Our Practice Policies

 

Fees & Billing Arrangements

We are mixed billing surgery

Short consult out of pocket $15

Long consult out of pocket $ 35

 

Bulk Billing

We offer Medicare Bulk Billing Service to Pension/Concession card holders/care plans  - Children  under 16 will be Bulk Billed who hold a current Medicare Card also Aboriginal patients that are enrolled in close the gap.

However, some of our Special Procedures do require a Private Fee which is not covered by Medicare.  Before any procedure is performed, a doctor will discuss the fee with you where applicable.

 

Private Billing

For patients who do not hold a Medicare Card, we endeavour to keep our fees as low as possible. Payment is expected at the time of consultation and can be made by cash, EFTPOS, MasterCard/Visa. Please speak with the Receptionist for the current fee structure.

 

Appointments

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza runs an appointment  system.  You can make an appointment by contacting the practice by phone on 07 53492030, or booking Online. We also offer Walk-in appointments.

 

      10 Minutes  -  Standard Appointment

      20 Minutes  -  Long Appointment

 

Please inform reception when booking if you may require a Long Appointment.  If you have any forms which need to be completed, please also advise reception as this may require a Private Fee.

 

Each appointment is for one person. If you have other family members who require medical attention, please make a separate booking for them, or book a double appointment.

 

Practice aims to adhere to appointment schedules however,  the unpredictable nature of a Medical Practice means that doctors sometimes run behind time.  This is mostly due to a patient requiring urgent medical attention. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused to patients when we fall behind with our appointment schedule.

 

We would really appreciate if you no longer need your appointment to please call and cancel so another patient can book the appointment.

 

Test Results, Repeat Prescriptions, Referrals

In order to monitor your health and fulfil our ethical and legal responsibilities, we require that you attend your doctor in order to receive all results, scripts or referrals. Our receptionists are unable to provide you with your results over the phone.

 

If your doctor is unavailable another doctor in the practice would be happy to see you to help with your request.

 

Recall and Reminder System

Committed to preventative care, your doctor will seek your permission to be included on our reminder system.

 

Routinely, we may issue you with a reminder notice offering you preventative health care services appropriate to your condition: e.g. diabetic register, pap screening, asthma register, and aged care assessment programmes.

 

If you do not want to be part of this scheme, please let your doctor or reception know.

 

Communication Policy

It is our practice policy that doctors do not take phone calls from patients or return patient’s phone calls. If a patient needs to speak to a doctor they must make an appointment to come in and see their preferred doctor.

 

Reception is happy to put forward requests however it is at the doctor's discretion in how they choose to proceed.

 

Disability Facilities

This practice is designed for wheelchair access. We have a wheelchair available if required. Should you have special needs, please discuss them with your doctor.

 

Home Visits

Home visits and after hours care are available for regular patients who have a condition that prevents them from attending our practice. Visits will be at the discretion of the Patient's doctor. Patients must be registered with our practice and be located within 1.5km of our practice.  Patients are privately billed $50.00 for this service.

 

After Hours

If your health concern is not urgent call 13 432 584 for advice

For Urgent after-hours present to the Gympie Hospital Emergency Department,  12 Henry Street, Gympie QLD 4570, PH 07 5489 8444.

 

Management of Personal Health Information

Your medical records are private and confidential and only available to authorized members of staff. All information at Doctors@Goldfields Plaza is managed in accordance with the National Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act available at www.privacy.gov.au/health.

 

My Health Record is a secure online summary of your health information. Assisted Registration is available at this practice, ask your doctor or receptionist at your next visit.

 

This practice can now upload a health summary from your records to your My Health Record.

For further information visit www.myhealthrecord.gov.au

 

Suggestions or Complaints

If you have any concerns, complaints or suggestions about any aspect of our service we would appreciate hearing about them and will take them seriously.

 

      Please contact us via:

 

      Phone:  07 5349 2030

      Email:   reception@doctorsatgoldfields.com.au

      Use the suggestion box

 

      Matters which are unable to be resolved within the practice may be referred to:

 

      Office of the Health Ombudsman

      133646 (133OHO)

      complaints@oho.qld.gov.au

      PO BOX 13281

      George Street

      Brisbane    4003

 

 

Our Privacy Policy

 

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza is subject to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (as from 21 December 2001). Doctors@Goldfields Plaza is also subject to similar State legislation operating in some States and Territories of Australia. This document sets out Doctors@Goldfields Plaza Privacy Policy.

 

By attending this medical centre, you consent to your personal information being collected, stored and used in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

 

Health service providers are independent

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza is in the business of providing exceptional clinical care for all those who require general practice services. In conducting its business Doctors@Goldfields Plaza makes its premises available to health service providers. The health service providers and Doctors@Goldfields Plaza are not partners and are not in an employee-employer relationship and each health service provider, in providing health services and doing other things, is at all times an independent contractor and not doing so as the servant or agent or otherwise on behalf of Doctors@Goldfields Plaza.

 

Patient records

All patient records are the property Doctors@Goldfields Plaza (and not the property of either the patient or the health service provider). This requirement assists, if the need arises, other health service providers in the medical centre in continuing the management of a patient’s needs.

