneroo Road, Yokine WA 6060
• By email: privacy@pingminghealth.com
• By telephone: (08) 9345 2668 or (08) 9444 3042

9. Currency

This Privacy Policy was last updated in December 2022 and may change from time to time. The most up-to-date copy can be obtained by visiting our website or contacting us using the details above.

10. Schedule

This Privacy Policy applies to the Ping Ming Health group of companies which manage the following clinics in Australia.

• Ping Ming Health Yokine
• Ping Ming Health Winthrop
• Ping Ming Health Rockingham
• Ping Ming Health Midland
• Ping Ming Health Melbourne
• Ping Ming Health Carine
• Ping Ming Health Fitzroy
• Ping Ming Health Prahran
• Ping Ming Health Hawthorn