Dentist & Co Privacy Policy

How We Collect Information

We may collect personal information directly from you in several ways, including:

• When you choose to provide personal information directly to a Dentist & Co dentist or oral therapist providing dental services to you
• When you subscribe to newsletters or other direct marketing materials
• When you complete forms, send us an email, provide information during a visit to Dentist & Co or by phone
• When you use professional services or purchase products from us

We may also collect information from third parties if you have provided them with consent under their own privacy policies:

• We may collect information from third parties, such as your health insurance provider or Medicare
• We may collect information from dentists, dental specialists or other health practitioners (for example, if you were referred to us by another dentist)
• If You have provided us with information about another person, then you need to tell that other person that you have done so, that they have a right to access their information and that they can refer to this document for information on how we will handle their personal information.

If you do not provide us with your personal information, we may be unable to provide you with the products or services that you are requesting.

Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We use your personal information to help us provide quality dental services to you in an efficient manner. We also use your information to:

• Maintain your patient file(s) at Dentist & Co
• Contact you in relation to any matter relating to you or the dental services or products provided to you
• Answer your enquiries and deliver customer services to you
• Carry out internal functions such as administration, accounting, quality assurance and information technology
• Resolve any complaint
• Conduct marketing surveys, research and promotions
• Administer your invoicing for dental services, credit card payments, or to collect unpaid invoices
• Process your health insurance claims
• Follow you up regarding further dental examinations or treatments required
• Send information to you about Dentist & Co
• Comply with any laws or regulations

If you send emails to us containing personal information, we will use that information to respond to your message or to contact you. We may store your contact information for future reference.

Use and Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We may be required to disclose your information to third parties to assist us in providing our services to you. This may include disclosing your information to:

• Your nominated relatives in an emergency
• Government and regulatory bodies (e.g. Medicare, Department of Veteran’s Affairs)
• Dentists, dental specialists and other healthcare professionals for the purpose of seeking a second opinion or a referral (where you have consented to obtaining the second opinion or the referral)
• Third party health benefit providers and insurance companies to assist in the processing of a claim for reimbursement or payment of all or part of the cost of dental treatment submitted by you or on your behalf
• Carry out a review of the practice for the purposes of improving the quality of care provided
• Compulsory notices from courts of law, tribunals or government agencies where disclosure is required by law

Marketing

At Dentist & Co, we conduct marketing campaigns to provide our existing patients with information about the range of products, services and promotions we offer that may be of benefit to you and/or your family. Our contact methods for marketing material include:

• Mail
• Phone
• Email
• SMS

We may also engage third parties to aid us in delivering marketing material to you. This information is shared on a confidential basis, and only the information that is relevant to sharing marketing material with you is disclosed. As a Dentist & Co patient, you consent to us using your information for marketing purposes, unless you:

• Have expressed that you do not want to be contacted for marketing purposes on your New patient form
• Have contacted us to withdraw your consent

We will still contact you in relation to your dental treatment if you elect to not receive any marketing materials. We will still send you:

• Bills, statements or invoices relating to ay products or services provided to you by us
• Reminders for your regular check-up and clean appointments (unless you have contacted us to request otherwise)

Handling and Storage of Personal Information

Maintaining the integrity of your personal information is paramount, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure that your personal information handled in accordance with Australian privacy laws. We store your information securely and aim to protect it from:

• Misuse
• Unauthorised access
• Modification
• Disclosure

Your personal information may be handled by:

• Employees of Dentist & Co
• Regulatory bodies conducting audits at Dentist & Co

This is to ensure that accurate and relevant dental services are provided to you. We store your personal information for as long as it is required to:

• Provide you with the relevant services
• Comply with legal requirements

If your personal information is no longer required by Dentist & Co, we will take the necessary steps to de-identify and/or destroy your information, except where it is required to be kept by law.

Accessing, Amending, Updating and Correcting Your Information

You can ask Dentist & Co for access to any personal information we hold about you, as you have the right to access this personal information. Dentist & Co will endeavour to provide this information to you in a reasonable time at your request.

There are some situations where Dentist & Co may be unable to provide you with any requested information, including when:

• We no longer hold or use the information
• Providing access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others
• The information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings and would not normally be disclosed as part of those proceedings
• Providing access would be unlawful, or denying access is required by law
• Where access would pose a threat to the life or health of any individual.

Correcting Your Personal Information

It is important that the information Dentist & Co hold about you is accurate, as it allows us to provide you with the best quality dental service.

We will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate and complete at the time of collecting, using or disclosing it.

If you believe any information that we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date, you should contact us to let us know. We also will update your personal information with a questionnaire annually to ensure our records are kept current.

Photographs

We use patient before and after photos as a demonstration of the dental work carried out at Dentist & Co and for the education of dentists by Dr Saade Saade. The photographs you may see displayed throughout the practice are from actual procedures performed on patients at Dentist & Co and have been presented without significant modification or retouching. These photographs are used for representation of treatment only and are not indicative of results that can be provided for specific individuals.

All patients at Dentist & Co give us permission to use any photographs taken for display, education or marketing purposes, with all images appropriately de-identified. If you wish to withdraw your consent for any de-identified photographs to be displayed, please contact us at any time via phone or email.

Dentist & Co will discuss any use of photographs that have not been de-identified for marketing or educational purposes with you and will require a signed consent form before use. No identifiable images will be used without your consent.

Changes to the Privacy Statement

We may change the content or services found on our website at any time without notice.

Consequently, our Privacy Statement may change at any time also without notice.

You can contact us at any time if you have any queries or concerns about this document or about how your personal information has been handled.

Dentist & Co
1/3 Montague Street Balmain NSW 2041
Phone: 02 9810 3044
Email: info@dentistandco.com.au

If You are not happy with our response or if you feel your complaint has not been handled satisfactorily, you are able to seek advice from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992.