Privacy Policy
We value your privacy, your autonomy over your data, and your right to confidentiality about your health, your treatment, and your wellbeing. We will never use your information for anything that does not directly pertain to your care at our clinic.
What information do we collect?
We collect your name, your contact information, and any medical information you share with us.
What do we collect information for?
As healthcare providers we are required under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Health Regulations 1996 to keep a complete and written record of your treatments with us. We are also required to keep an up-to-date record of your name, address, and date of birth.
How long do we keep your information?
We will retain your contact information and your medical file for ten years after your last treatment with us. You can request access to these records at any time in this window.
What do we do with this information?
We mostly keep it in your file! With your consent, we may use this information to refer you to another healthcare provider, or to keep another healthcare provider informed of your progress with us.
In very rare circumstances (for instance if your life or the life of someone else is in danger), we may be required to disclose medical information to another healthcare provider, such as your GP.
How do we store this information?
We use two systems. For medical notes, we currently choose to manage our patients’ medical information in hard copy (on paper) because we think this is the most secure option. For referrals, ACC communication and appointments, we use secure online systems. As most referrals now happen digitally, we use an encrypted email service to send referral letters to GPs, Specialists, and other healthcare providers.
To manage appointments and patient billing information, we use a secure and approved online service called Excellent Practice. This enables you to make online bookings. It also enables us to communicate digitally with ACC, which reduces the paperwork burden for us (and for you).
Do we record financial information?
We do not record or store any of your financial information, such as EFTPOS card details or bank account information. We do not currently offer any online payment services for this reason. We may, on rare occasions, refer your contact information to a third party for purposes of debt collection. We will never disclose your health information in this instance.
Can I access my information?
Yes. You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, please contact us at
Phone
Address
Darfield
If I have questions about this, who do I ask?
That depends on your question. To understand NZ Privacy principles and laws, and to see how the new Privacy Act 2020 affects how companies manage your data, look here:
To read the relevant healthcare legislation that governs your healthcare providers, look here:
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1996/0343/latest/whole.html
and here:
https://www.chiropracticboard.org.nz/Publications-Forms/
For questions specific to our clinic, you can ask Jill or Julia at Kowhai Chiropractic (contact details above).