 

What type of personal information is collected and how is it collected?

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza collects personal information, such as your name, address, date of birth, contact numbers, and Medicare number. Commonly this is collected by a clerical employee of Doctors@Goldfields Plaza, such as a receptionist. Other personal information, particularly health information, is collected by the independent health service providers in a medical centre and recorded on the patient records that belong to Doctors@Goldfields Plaza. Sometimes health information is received, and placed on those patient records, from health service providers who are external to the medical centre. Examples of this are records of specialists or pathology reports.

 

Why do we collect your personal information?

The importance of health service providers sharing personal information about a patient, during the provision of health services to that patient, is widely accepted by the community. In the health sector, the flow of personal information usually occurs in accordance with concepts such as sharing within the “treating team” or on a “need to know basis”. Under this approach health service providers share necessary information to deliver optimum patient care. For such health service providers, the use and disclosure of personal information is already bound by codes of practice of their professions. Doctors@Goldfields Plaza's purpose in holding your personal information (including health information) is:

 

Provision of health services to you

• to enable that information to be available to those health service providers (whether in the medical centre or external to it) who need access to the information in order for such health service providers to provide health services to you; and

 

Administration

• to enable Doctors@Goldfields Plaza to charge, bill and collect fees, on behalf of health service providers, in respect of the health services those health service providers provide you; and

• to enable Doctors@Goldfields Plaza to charge, bill and collect fees from health service providers in respect of the non-health services Doctors@Goldfields Plaza provides to those health service providers; and

• to enable Doctors@Goldfields Plaza to gain an understanding of the types of health services, in general, that are needed by patients at large so that the health services available at a medical centre keep meeting patient needs; and

• to enable Doctors@Goldfields Plaza to implement management functions in respect of the medical centre, including service-monitoring, quality assurance activities, complaint handling, planning, evaluation and accreditation activities; and

 

Regulatory purposes

• to fulfil all legal and other regulatory requirements of Doctors@Goldfields Plaza, including disclosure to a court or similar body, lawyers or insurers, where court or similar proceedings are on foot or anticipated; and

• to hold patient records available for health service providers where they are required to maintain such records under legal and other regulatory requirements; and

 

Supplying bulk de-identified health information

• to enable Doctors@Goldfields Plaza to provide third parties with a quantity of de-identified health information. Before any health information is provided to a third party it is de-identified, that is, the name and address of the patient and any other information that could otherwise allow an individual to be identified, is removed from the health information. That de-identified information is then aggregated with the de-identified health information in respect of other patients. The third party (eg, Primary Healthcare network) uses the bulk de-identified information it receives from Doctors@Goldfields Plaza for the business purposes of the third party (eg, analysis of statistics, planning and management of their health services business).

 

Disclosure of personal information

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will not disclose your personal information to any third party, except in the following circumstances:

 

• it is for the purpose of provision of health services to you, as described above; or

• is for a regulatory purpose described above; or

• it is part of bulk de-identified health information, as described above; or

• it is otherwise required by law.

 

How you can access your personal information

On request, you may have access to your personal information held by Doctors@Goldfields Plaza, except in circumstances where access may be denied under the Privacy Act or other law. Examples of these circumstances are:

 

• where providing access will pose an unreasonable impact on the privacy of another individual; or

• where your request for access is frivolous or vexatious; or

• where the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings between Doctors@Goldfields Plaza and you, and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those legal proceedings; or

• where providing access would be unlawful, would pose a threat to the life or health of an individual, may prejudice an investigation of possible unlawful activity, may prejudice enforcement of laws, or denying access is specifically authorised by law.

 

To make a request for your personal information, please contact the Practice Manager at Doctors@Goldfields Plaza Medical Practice in writing. Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will endeavour to acknowledge a request for access to personal information within 14 days and provide the information requested within 30 days.

 

If personal information is provided to you as the result of a request, you will be charged a fee for costs incurred in providing that information such as photocopying, the administration time involved in processing your request, and postage.

 

If access is denied Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will provide you with reasons for its decision.

 

How you can correct your personal information

If you believe that the personal information Doctors@Goldfields Plaza holds about you is inaccurate, incomplete or not up-to-date please, let Doctors@Goldfields Plaza know. Provided Doctors@Goldfields Plaza agrees with you, Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will correct it. In the case of health information you allege is incorrect, Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will consult relevant health service providers about the matter. If Doctors@Goldfields Plaza does not agree with you, Doctors@Goldfields Plaza will place a statement of what you allege is correct where that information is kept and accessed.

 

Currency of this Privacy Policy

Doctors@Goldfields Plaza reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. The varied policy terms will be made available to all patients at the reception counter of the medical centre. They will apply to each patient from the date that patient next visits the medical centre after the new policy was made available. You accept that by doing this, Doctors@Goldfields Plaza has provided you with sufficient notice of the variation and agree you will be provided with no separate notification. This Privacy Policy was created in December 2019.

 

How to contact us

If you have any queries or complaints regarding our collection, use or management of your personal information please contact the Practice Manager at Doctors@Goldfields Plaza.