Lynne Maree Slade is a Credentialled Diabetes Educator  providing diabetes education services at Diabetes  Management Options (DMO).  At DMO, we endeavour to comply with all relevant legislation governing your privacy - including the Privacy Act (1988) and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) Code of Conduct. This document details:

• How we collect;

• Use;

• Disclose; and

• Store your personal information;

• Our billing arrangements;

• Cancellation policy;

• Use of telehealth;

• Digital security;

• How you may request access to & correct your personal information; and

• How you may provide feedback about the service you receive.

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Collection & use of personal information

In order to provide you with appropriate diabetes education services, we will need to collect and use your personal information. The information we collect includes, but is not limited to your name, date of birth, contact details, emergency contact details, other demographic information, health history, developmental and family history. Typically, we will collect this information directly from you, but at times we may collect this information directly from third parties with your consent. If you provide inaccurate information or withhold relevant information from us, it may restrict the service we can provide you.

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Confidentiality & disclosure of personal information

In order to provide you with treatment, we may use or disclose your information where necessary:

• For communicating with you (e.g. sending appointment reminders and invoices by SMS, email and post);

• For administrative running of the purpose;

• In a de-identifiable manner for clinical supervision;

• To liaise with third-party funding sources and referring agencies regarding clinical progress; and

• With your explicit consent, to exchange information with any third-parties.

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With limited exceptions, information discussed and recorded is confidential with DMO. You will be asked to provide written consent if information is to be provided to third-parties. Exceptions to this include disclosure of information that suggests potential of serious physical danger to you or someone else, risk of child abuse, an enquiry from your legal parent or guardian if you are under 16 years of age, or information legitimately subpoenaed by a court. Reasonable efforts will be made to discuss such occurrences with you prior to the disclosure of information.

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Additional consent will be requested if information from you is to be used in any ways other than that outlined to you, and you can withdraw your consent at any time.

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Data quality & security

We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate and we expect that you will notify us of any changes in information to ensure this (e.g. contact details or name change). We take reasonable steps to store your information securely, and protect it from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access; physical files are securely stored, and digital files are securely encrypted and backed up. In accordance with legislative requirements, your records will be retained for a minimum of seven years from last engagement or if a client is under the age of 18 years, when they turn 25 years. 

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Telehealth & digital security

In some instances, (e.g. current COVID-19) diabetes education services may be delivered by telehealth. The privacy of any form of communications via the internet or a mobile phone is potentially vulnerable and limited by the security of the technology. Our telehealth services are provided by either phone or using Messenger or Skype. At no stage is your call (including audio or video) saved or recorded by us and it is very important that you do not attempt this either. 

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Please be aware that email communication may not be secure and should contain minimal personal information. We encourage you to consider how secure your own digital information including files which may be shared or transferred to you. We recommend you use email and personal device rather than a work or shared device.

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When using telehealth services, it is important that you advise us of where you are located when an appointment commences, and that you have a working phone number as a back-up should we need to contact you. It is important that you also provide two emergency contacts. If we have concerns for your safety and experience technical difficulties, or you end the call prematurely, we may contact your listed emergency contacts to organise support and check your wellbeing.

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Please be aware that you are responsible for any costs incurred in relation to the provision of own software, hardware and data usage associated with this telehealth service. We recommend that you use a secure WiFi connection to reduce any impact on your personal mobile usage.

 

 Fee policy & payment

Fees will be discussed at your initial appointment and are subject to change from time-to-time, without notice, at the discretion of your treating Diabetes Educator. Payment is required on the day of your appointment and may be offered by a few secure means. In situations of financial hardship, fees for consultation may be negotiated at a lower rate. 

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Completion of reports or forms outside of sessions may attract a fee which will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

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Medicare rebates - With a valid referral, some diabetes education services attract a Medicare rebate which would reduce your out-of-pocket expense. It is your responsibility to ensure that referrals are valid at the time of service provision. Concession card holders, and young people under the age of 18  with a parent with a concession card , can be bulk billed. There is a maximum of 5 standard sessions claimable per calendar year for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders people.

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Health insurance rebates  - Some private health funds provide a rebate for diabetes education services, and we recommend you contact your private health fund for more details.

 

Cancellation policy 

A non-attendance fee will be charged, and an invoice sent to you by post or email if an appointment is missed without cancellation 24 hours prior. This fee may be waived in the case of emergencies or unforeseeable circumstances - you can discuss this directly with your Diabetes Educator. This amount is not covered by private health insurance funds. Medicare or other referring agencies. In the case of repeated non-attendance or late-cancellations, you may be required to seek alternate treatment options more suitable to your needs.

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Accessing & correcting your health information

You have the right to access the information that we hold about you, and can request an amendment to this information if you believe that it is inaccurate. If we do not agree to change your personal information, we will permit you to make a statement  of the requested changes and we will enclose this with your record. Please note that we may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

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Feedback & complaints

If you have feedback you can make contact directly (either in person, by writing, phone or email). Please let us know what you would like to happen as a result of your feedback and whether you would like to be contacted about it (if you provide feedback anonymously, we will not be able to contact you). If you are not satisfied with our response, and you feel the matter remains unresolved, or you do not wish to raise the matter directly, you can contact the Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania - health.complaints@ombudsman.tas.gov.au , GPO Box 960, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001 or by phone 1800 001 170.

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If you have any queries about this information, please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you.

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I fully understand the information presented in this document and agree to these terms.

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Name:__________________________________________

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Signature:_______________________________________

 

 

Date:___________________________________________

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Parent/Caregiver:_________________________________

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Signature:_______________________________________

 

 

Date:___________________________________________

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