FEES, AND MISSED APPOINTMENT POLICY

FEES

 

Our fees are based on your General Practitioner’s time, experience and skill, relating mostly to their time, and the cost of running Treasury Medical as a non-corporate family practice in the way we believe is best able to provide quality care.

 

Once you have reserved the doctor’s time, you have agreed to the doctor’s fee, this includes if you do not attend; as the time, and others’ chance to use that time, has been forfeited.

 

Fees are due on the day the service is provided, we utilise a debt collection service if anyone fails to pay the agreed fee, and this attracts another 50% on top of the fee originally owing.

Drs Vandenberg, Sharman, Retchford and Adams

 

The standard fee is $99 with reduced fees for concession card holders. The first consultation is always full fee. Medicare at present rebates $42.85 of this fee.

 

Longer consultations, procedures and additional services attract commensurate fees.

Dr Bhalerao

 

Dr Bhalerao’s standard fee is $140. Medicare at present rebates $42.85 of this fee for General Practitioner services. Obstetrics and Gynaecology services attract different rebates, and require a referral.

 

Longer consultations, procedures and additional services attract different fees.

Dr Finlayson

 

Dr Finlayson is the Practice Principal, and Director of Treasury Medical. He therefore holds responsibility over much of the practice.

 

Dr Finlayson’s books are closed, such that as a general rule he is no longer able to accept new patients. His standard fee is $121 with reduced fees for concession card holders and children. Appointments booked on the day are $121 for all. Medicare at present rebates $42.85 of this fee.

 

Longer consultations, procedures and additional services attract correspondingly higher fees.

MISSED APPOINTMENTS

 

All of our doctors operate by appointment. Additionally we try to have appointments available on the day for patients who require more urgent attention. These are not meant for patients who have failed to organise themselves, but will be available if possible if that is the case.

 

Failing to attend booked appointments is unfair to the doctors, and to patients who are on a waitlist to be seen on the day. The costs to run the practice remain, and are significant, the doctor’s time is wasted, and patients who may have been able to be seen miss out.

 

As such, a fail to attend fee is charged. This depends on the doctor, but ranges up to the fee that would have been charged had you attended. Given that we are often able to have a waitlisted patient attend with sufficient notice, two working-hours’ notice must be given if you cannot attend, otherwise the fee will be charged. If your appointment is in the first two hours of the day we require notice by 2pm the working day before to allow time to notify those who may be able to be seen in the morning.

 

Additionally, if patients are late to their appointment, it may be considered a failure to attend as we may not be able to accommodate you depending on circumstances, and it is unfair to patients after you who have arrived on time. Patients may ask “but why can’t I been seen late when the doctor often runs late?” – doctors run late for several reasons, and never wish to do so but are pushed back by patient needs, or if patients do present later than their appointment time. Running late reflects the unpredictable nature of General Practice presentations and we do everything we can to run to time. Doctors do not like running behind any more than you do, they also would like to get a lunch break, and get home in a reasonable time.

Medicare Safety Nets

 

Once you have reached the Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) the government heavily discounts your out of pocket costs for any Medicare-eligible service. As such, the doctors at Treasury Medical won’t apply any discount, as it is being covered even moreso by Medicare.

Communication Policy

 

Treasury Medical recognises that different communication channels may be used by staff members to assist in the efficient and safe delivery of healthcare services to our patients.

Treasury Medical endeavours to obtain patient consent before initiating communication with a patient via SMS, email or other means. Consent for electronic communication is implied if the patient initiates electronic communication with the practice.

Treasury Medical are required to adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), the Privacy Act 1988 and any state-specific laws when communicating by electronic means. In accordance with the Medical Centres Privacy Policy, our staff are required to take reasonable steps to protect patient information from unauthorised disclosure.

For further information with respect to patient privacy and confidentiality, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Email may be used as a form of communication with external practices, patients or other stakeholders.

The following general directions apply:

1) Patients can obtain results or discuss medical information with a Health Care Professional (HCP) as part of a consultation. Practice Managers, 2ICs or reception staff members are not qualified to provide medical advice and are not entitled to discuss any medical information over email correspondence or any other communication channel. Documents resulting from a consultation with a doctor may be shared with the patient via email correspondence, upon the patients’ request. All provision of medical records to patients is to be carried out by Treasury Medical, medical reception department.

