Our practice respects your right to privacy. We realize that it is important that you understand the purpose for which we collect details about your health, as well as how this information is used at our practice and to whom this information might be disclosed.
The policy of this practice is to follow these procedures:
- Information collected on your treatment record will be used for the purpose of providing treatment to you. Personal information such as your name, address and health insurance details will be used for the purpose of addressing accounts to you, as well as processing payments and writing to you about any issues affecting your treatment.
- We may disclose your health information to other health care professionals, or require it from them if, in our judgement, that is necessary in the context of your treatment. In that event, disclosure of your personal details will be minimized wherever possible.
- We may also use parts of your health information for research purposes, in study groups or at seminars as this may provide benefit to other patients. Should that happen, your personal identity will not be disclosed without your consent to do so.
- Your patient history, treatment records, X-rays and other material relevant to your treatment will be kept here. You may inspect or request copies of your treatment records at any time, or seek an explanation from the dentist. If you want copies, a fee will apply. If you request an explanation of your records or a written summary, our usual fees will apply to those.
- If any of the information we have about you is inaccurate, you may ask us to alter our records accordingly.
You can otherwise rest assured that your health information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Disclosure will not be made to any person not involved in either your treatment or the administration of this practice without your prior written consent. If you have any queries or concerns about our handling of your health information, please do not hesitate to raise these concerns with our practice.
Our practice respects your right to privacy. We realize that it is important that you understand the purpose for which we collect details about your health, as well as how this information is used at our practice and to whom this information might be disclosed.
ACCESSING YOUR DENTAL RECORD
As of December 2001, patients have the rights of access to dental information held about them by this practice.
Accessing your dental information may be as simple as requesting a copy of your latest treatment results from your dentist during the course of a standard consultation. However, more often than not accessing your health information will involve far more work for our staff. We advise that the following procedure has been developed to ensure that all requests for access are dealt with as fairly and efficiently as possible.
- All requests for access will be required to be made in writing, and addressed to the attention of Dr. Cocks.
- Requests for access will be acknowledged, in writing, within 7 days of the receipt of the request.
- Applicants will be required to complete the standard consent form, and undertake to be bound by the terms of the document.
- The total time between the receipt of a request for access and the time when access is granted shall not, ordinarily, exceed 30 days.
- Where it is not possible for access to be granted within 30 days, you will be notified, in writing, of this and advised when access will be granted.
- When access is refused to your dental file you will be advised in writing of the reasons for refusal and your dentist will contact you to discuss whether there are any means by which access may be facilitated.
- You will not be permitted to remove any of the contents of your dental file from the dental practice, nor will you be permitted to alter or erase information contained in the dental record.
- Where practicable, a dentist will be present when access is granted to your file so that he or she may go through the contents of your file, and address any concerns that you have in relation to the information contained within the file. A fee will be charged in relation to this attendance.
- Should you request copies of any, or all, of the contents of your dental file fees will be applicable and these costs will be quoted to you.
- Generally patients will be required to collect the copies of their records in person. However, in some limited circumstances patients may request that records are provided to another person. This provision will generally only apply when the patient is unable, due to illness or incapacity, to attend the practice in person.
- If you are collecting a copy of your dental records or are authorized to collect the records of another person, you may be required to provide identification. Where possible this should be photographic identification.
Should you have any queries in relation to the above our practice staff are happy to address these for you.
Should you wish to make an application for access please approach our reception staff and they will assist you in getting under way with your application.