Privacy Policy / Consent



About this Policy


Introduction


This privacy policy will give you a more comprehensive explanation of how your data is handled by Ciel Therapies PTY LTD.


This privacy policy is to provide information to our consumers, about how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

This policy will guide Ciel Therapies Pty Ltd meeting these obligations. It also details to potential consumers how Ciel Therapies Pty Ltd uses their personal information. The policy will be made available to patients upon request. Our Privacy Policy should be read together with our Client Consent Document. By accessing our website or using our services, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of our Privacy Policy. 


Ciel Therapies Pty Ltd complies with the Privacy Act 1988, and the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act, when handling personal information. We also comply with applicable Health Privacy Principles (APP’s) in the Health Records Act, when handling personal information which is health information (“Health Information”). The Practice also complies with all Medicare requirements under the Health Insurance Act 1973. Ciel Therapies takes the protection of your personal information very seriously. The Australian Privacy Principles (APP) provide a privacy protection framework that supports the rights and obligations of collection, holding, using, accessing, and correcting personal information. The APP consists of 13 principle-based laws and applies equally to paper-based and digital environments. 


Collection


We collect your personal information so that we can provide you with the products, services or information that we supply. This may include your first name, last name, location, age, phone number, email address, postal address and payment details that you have provided when interacting with us. We may also collect information on how you use our website, your product preferences, opinions and other personal preferences. Other information that may be automatically collected when you visit our website include (without limitation) your Internet Service Provider (ISP), operating system, browser information, Internet Protocol (IP) address or other device identifiers, location and time/date stamp. At times, we may collect personal information from a third party or from a publicly available source, but only if you have consented to your information being used in this way, or would reasonably expect us to collect it in this way. We only collect this information from companies or sources that are allowed to disclose it to us. Below you will find a breakdown of the different ways your personal information is collected.


What we collect from you


User contact forms


When you fill out a contact form on our website, we will collect that information and use it to get in touch with you in response to your query. We may use the information to reach out to you to inform you of some of the services we provide, provided it is in line with your original query.


Cookies and Web Beacons/What we collect from your online activity


Ciel Therapies uses cookies and other digital identifiers that fall into the following three categories: 


  • Site performance indicators: these give us information on how our website is used, so that we can make the necessary improvements or amendments to make your experience better.
  • Analytics Cookies: these give us the statistics to understand how many people are on our website, which areas are popular and which areas we need to work on.
  • Advertising Cookies: we use these cookies to understand what type of advertising would be better suited to someone like you. That way, you would receive ads that are more likely to be relevant to you.


Cookie rights: You can always disable the use of cookies by changing the security settings of your browser. However, please bear in mind that this may affect how some items are displayed on our website. 


CIEL THERAPIES PRACTICE PROCEDURES:


We will:

  • collect personal information for the primary purpose of managing a client’s treatment under the service agreement, or for financial claims and payments purposes.
  • use the personal information for the primary purpose and any other purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. 
  • seek additional consent from the patient if the personal information collected may be used for any other purpose not otherwise outlined in this Privacy Policy.
  • provide you with Authority to Release Confidential Information, Client Consent, Terms & Conditions Form and Additional Services Form.


Why/When Consent is Necessary to Provide: When you register as a consumer with Ciel Therapies, you provide consent for the practice to access and use your personal information so we can provide you with the best possible psychotherapy treatment. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this as outlined below. 


Information we gather may include your full name, address, email address, age, relationship status, family dynamics, next of kin, heath issues, date of birth, Medicare details, billing information, general appointment information, and other personal information. We collect Health Information from consumers when they attend our clinics for the purposes of arranging appointments and obtaining therapy services. Our practice collects Health Information to provide psychological services to the consumers with a high level of professionalism.


Personal information will not be disclosed to anyone unless the consumer consents or such disclosure is otherwise required by law. Personal information will not be used, sold, rented, disseminated, or disclosed for any other purpose.


Medicare Requirements/Compliance: The Practice complies with all Medicare requirements under the Health Insurance Act 1973. Medicare has many requirements (under The Health Insurance Act 1973) which are put in place, to allow health professionals to be able to offer rebates under the Medicare rebate scheme. Medicare have a strict compliance and management department, who, actively monitor and assess if service providers are meeting the outlined requirements. If requirements are found to not to be met during investigation, Medicare could conduct an audit and/or professional investigation into whether fraudulent activity has taken place. If Medicare determined benefits have been claimed incorrectly, the Department of Health will recover the money, regardless of how the incorrect payment occurred. Medicare also requires service providers to keep adequate and contemporaneous records up to date and current.


With Whom Do We Share Your Personal Information: Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Your clinical notes are only accessible by Ciel Therapies. Other than in the course of providing psychological services, or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent. We will not share your personal information with anyone (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent. Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing at info@cieltherapies.com.au


Authority to Release Information: If a consumer wishes to release information or if Ciel Therapies receives a request for release of information from your file by a third party. Prior to releasing information, the Practice will need to ensure you are aware of what the release of information means for you as a current or previous consumer of our service. You will need to read and sign the release of information document to ensure all sections are completed and you understand what you are signing. If all sections are not completed it may cause delays in releasing your information to the third party or nominated person/organisation. By signing the form, you are indicating you are aware of the risks associated with Ciel Therapies releasing your personal information. These risks include (but are not limited to) once the information is released, the Practice does not have control of: 


  • who has access to the released information; or 
  • where the released information is stored and the security around this storage; or
  • who the released information is reviewed by; or
  • how the released information is interpreted; or 
  • other parties the released information may be provided to; or 
  • the reason the information is required; or 
  • the outcome or actions because of any third party reviewing the released information. 


Should you have any concerns regarding the above, you are suggested to contact and speak with the third party requesting your information or to seek legal advice about the request. The Practice recommends clinical files, notes, and associated information to be interpreted by a mental health professional to prevent any misunderstanding or misinterpretation. By signing the release, you also consent to the costs associated with releasing information. These may include (but are not limited to): Costs to retrieve and copy the files (time taken), postage costs, or any other costs involved in the production or transfer of the file. 


Use and Disclosure


We only use personal information for the purpose which was requested of us, or for the purposes which directly relate to one of our functions or activities. We will not provide your personal information to other entities or bodies, or any other party unless one of the following applies (as per and in line with APP 6 – use and disclosure of personal information): 


  • you have consented to the disclosure; or
  • we reasonably believe that disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health, or safety of any individual, or to public health or safety; or
  • you would reasonably expect your personal information to be disclosed and disclosure to that third party is for a purpose directly related to the primary purpose for which your personal information was collected, for example, to a GP or medical specialist involved in your care, a hospital for higher levels of care, the ambulance service, government agencies and other third-party payers administering subsidies and benefits to which you may be entitled such as Medicare and Department of Veterans Affairs; or
  • it is required or authorised by or under an Australian law or a court/tribunal order.


Holding and Retaining Personal Information: Your personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing, referring, and treating your presenting issues. During your treatment you may also be asked to complete a short survey which will be used for service development and marketing.


Third Party Privacy Policies


Ciel Therapies’ Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.

You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.


Children’s Information


Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.

Ciel Therapies does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.