How Austin Health keeps your information private

Austin Health complies with relevant laws to protect the privacy of your information.  We have strict policies on how we collect, store, use, and disclose patient information.  Your information can only be viewed by authorised staff. 

Information that Austin Health collects about you

• demographic details about you, such as your name and contact details
• the contact details of your General Practitioner (GP) and nominated representatives
• details about your healthcare. This may include information from other external healthcare providers, if this is needed for your care.

Please tell us on your next visit or phone 03 9496 5447 if your contact details or your GP details change, so that we can stay in contact with you or your GP about your ongoing healthcare needs.

How Austin Health uses your information

• To make decisions about your care in partnership with you
• To ask you to join a research project
• To offer health education to you
• To understand health trends
• To complete a survey about your visit
• To plan better services
• To ask for a donation to Austin Health
• For research and teaching purposes

Access to your information

You can apply to access your information under the Freedom of Information Act. You also have the right to request an amendment if you believe that the information is incorrect, incomplete, out-of-date or misleading.

For more information, visit our Freedom of information page.

Who outside of Austin Health may receive information about you?

Austin Health may be required to share information with external service providers so that we can provide you with the best care or organise services for you. This may include:

• Your GP
• Other external health care providers such as your specialist or another hospital
• Patient transport services
• Community services
• Local council services

In addition:

• We and other health services may access and share your information via a secure electronic health information sharing system called CareSync Exchange. This allows clinicians to access information about any previous Victorian public health system treatment you have received.
• We only discuss your treatment with your authorised representatives. For more information, visit CareSync Exchange (Department of Health)
• If you stay in hospital, visitors are only informed of your ward and general condition.
• We may send information to your My Health Record if you have one. For more information, visit My Health Record.
• We provide information to court if it is subpoenaed.
• We report statistical information to government funding bodies. This may include your details.
• We report mandatory information to the Department of Health or other government bodies or registries, e.g. Victorian Cancer Registry.
• We will release information if there is a law that requires or permits us to do this. For example, we may release information under the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme; or to prescribed entities for quality and safety purposes - to identify deficiencies or improvements in health.
• If you have a device inserted (e.g. pacemaker or a hip replacement) we may need to give your details to the manufacturer or supplier for safety reasons. They may be located overseas.
• Ex-service organisations may be notified if veterans or their dependants are inpatients so that they may visit them whilst they are in hospital.

You can refuse to share your information

You have the right to refuse sharing of your information in the circumstances described in the table below.  This may affect our ability to organise services for your ongoing care. To do this, tell us on your next visit or contact the phone number listed below. 

Privacy concerns

If you are concerned that Austin Health has not respected your privacy, you can contact the Patient Experience Office at Austin Health by email feedback@austin.org.au or phone 03 9496 3566. 

Download as a fact sheet

You can also download the information from this page as a fact sheet.

Contact us

For further information contact:

Health Information Services  

Phone: 03 9496 5447