Jessica Dobbs Podiatry - Patient Privacy Policy

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry will complying with the Privacy Act 1993, the New Zealand Health & Disability Act 2000, and the New Zealand Privacy Principles and privacy provisions of all applicable legislation.

This privacy policy relates to any and all personal information Jessica Dobbs Podiatry holds or has collected or obtained about a patient from primary or secondary sources (information, opinions, or medical treatment history about an individual).

Information Collection

Personal information that is collected from or about an individual, will be done in an ethical and fair manner. The individual will be told why we need their personal information when it is collected. Clients will know how to contact Jessica Dobbs Podiatry and is able to know what information is held about them as long as it adheres to the Privacy Act 1993. We will only collect information that is necessary for the purposes of clinical treatment, or providing of a service payment or claim.

If we collect sensitive information (as defined under the Privacy Act), we will treat it with the utmost security and confidentiality. We will ensure no information is collected for any other purposes, other than those for which we have obtained the individual’s consent, unless the law requires otherwise, or other exceptional circumstances prevail as described under the Accident Compensation Act 2001 and the privacy Act.

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry must:

  • Only collect information about you that we need

  • Get it from you wherever possible 

  • Be open with you about what is going to be done with it 

    Be fair about how we get it 

  • Keep it secure 

  • Let you see it if you want to 

  • Fix it if you think it’s wrong 

  • Take care that it’s accurate before using it 

  • Dispose of it as soon as possible when we don’t need it anymore 

  • Use it for the purpose we got it 

  • Only disclose it if we have a good reason 

  • Only use the National Health Index number for health reasons

Where an individual chooses not to provide requested information, we will advise that individual of what endeavor to let the individual know the impact this non-disclosure may have. For example, withholding certain information may limit our ability to access funding for their treatment or limit our ability to offer them various offers.

Podiatrists working with or under Jessica Dobbs Podiatry are bound by the Code of Conduct and additional guidelines set forth by the Podiatry Board of New Zealand and other relevant regulatory bodies. All our Podiatrists are Registered, and exceed the recommended registration amount of continuing education as set by the registration authority.

Disclosing information

Health information can only be disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Act and New Zealand Health & Disability Act 2000. Everything your Health Professional or other health agency holds about your health is health information. The Privacy Act is about you and the information that is held about you. The Privacy Act has a set of principles for handling personal information. It requires businesses and other organisation’s to follow certain principles when collecting, using and storing your personal information. Health agencies include hospitals, ACC and health insurers. Health information includes prescriptions, notes, diagnoses, test results and records of conversations. Health information, when relevant to the further treatment of the patient will be shared, with their approval to other medical professionals, such as Doctor or Physiotherapist to help further their treatment.

When Jessica Dobbs Podiatry gathers information about you, we need to get your permission to do so. We also need to be clear about what we are gathering and using it for. We must not share your information without your knowledge or approval. If we have information about you and you want to see it please ask. We also need to ensure your information is accurate and kept securely, and if we no longer need it then we safely destroy it. If you are unable to inform us of your information for a health reason, we need to have notice of someone who is allowed to act on your behalf that you have verified. This applies in the case of injury ( head injury), condition (dementia) or decreased capacity.

Patient information that has been given to us by a third party, such as ACC, Veterans Affairs or Rest homes, to further a patients care and meet funding requirements will be shared only where relevant to further treatment or meet agreed funding requirements understood by the individual and the funding organization or entity.

You have a right to see your health information. Feel free to ask us to show you your file, or for a copy you can keep. If you think your information is wrong, you can ask us to correct it. Depending on the type of information we may make a direct change or if appropriate we may choose to keep a historical record and make a notice of any amendments to your record at that time.

As required by law, such as ACC referrals; or Under other circumstances where permitted under the Act; In the course of our business activities, we may need to disclose some of your personal information to relevant staff.