2) Treasury Medical may use email for the following communications:

• Sending invoices;
• Receiving requests for medical reports;
• Receiving requests for medical records;
• Receiving patient complaints; and
• Sending patient information or documents (referrals, certificates, etc.)

3) A patient is required to verify their identity, by providing three points of

identification information, before email correspondence can proceed.

4) Requests from other practices must be sent by the requesting practice to the Treasury Medical administration email address with details of the request and patient authorisation, when required. Treasury Medical will then reply to the same address, after having verified the authenticity of the requestor and the request and upon guidance from an HCP (if/as required). This measure is to limit the scope for spelling or other errors in the email address which may result in unauthorised disclosure of patient information.

5) An email disclaimer notice is in use for outgoing email correspondence informing our patients of the risks associated with electronic communication and of the alternative contact details available.

3. Use of FAX

FAX may be used as a form of communication with external practices, patients or other stakeholders.

The following general directions apply:

1) Patients can obtain results or discuss medical information with a Health Care Professional as part of a consultation. Practice Managers, 2ICs or reception staff members are not qualified to provide medical advice and are not entitled to discuss any medical information over email correspondence or any other communication channel.

2) Requests from other practices seeking patient information must be sent by the requesting practice to the Treasury Medical’s FAX number with details of the request and patient authorisation, when required. Treasury Medical will then reply to the FAX, after having verified the authenticity of the request and the requestor and under the guidance of a HCP, as required.

4. Use of Phone

Phones may be used as a form of communication with external practices, patients or other stakeholders.

The following general directions apply:

1) Patients can obtain results or discuss medical information with a Health Care Professional as part of a consultation. Practice Manager and reception staff are not qualified to provide medical advice and are not entitled to discuss any medical information over email correspondence or any other communication channel.

2) A patient is required to verify their identity, by providing three points of identification information, before any personal information is disclosed over the phone.

3) Other practices requesting patient information over the phone are to be instructed to send their request to the Medical Centre’s email address or FAX with details of the request and patient authorisation, when required. Treasury Medical will then reply, after having verified the authenticity of the request and consulted with an HCP, as required.

5. Use of SMS

Treasury Medical may utilise SMS communications to issue appointment reminders and recalls via the Practice Management Systems (PMS) in use at the centre.

This is also conducted with appropriate regards to patient privacy and confidentiality.

Communication with patients or other external stakeholders via SMS, outside of the appropriate PMS processes, is not permitted.

 

Patient Information Request Policy

 

Policy

Requests for third party access to personal patient health information are initiated through receipt of correspondence from a solicitor or government agency or by the patient completing a Request for Personal Health Information form. Where a patient request form or signed authorisation is not obtained the practice is not legally obliged to release information.

Where Treasury Medical holds reports or other health information from another organisation, such as a medical specialist, we are required to provide access to this information in the same manner as for the records we create. We are also required to provide access to records which have been transferred to us from another health service provider.

General practice has a fundamental role in ensuring the privacy of personal patient health information. Treasury Medical has access to and uses the RACGP’s Privacy and managing health information in general practice handbook which aligns with current best practice and includes commentary on the Privacy Act 1988. It provides guidance to Treasury Medical on the management of health information in a general practice setting and includes examples of compliance with the various Health Records Acts and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which regulate the handling of personal information by both Australian government agencies and businesses.

Requests for access to patient health records and associated financial details may be received from various third parties including:

• Subpoena/court order/coroner/search warrant,
• Relatives/friends/carers,
• External practitioners and healthcare institutions,
• Police/solicitors,
• Health insurance companies/workers compensation/social welfare agencies,
• Employers,
• Government agencies,
• Accounts/debt collection,
• Students (medical and nursing),
• Research/quality assurance programs,
• Media outlets,
• International parties, and
• Disease registers.

We only transfer or release patient information to a third party once the consent to share information has been signed and, in specific cases, informed consent has been sought from the patient.

Our practice team can describe the procedures for timely, authorised and secure transfer of patient personal health information in relation to valid requests.

