Types of personal information
The type of personal information we may collect includes (but is not limited to) your name, date of birth, gender, contact telephone number, mail and email addresses, referral information, Commonwealth Government references including your pensioner number, and, if relevant, Department of Veterans’ Affairs number, and payment details.
Some personal information we collect is “sensitive”.
“Sensitive information” may include information or an opinion about your hearing, balance, communication, and health condition and history.
Sources of information
We may collect your personal information:
- When we have contact with you by telephone, text, fax, email, post or in person.
- From your medical/health referrer (and their staff), and associated referral documents.
- When you attend an appointment and complete a client information form, and provide details of your clinical history.
- When you provide feedback to us on client satisfaction forms, or via email, fax or post.
- From our website, when you request information about us, our products or services.
- When you request us to complete applications on your behalf (eg online process of the Office of Hearing Services program).
- When you apply for a position of employment with us.
Where it is unreasonable or impractical to collect personal information directly from you, or if we are otherwise permitted to do so, we may also collect personal information about you from other third parties (eg family members or guardians).
For promotional/marketing purposes, we may take photos of you, but only with your consent.
When you visit and browse our website, our website host may collect information for statistical, reporting and maintenance purposes. The information collected is used to administer and improve the performance of our website and will not be used to identify you.
Uses of personal information
We use your personal information to:
- Provide diagnostic and rehabilitation services and solutions. This includes provision of our professional opinion concerning test results to your medical and/or other referrer/s.
- Contact your medical/ health practitioners and providers to arrange appropriate referral/s and /or arrange appropriate appointments.
- Assess your eligibility, and apply on your behalf, for the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (through the Office of Hearing Services).
- Verify your claims with Medicare, private health insurers, relevant Government programs including Australian Government Hearing Services
- Program and Department of Veteran Affairs, or a third party (eg WorkCover) should they be responsible for payment of your account.
- Remind you of an upcoming appointment.
- Order products from suppliers.
- Review your ongoing needs.
- Coordinate/ analyse your feedback to us.
- Manage and respond to requests for information.
- Manage complaints.
We may also use your personal information to:
- Undertake clinical research. If we cannot de-identify your personal information, we will contact you to obtain your consent.
- Conduct market research.
- Improve service delivery.
- Market services and products we think you may be interested in.
Management of your personal information
We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, relevant and up to date. We train our employees who handle personal information to respect the confidentiality and privacy of your information.
How we hold and secure your personal information
We hold your personal information in both paper and electronic form. We take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Our electronic records are stored securely, in Australia. We may need to retain records for a significant period of time to comply with our legal obligations. If we find that we have no further need for your personal information we may archive it in accordance with our record retention obligations or securely destroy all record of it.
If a data breach involving your personal information occurs, or we suspect that a data breach has occurred, whether the entity experiencing the data breach is Neurosensory or third parties we use, such as contractors or subcontractors, we will expeditiously conduct an investigation and assessment. Based on this assessment, we will determine whether any steps need to be taken by us to ensure your personal information is not accessed by unauthorised persons or whether we need to notify you with recommendations about the steps that you should take in response to the data breach. If there is a serious data breach we will tell you about any action we have taken, or we are intending to take, to prevent reoccurrence.
Disclosure of personal information
We will not disclose your personal information without your permission, unless we are required or authorised by law to do so. Depending on the nature of your engagement with us, we may disclose your personal information to:
- Any person you request or consent to receiving the information. On rare occasions, this will include medical/health practitioners who are based overseas.
- Your medical/health practitioners, hospitals and providers.
- Your parents, guardians or family members, unless you advise us of a relevant reason to restrict this disclosure.
- Suppliers to Neurosensory (eg manufacturers of hearing aids, ear moulds, cochlear implants or other implantable products or other related products.)
- The Office of Hearing Services for assessing your eligibility, and processing your application.
- Relevant officers of Commonwealth, State or Territory Governments (such as Departments of Health and Veterans’ Affairs, or Medicare).
- We may also disclose your personal information to media outlets for marketing/promotional purposes, but only with your consent.
How to access, and correct your personal information, or to make a complaint
Under Privacy laws, you have the right to request access to your personal information and to request its correction. You also have the right to complain if you feel that your privacy has not been respected or that we have conducted ourselves inconsistently with this Privacy Policy.
To request access and/or correction to your personal information, to make a complaint, or for any other queries in relation to this Privacy Policy, please contact us by:
Email: info@nsu.com.au
Phone 1300 965 513, or
Post your request to:
Privacy Officer
Neurosensory
GPO Box 2925
Brisbane Qld 4001
Before we can consider the request we will verify your identity and may also clarify what information you require. On receipt of your request, we will respond as soon as possible, within 30 days, at the very most.
Ordinarily, we will give you full access to your personal information. However, there may be some legal or administrative reasons to deny access. If we refuse your request to access your personal information, we will provide reasons for the refusal.
If you do not wish to receive promotional or marketing material from us, you can contact us as per details above.
Complaints Process
If you have a complaint, we will investigate and notify you of the outcome of our investigation within a reasonable time. We will let you know if we can respond to the matter quickly or whether we need more time to investigate and resolve your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our response you can contact the Commonwealth Government Privacy Commissioner.