For further information please see www.privacy.org.nz

Unauthorized access or disclosure

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals. Therefore, we will view unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, personal information by our employees or contractors, as a serious breach of this policy. Appropriate action (which may include disciplinary or legal action) will be taken in such cases. All staff are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Opting-Out

On our website jessicadobbspodiatry.co.nz, IP addresses (the Internet address of a computer) are logged to track a user’s session while the user remains anonymous. We then analyze the data for trends. We will always provide individuals with a nil-cost way of contacting us to register a request to “opt-out” from receiving further service offers. As per New Zealand legislation, individuals can opt our at any time

Security

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry values your trust and ensures that all personal information will be managed confidentially and securely and destroyed appropriately when no longer required. All data that Jessica Dobbs Podiatry collects, uses or discloses is accurate, complete and up to date, and has been obtained directly from individuals or other reputable sources with consent. Jessica Dobbs Podiatry has reasonable security safeguards for your information. This includes securing computer records, having secure storage for paper files, confidentiality agreements with administration staff and cleaners, and securely disposing of information when it’s no longer needed

Disclaimer

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry has attempted to make the information on this site as accurate as possible at the time of its publication. However, there is no guarantee given as to the accuracy or currency of any individual item on the server. Individuals should always contact Jessica Dobbs Podiatry to verify any information as best practice medical standards are continually growing and improving with more testing and research. Jessica Dobbs Podiatry aims to provide up to date information about podiatry related conditions and treatment as best we can.

Linked sites are not under the control of Jessica Dobbs Podiatry and we are not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Promotions are subject to availability and Jessica Dobbs Podiatry reserves the right to start and end, change, alter, or cancel promotions at any time without notice.

Jessica Dobbs Podiatry Patient Credit Terms and Conditions of Trade

The following Terms of Trade apply to services provided by Jessica Dobbs Podiatry to its patients.  By signing our patient enrolment form you are informed and hereby agree to the Terms and Conditions of Trade as stated:

  • Any changes to the Terms and Conditions of Trade need to be agreed to in writing by both parties.

  • No staff member of Jessica Dobbs Podiatry may agree to any terms other than as written in this contract.

  • Prices include GST unless otherwise stated.

  • Prices quoted for products & services may are only valid for 30 days and need to be readjusted after this. The customer hereby agrees to pay any such adjusted price, e.g. in instances where cost of goods increases, government surcharges increases, errors or omissions by Jessica Dobbs Podiatry or its representatives.

  • Unless otherwise agreed, all services shall be paid for on the date of service.

  • Payment shall be accepted in the form of cash, eft-pos or credit card.

  • All invoices are expected to be paid with 14 days of the issue date unless other wise arranged.

  • For contract holders invoices shall be paid by 20th of the month following the date of invoice. 10% late fees may apply for outstanding invoices.

  • For Contract holders we ask for 5 days notice of any cancellations of our scheduled appointments. Cancellations with less than 5 days notice will incur a late cancellation fee to the resthome of $250. This allows us to cover a portion of our costs which we would be unable to recoup with less than 5 days notice. 

  • Late fees may be charged on overdue accounts at a rate to be decided by Jessica Dobbs Podiatry if accounts are overdue outside of this time period.

  • Where patients are in breach of agreed payment terms, we may disclose this information to debt collection agencies and legal proceedings may follow. Any over due accounts will incur a 10% late fee per month. After 4 months of monthly reminders debt collection agencies will be engaged at the clients expense to recover all outstanding accounts.

  • Costs incurred to recover outstanding monies will be charged to the customer.

  • Once a client has 3 active overdue invoices, no further treatments will be allowed until the account is settled. Jessica Dobbs Podiatry may withhold further provision of product or service where there is any outstanding amount due.

  • Termination of the contract may apply where there is non-payment without prejudice to any claims Jessica Dobbs Podiatry may possess.

  • No goods supplied by Jessica Dobbs Podiatry may be returned for credit.

  • Supply of goods for personal use will be covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.

Variations to the Terms of Trade may occur from time to time, and Jessica Dobbs Podiatry will notify the patient by way of invoice – receipt of which shall be deemed to be accepted by the patient.