Procedure

The practice team can describe how we correctly identify our patients using three (3) patient identifiers to ascertain we have selected the correct patient record before entering or actioning anything from that record.

Patient consent for the transfer of health information to other providers or agencies must be obtained prior to any action, and the release of health information consent must be completed by the patient and retained on file.

As a rule, no patient information is to be released to a third party unless the request is made in writing and provides evidence of a signed authority to release the requested information, to either the patient directly or to the third party.

Written requests for the transfer of health information are noted in the patient’s health record. Any request received is forwarded to the patient’s usual general practitioner for action. The requested record is to be reviewed by the general practitioner whilst using the Release of Health Information Checklist prior to release to a third party to ascertain if the information being requested is suitable for release.

To meet the costs associated with reviewing and preparing personal patient health information to be released to a third party, our practice charges an administrative fee. A list of the fees associated with the types of information being requested is located within Best Practice and Treasury Medical Account policy.

Where patient information is being transferred in hard copy (i.e. post or being collected by the patient/third party), only copies are provided; the original is to remain at the practice.

The security of any health information requested is maintained when transferring requested records. Electronic data transmission of personal patient health information from Treasury Medical is in a secure format i.e. HealthLink.

Subpoena, court order, coroner search warrant

Where a request for patient information is being sought by subpoena, court order, or coroner search warrant, we note the date of the pending court case and the date the request was received in the patient’s health record. We follow the procedures as described above.

Relatives/friends

A patient may authorise another person to be given access to their health information if they have the legal right and a signed authority.

If a situation arises where a carer is seeking access to a patient’s health information, we contact our medical defence organisation for advice before such access is granted.

Significant court orders relating to custody and guardianship are recorded as an alert on the health records of children where appropriate to ensure no information is released to an unauthorised party.

External practitioners and healthcare institutions

Any requests received from general practitioners or other healthcare institutions, external to our practice, are directed to the patient’s usual general practitioner, or to the Practice Manager.

Police/solicitors

All members of the practice team have been made aware of the requirement for police and solicitors to obtain case-specific signed patient consent (or subpoena, court order or search warrant) before any information relating to that patient is released. Any such requests received are directed to the patient’s usual general practitioner.

Health insurance companies/workers compensation/social welfare agencies

Depending on the specific circumstances, information may need to be provided and any such requests received are referred to the patient’s usual general practitioner.

Employers

If the patient has signed consent to release information for a pre-employment questionnaire or similar report, this request is referred to the patient’s usual general practitioner.

Government agencies – Medicare/Department of Veterans Affairs

Depending on the specific circumstances, information may need to be provided and any such requests received are referred to the patient’s usual general practitioner with a recommendation to discuss any issues with their medical defence organisation.

State registers of births, deaths and marriages

Death certificates are to be issued by the patient’s usual general practitioner.

Accounts/debt collection

The practice must maintain privacy of a patient’s financial accounts.

Accounts must not contain any clinical information. Invoices and statements are reviewed prior to forwarding to third parties, such as insurance companies or debt collection agencies.

Outstanding account queries or disputes are directed to the Practice Manager.

Students (medical and nursing)

Treasury Medical will be participating in Medical and Nursing student education. We acknowledge that some patients may not wish to have their personal health information accessed for educational purposes; therefore, the practice always advises patients of impending student involvement in practice activities and seeks to obtain patient consent accordingly.

Research and continuous quality improvement activities

Where our practice seeks to participate in human research activities and/or continuous quality improvement activities, patient confidentiality and privacy will be maintained. Only the information of patients who have provided their explicit consent for the practice to use their information for these activities in this manner will be used. A copy of the patient consent to any specific data collection for research or continuous quality improvement purposes is retained in their record.

All requests to participate in research are to be approved by the Practice Principal before commencing, and also must have approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) constituted under the NHMRC guidelines. A copy of this approval is retained by the practice.

Media

No member of the practice team is permitted to release information to media outlets unless it has been authorised, and all enquiries are to be directed to Practice Principal.

International

Where patients request and consent to have their information transferred overseas, this can be performed; however, where the request for transfer of information is received by international subpoena, our practice is under no obligation to comply.

