PRIVACY POLICY

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At Healing Leaves Clinic, we are committed to protecting the privacy of your health and personal information. This policy outlines how we handle your personal and health information in compliance with both the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We ensure that your personal information is managed securely and confidentially in accordance with these laws.

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1. Protected Health Information (PHI) and Sensitive Information
Both HIPAA and the Privacy Act categorize health information as sensitive and require additional safeguards. This includes your medical history, billing information, and treatment details, which may be used to identify you.

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2. Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Information
We may collect, use, and disclose your personal and health information for the following purposes:

• Treatment: To coordinate healthcare and communicate with healthcare professionals involved in your care.

• Payment: To facilitate billing and payment for healthcare services.

• Healthcare Operations: To improve our services, conduct administrative tasks, and comply with regulatory obligations.

 

Under Australian law, we only collect sensitive information with your consent unless required by law.

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3. Data Security and Medical Director
We take security seriously and use Medical Director, a trusted and secure health information management platform, to store and manage your data. Medical Director adheres to privacy standards that comply with both Australian and U.S. laws to ensure that your data is kept safe from unauthorized access.

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4. Your Rights
You have specific rights under both HIPAA and the Australian Privacy Act, including:

• Right to Access: You can request access to your health records.

• Right to Correct Information: You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.

• Right to Restrict Use/Disclosure: You can request restrictions on how we use and disclose your information.

• Right to Confidential Communications: You can request that we contact you using specific communication methods or locations.

5. Data Security Safeguards
We implement various security measures to protect your personal and health information:

• Administrative Safeguards: Policies and procedures to ensure proper handling of sensitive information.

• Technical Safeguards: Encryption and secure management systems such as Medical Director to protect your information.

• Physical Safeguards: Restricted access to sensitive information stored in physical or digital formats.

6. Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach, Healing Leaves Clinic will notify affected individuals in compliance with both HIPAA and the Australian Privacy Act. This will include details of the breach, the information affected, and steps to mitigate further risk.

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7. Notice of Privacy Practices
You are entitled to a copy of this privacy policy, and we will notify you of any significant changes. This policy also serves as our Notice of Privacy Practices, explaining how we protect and manage your personal information.

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8. Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding this policy, or your rights under the Australian Privacy Act and HIPAA, please contact us:

Healing Leaves Clinic
Phone: 07 3813 4932
Email: info@hlclinics.com.au
Website: www.healingleaves.com.au