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All patient information (e.g. name and address, contact details, all medical records, ACC claims history, all medical imaging and all imaging reports, etc) is held in strict confidence, under NZ Privacy Law and cannot be disclosed to anyone - except authorised healthcare providers involved in your care. This includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists, etc.
For example, health professionals involved in your care (GPs, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chirpractors, etc) with your permission, if you request this - may have access to medical imaging about you, and can access x-rays, and MRI scans, etc, and their reports (the pacs secure online viewing portals of many radiology data-bases provide this). Another example might be if your GP refers you, again with your permission and agreement, to another healthcare provider. If you were having muscle and joint pain, your GP might refer you to an osteopath or physiotherapist. To do this, and send your notes and medical history, together with the referral - they might use a secure online platform such as electronic referral platform (such as ERMS).
Another health information secure online sharing platform (sharing information about you, i.e. your medical records, current medication, etc, between medical professionals) is Health One as a secure electronic record. Nearly all South Island GPs, community hospitals, and public hospital clinicians have access to HealthOne.
This clinic, Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture also participates in HealthOne as a secure electronic record.
You can, of course, opt out of this, if you want to. For more information, please see Health One opt out. You may wish to continue to share your information but mark some items as confidential: e.g. for particular test results; for a medication you are taking; or all information from a specific health care provider.
Again, please note that Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture is also is contributing to, and accessing healthcare information from Health One:
HealthOne is a South Island based secure electronic record that allows registered healthcare providers directly involved in your healthcare, to quickly access information such as your test results, allergies, medications, GP summaries and hospital information. HealthOne adheres to the principles of the Privacy Act 2020 as well as the Rules set out in the Health Information Privacy Code 2020. Access is only possible via an approved highly secure healthcare information network which is regularly audited and tested. Privacy auditing is used to check that only those directly involved in your care are accessing your information. To find out more about HealthOne please visit https://healthone.org.nz/. Please note that you are entitled to restrict the sharing of your healthcare records by contacting 0508 837 872 or emailing HealthOne.privacy@pegasus.health.nz”
Another example where your medical notes may be passed to other health professionals, is that if you have an injury, and chose to be treated under ACC (which subsidises your treatment costs) then ACC may request to see your treatment notes about this injury. (This is part of the conditions for being treated under ACC, as an ACC patient.) And we are obliged to release your notes about the injury to ACC if they ask to see them. (This is one of the conditions for becoming an ACC Treatment Provider). ACC might want to see your notes, for example, if surgery for the injury was requested (by a surgeon, on your behalf), and occasionally for other reasons (for example, to determine if they can cover a certain injury).
If you do not want ACC to be able to request your notes (about the injury) then you may opt to be treated as a Private Patient, rather than an ACC (part-funded) patient. (ACC cannot request to see any other notes about you, unrelated to the injury they have covered, or are determining cover for.)
This Privacy Statement/Policy for Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture is also fully consistent with the Clinical Records Standard of any registered Health Practitioner in New Zealand (in my case, I am both a registered osteopath and a registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner). The Clinical Records Standard also covers and includes privacy aspects from the Health Information Privacy Code, and it is also consistent with the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights.
The privacy policy of Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture also covers all medical imaging (images and report) for any patient, and any information about this stored in the patient notes. (Although, as noted above, we and other clinicians involved in your care, with your permission, may access your medical imaging and reports through the pacs secure online viewing portals of many radiology data-bases; and public hospital radiology databases via HealthOne or other secure online platforms.)
The Privacy Statement/Policy of Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture is that, when making an appointment for Osteopathy and/or Acupuncture; and also during an Osteopathy/Acupuncture consultation and treatment we are collecting personal information about you, as a patient. (After all, this is in your own best interests for your own Health, and Healthcare, and Well-being). Were we not to do this, it could result in a lack of medical history (e.g. surgeries, previous injuries, current medications, other treatments, etc) and would probably border on, or become professional negligence. Essential information about your health history could be missed (e.g. injuries, surgeries, other health conditions, other treatments, current medications, etc). We would generally ask about all this, on your first visit to our clinic, and take a full medical history.
We are only going to use any information about you we have collected about you, to make informed choices about the best treatment options for you. This may include what kind of Osteopathic Treatment may best suit you: e.g. manipulation, or a treatment without any manipulation - in an elderly person perhaps, or anyone afraid of manipulation, or a person with any osteoporosis, or manipulation only with caution in any person with a history of prolonged steroid use) An alternative osteopathic treatment , often no less effective than a treatment with manipulation would rely on soft-tissue treatment, stretching, articulation, and perhaps cranial osteopathy. It would also be possible to include acupuncture often to great effect, as an alternative to osteopathic spinal manipulation.
Of course, other treatment options for you (an important reason why we collect information about you) may be to refer you to other treatment providers (e.g. for surgery) or to your GP for further tests. We may also refer you for medical imaging where further information would be helpful. Once again, all information collected from Medical Imaging is also held according to strict privacy controls, and can only be released to yourself, or your GP, or other specialist (and again, only with your written consent to release this information).
Of course, you may chose to withhold information about yourself, if you want. But generally, a full-disclosure would be in your own best interests: to make the best decisions about your healthcare, the treatments available to you, and what other options you may have - it would be best if vital information were not missed (or withheld). But again, this is entirely up to you.
And, of course, you are entitled to see all the information we have about you, and have (written) copies of all your medical records given to you, on request. And, if you notice any mistakes or inaccuracies (please accept our apologies for this, but it is possible that these may have been copied from elsewhere) then please point this out to us, so that we make our records completely accurate.
If you have any further questions about the Privacy Policy of Christchurch Osteopathy Acupuncture, then please contact us about this, with your questions or concerns:
email: mikeinmanosteopath@yahoo.com
Mobile: 021 043 6282