Disease registers

This practice submits patient data to various diseases registers to assist with preventative health management (e.g. cervical, breast and bowel screening, MHR).

Consent is required and obtained from the patient to ‘opt in’ to have their information shared with these registers. This consent is obtained when the patient attends the practice, and patients are reminded through signage in the waiting room and verbally. As well as the opportunity to revisit their previous consent/non-consent to this data sharing at any time.

Request for access to personal health information

 

Policy

Patients of Treasury Medical have the right to access their personal (and health) information under legislation. The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) govern health service providers’ and other organisations’ obligations to give patients access to their personal health information on request, subject to certain exceptions and the payment of fees (if any).

Treasury Medical complies with the Privacy Act 1988 and APPs adopted therein. These regulations give patients the right to know what information a private sector organisation holds about them, the right to access this information, and to also make corrections if they consider any data is incorrect.

We have a privacy policy in place that sets out how to manage personal health information and the steps an individual must take to obtain access to this information. This includes the different forms of access and the applicable timeframes and fees.

Where Treasury Medical holds reports or other health information from another organisation, such as a medical specialist, we are required to provide access to this information in the same manner as for the records we create. We are also required to provide access to records which have been transferred to us from another health service provider.

Procedure

A notice is displayed in our waiting room, on our website advising patients and others of their rights of access to information we hold about them, and of our commitment to privacy legislation compliance.

Personal health information about a patient will only be released in accordance with the relevant privacy laws and at the discretion of the patient’s usual general practitioner.

Although patients can request access to their personal health information verbally, we require patients to request in writing via email or letter outlining the type of information being requested, and in what format the patient requests to receive the information. Completion of this letter ensures correct processing is undertaken and appropriate consent is obtained, particularly where the patient is requesting their information be sent to them through an unsecure method (i.e. facsimile, mail, email).

The completed request form is then forwarded to the patient’s usual general practitioner to review and consider the request through the use of the Release of Health Information Checklist. In considering the request, it is important that the practitioner answers the following questions:

• Would access pose a serious threat to the life or health of anyone, including the patient?

• If it is possible to provide the information in another form which would remove the threat, for example discussing in person with the applicant, then this could be an option.

• Will the privacy of others be compromised?

• It may be possible to remove the other person’s identification prior to release of information. Check remaining parts of the record to not reveal the person’s identification. You can try to contact the other person for their consent to release information in the record. Consider if this contact may cause a privacy risk for the patient.

• Is the request frivolous or vexatious?
• Does the information relate to existing or anticipated legal proceedings?
• Would access prejudice negotiations with the individual, for example, regarding negligence or other claims?
• Would access be unlawful due to other legislation?

• Where any Commonwealth or Tasmanian law prohibits this or if it would breach any other statutory or common law (e.g. Adoption Act, Infertility Treatment Act).

Where ‘yes’ was answered for any of the questions, there may be grounds for denying access to the record or certain parts thereof. Where there is no reason to deny access, the general practitioner is to peruse the record to ascertain if all information being requested is still suitable for release.

To meet the costs associated with reviewing and preparing personal health information to be released to a patient, our practice charges an administrative fee. A list of the fees associated with the types of information being requested is located within Best Practice and accounts policy.

When a patient requests access to their health record and related personal information, we document each request in the practice’s Transfer Request register which is located on the secure z:// file and in the patient’s health record. We endeavour to assist patients in granting access where possible and according to the privacy legislation. Exemptions to access will be noted and each patient (or legally nominated representative) will have their identification checked prior to access being granted.

Where there are grounds to deny a patient access to their personal health information (all or part thereof), the reasons for denied access are provided to the patient in writing. An intermediary may operate as facilitator to provide sufficient access to meet the needs of both the patient and the general practice.

Patients may request to access their personal health information in the following ways:

• View and inspect (patient is to make an appointment),
• View, inspect and discuss contents (patient is to make an appointment),
• Obtain a copy – collect,
• Obtain a copy – send via mail.
• Obtain a copy – send via facsimile, and/or
• Obtain a copy – send via email.

We respect an individual’s privacy and allow access to information via personal viewing in a secure private area in consultation with their general practitioner. Fees will be charged accordingly.

