Patient Confidentiality | Gold Coast Heart Centre

Privacy & Confidentiality

Your Rights as a Patient

Trust Our Physicians

The provision of quality care is our principal concern. This requires a doctor-patient relationship of trust and confidentiality. Our doctors and staff at the Gold Coast Heart Centre regard patient health information as confidential and will only collect this information with patient consent.

A patient’s personal information is handled in accordance with the practice’s policy and privacy legislation. Patients are entitled to know what personal information is held about them, under which circumstances it may be disclosed, when consent is required for these purposes and how it is stored.

We make every effort to discuss these matters with patients at the time personal health information is collected from patients attending our practice. Because there will be occasions when it is not practicable to make patients aware of these matters at the time of collection, this information is designed to outline how our practice endeavours to protect the privacy of patients’ personal health information.

Rights and Responsibilities

As a patient of the Gold Coast Heart Centre, you have a right:

To be treated with respect, dignity, care, consideration and understanding
To the clear and concise explanation of your condition, illness and any treatment or recommended procedures by your cardiologist
To privacy and confidentiality of your medical history and personal information
To receive an explanation of any possible costs that may be incurred by you as a result of your treatment
To have a family member or nominated person present when you receive information about your condition
To refuse treatment at any time
To express an opinion or make reasonable verbal or written complaints if you are unhappy with your treatment at any time

As a patient of the Gold Coast Heart Centre, you have a responsibility:

To provide accurate and complete information regarding your personal and health details, including current symptoms and treatments, medications and past illnesses
To ensure you are well informed and understand your condition and proposed treatment before giving consent to any procedure
To ask for more information
To adhere to the recommendations of your cardiologist
To inform your cardiologist if you are having any problems or reactions to the treatment prescribed
To provide a current list of medications when you attend the practice for a consultation or procedure
To provide a referral from your GP when required