A patient may ask to have their personal health information amended if they consider it is not up-to-date, accurate or complete. Treasury Medical aims to correct this information as soon as reasonably practicable and any corrections made are attached to the original health record.

Where there is a disagreement about whether the information is indeed correct, we attach a statement to the original record outlining the patient’s claims.

Once the request has been processed, the completed Personal Health Information Request Form and Release of Health Information Checklist are incorporated into the patient’s health record.

Request by another person who is not the patient

An individual may authorise another person to be given access if they have the right (e.g. legal guardian) and if they have a signed authority.

The Privacy Act 1988 defines a ‘responsible person’ for an individual as:

• A parent of the individual, or
• A child or sibling of the individual if the child or sibling is at least 18 years old, or
• A spouse or de facto partner of the individual, or
• Aa relative of the individual if the relative is:

• At least 18 years old, and
• A member of the individual’s household, or

• A guardian of the individual, or
• A person exercising an enduring power of attorney granted by the individual that is exercisable in relation to decisions about the individual’s health, or
• A person who has an intimate personal relationship with the individual, or
• A person nominated by the individual to be contacted in case of emergency.

Where a young person is capable of making their own decisions regarding their privacy, they should be allowed to do so. The general practitioner could discuss the child’s record with their parent; however, each case is to be managed subject to the individual circumstances. A parent will not necessarily have the right to their child’s information.

Deceased Persons

Privacy protections that are in place for personal patient health information applies even after a person’s death; however, in some situations these privacy interests may be reduced, or there may be other factors that outweigh the privacy interests which favour disclosure of the information. A request for access may be allowed for a deceased patient’s legal representative if the patient has been deceased for 30 years or less and all other privacy law requirements have been met; however, we recommend that the general practitioner contacts their medical defence organisation for advice when receiving these requests.

 

Privacy Policy

 

Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within Treasury Medical, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of Treasury Medical, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Treasury Medical will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g., staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• healthcare identifiers

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Treasury Medical may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment Treasury Medical staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, and/or make an online appointment.
4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:

• your guardian or responsible person
• other healthcare providers such as; specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services, pathology and diagnostic imaging services.
• Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
• Lyrebird Scribe an integrated scribe that listens to consultations and automatically filters out non-relevant information to generate personalised and comprehensive clinical notes, letters, referrals and records observations. Prior consent is received from the patient. Lyrebird Scribe is medico-legally compliant, and all transactions are performed exclusively in Australia with AES-256 bit encryption.

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

We sometimes share your personal information:

• with third parties who work with Treasury Medical for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (e.g., court subpoenas)
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or if it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g., some diseases require mandatory notification)
• during the course of providing medical services, through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record (e.g., via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, Treasury Medical will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

Treasury Medical will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying Treasury Medical in writing.

Treasury Medical may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data.

We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at Treasury Medical in various forms. We are endeavouring to only store it electronically; however, some information is still provided to us in paper form. This information is converted to electronic form as quickly as possible. All printed documents are destroyed securely.

Treasury Medical stores all personal information securely. We use Best Practice. All our data is stored on a secure server in Australia. Treasury Medical network is maintained, monitored and protected via a certified IT company. Treasury Medical uses secure password protection and confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors.

How can you access and correct your personal information at Treasury Medical?

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.

Treasury Medical acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and Treasury Medical will respond within a reasonable time.

Treasury Medical will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by Treasury Medical is correct and current.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at Treasury Medical?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.

Contact us at:

Treasury Medical

32 Davey Street, Hobart, Tas 7000

admin@treasurymedical.com.au

We will reply within 21 business days.

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.

Privacy and our website

The collection of personal information that occurs through the website complies with our privacy policy.

Policy review statement

Our privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. All updates will be published on our website

 

Complaints Management

                                             

Opportunities are available for patients and other visitors to tell us, “How we are doing” and we collect systematic patient experience feedback at least every three (3) years.

The practice information on our website provides patients with information on how to provide feedback, including how to make a complaint.

We have a complaints resolution process which all members of the practice team can describe, and we also make the contact details for the Tasmanian health complaints agency readily available to patients if we are unable to resolve their concerns.

Patients have a ‘right to complain’ and where possible, patients and others are encouraged to raise any concerns directly with the Practice Manager who is trained to make sure patients of the practice feel confident that any feedback or complaints made will be handled appropriately. We believe most complaints can be responded to and resolved at the time the patients or other people such as carers, relatives, friends, or other consumers make them known to our team.

Under national and Tasmanian privacy laws, Treasury Medical provides and adheres to a complaints process for privacy issues and those related to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

The Practice Manager is educated and prepared to address complaints as they arise. Depending on the nature of the complaint and any advice received from our medical indemnity insurers where required, complaints are recorded and actioned with a copy placed in the patient’s health record if related to patient care.

All clinical and medical staff, as well as administration staff, are aware of the professional and legal obligations regarding the mandatory reporting of unprofessional conduct.

Complaint Procedure

Patients and others have opportunities to register their complaints either verbally, in writing (letter) or via our suggestion box; in writing is the preferred method. Patients or others are able to complain anonymously if desired.

The Practice Manager is educated and prepared to address complaints as they arise.

When receiving complaints, our practice keeps in mind the following in order to minimise further patient anxiety and hostility:

• Handle all complaints seriously, no matter how trivial they may seem.
• Verbal complaints made in person should be addressed in a private area of the practice where possible.
• Use tactful language when responding to complaints.
• Do not blame others; patients may not have all the facts or they may distort them.
• Address the patient’s expectations regarding how they want the matter resolved.
• Assure the patient that their complaint will be investigated and the matter not disregarded.
• Offer the person an opportunity to complete a formal complaint form (they may accept or decline).
• Document all complaints and other relevant information and place this in the complaint folder so the person designated to manage complaints is informed of the complaint (even if the matter appears to have been resolved).
• Alert the General Practitioner about disgruntled or hostile patients so they can diffuse the situation immediately – often patients are reluctant to make a complaint directly to a General Practitioner.
• Always inform the person designated to manage complaints if you become aware of any significant statements made by the patient or significant change in patient attitude.

The practice has appointed Hayley Finlayson, Practice Manager with designated responsibility for seeking, collecting, analysing, investigating, resolving and managing all feedback and complaints. Any investigation and resolution of complaints is undertaken using an open disclosure process, incorporating the following:

• Acknowledge the patient’s right to complain.
• Acknowledge receipt of the complaint as soon as possible, but within two (2) working days using the Acknowledgment of Complaint letter template.
• Respond to all complaints as soon as reasonably practicable, but within thirty (30) days in an open and constructive manner including an explanation and, if appropriate, an apology.
• If a resolution of the matter is to take longer than thirty (30) days, an update of the resolution activities will be provided to the patient, with an anticipated revised timeframe for resolution.
• Work with the patient to resolve the complaint and communicate the outcome with the patient, including any changes made as a result of the complaint.
• As a routine, contact the practice’s insurer when there is a complaint about a member of the medical or clinical team in order to seek advice on resolving the complaint before any action is taken.
• Where a complaint is made against a practice team member, provide the team member with an opportunity to discuss the details in a private setting.
• Ensure the complaint does not adversely affect the patient’s care.
• Record the complaint, investigation and actions in the dedicated complaints file and, if related to patient care, include a copy in the patient’s health record.
• Ensure, where appropriate, complaints are reviewed at practice team meetings; analyse trends and discuss the methods of resolution.
• Review other types of patient feedback (i.e. feedback surveys, suggestion box) during practice team meetings.
• Keep a record of improvement(s) made in response to feedback or complaints.
• Where appropriate, inform the patient about practice improvements made as a result of their input.

If the matter cannot be resolved, the patient is advised about how to contact the external health complaints agency for Tasmania.

Tasmania

Health Complaints Commissioner Tasmania

Telephone: 1800 001 170

Web: www.healthcomplaints.tas.gov.au

Complaints that relate to privacy issues or concerns that cannot be resolved internally are to be directed to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Telephone: 1300 363 992

Postal Address: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

Web: www.oaic.gov.au

Members of the public may make a notification to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) – www.ahpra.gov.au – about the conduct, health or performance of a practitioner or the health of a student. Practitioners, employers and education providers are all mandated by law to report notifiable conduct relating to a registered practitioner or student to AHPRA.