STAR INJURY MANAGEMENT SERVICES PRIVACY POLICY & STATEMENT

This Privacy Policy/Statement describes the collection, use and storage of disclosure of your personal information by Astar Investments Pty Ltd trading as STAR Injury Management Services.

STAR INJURY MANAGEMENT SERVICES PRIVACY POLICY

STAR Injury Management Services is committed to complying with its obligations under the ‘Privacy Act 1988’ and the previously associated National Privacy Principles (APP’s) and now the new Australian Privacy Principles { APP’s} as follows:

The Privacy Act governs the handling, holding, accessing and correction of personal information through a new set of 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). These APPs replace the previous Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) that applied to Australian Government agencies and the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) that applied to businesses under the previous iteration of the Privacy Act.

The 13 APPs are structured to reflect the “personal information lifecycle”, and are grouped in five parts:

  1. Consideration of personal information privacy
  2. Collection of personal information
  3. Dealing with personal information
  4. Integrity of personal information
  5. Access to, and correction of, personal information.

Key relevant changes to the Privacy Act

  • One set of 13 Australian Privacy Principles regulates the handling of personal informationThe Australian Privacy Principles now apply to Australian Government agencies and businesses with a turnover of more than $3 million, as well as all private health service providers
  • Privacy policies must now include information for clients about making complaints about breach of privacy
  • Clients must be provided with the option to interact anonymously or by using a pseudonym, where this is requested and practical and legally allowable
  • Personal information can be disclosed if there is a threat to the life, health or safety of an individual or the public, but this threat no longer needs to be ‘imminent’
  • Personal information can now be disclosed to assist in locating a missing person
  • Personal information that is stored electronically must be protected from computer attacks
  • Personal information must be destroyed or de-identified once it is no longer required for any ethical or legal purpose
  • Where grounds to refuse a request for access to information applies, reasons must be provided in writing as well as information about making a complaint, and steps must be taken to give access in a way that meets the client’s needs.

APPLICATION OF THE APP’s – REHABILITATION AGENCY

  1. This Rehabilitation Agency is bound by the APP’s to the fact that it derives a benefit, service or advantage by the collection or disclosure of information and opinions about individuals whose identity is apparent or can be ascertained.
  2. However, as with all organisations, the APP’s do not apply to personal information of current or former employees contained in employee records when those records are used directly in connection with the employment relationship. Further comment should be noted that some exemptions are contained within the APP’s with respect to matters such as the disclosure of information relating to public health or public safety, the disclosure information with respect to law enforcement enquiries and disclosure of information relating to legal proceedings and negotiations.
  3. This rehabilitation agency, through it’s Privacy Officer is happy to provide further details as to the extent to which it is required to comply with the APP should any persons wish. Alternately, further details of the obligations imposed upon private organisations under Australia’s Privacy Laws can be obtained directly from the Office of the Privacy Commission or by reference to the APP’s and the Privacy Commissioner’s associated guidelines.
  4. Personal information held by this rehabilitation agency may include the following:
  • Personal details pertaining to an injured workers name, address, telephone number (home/mobile and fax)
  • Condition of injury
  • Cause of injury
  • Date of injury
  • Birth date
  • Employment status
  • Position
  • Department
  • Employer

An injured worker’s relevant rehabilitation case details include the requirement of rehabilitation, the referral source (name, address, phone number and position) and date of referral. In addition, the details also include the organisation/person to whom invoice for rehabilitation services is to be provided (typically the Insurer), the date the case was opened and claim number.

Rehabilitation Progress Reports are provided on an approximately 4 -6 weekly basis which include details of communications with relevant parties related to the workers injury. This typically includes the injured worker, employer/supervisor, Workers’ Compensation Insurer, treating Medical Practitioner and other relevant Practitioners (treating Specialist, Physiotherapist etc.). In addition, Initial Assessment Reports are retained on a persons file (database and hard copy) containing information that includes:

  • Client details – date of birth / age / General Practitioner / Consulting Specialist / treating Specialist and other treating parties. Injury details – nature of injury / diagnosis and cause and subsequent events to date. This will also include details of a workers use of medication, their access to treatment with Medical Practitioners from date of injury and their current treatment including names and details of treating Practitioners and persons
  • Employment and functional capacities affected by injury – client reported capacities (subjective reports)
  • Employment and vocational history – typically from school leaving age
  • Communication summary – Medical Practitioner/Specialists:- telephone contact between the rehabilitation agency and the relevant parties
  • Communication summary – Employer/supervisor:- telephone contact between the rehabilitation agency and the relevant parties
  • Current employment status and medical certification
  • Summary and recommendations.

A graded return to work programme is also retained on file which may be extended or amended on numerous occasions during the course of a rehabilitation programme. This includes details of a workers attempts at return to work including dates, days and duties performed

Other information contained on file includes facsimile communication to General Practitioners and employers and other relevant parties to request up-to-date and provide it for their information. In addition, Closure Reports are provided to summarise the case in similar detail as noted above

Information is contained on a confidential password data entry base and accessed by the Rehabilitation Case Manager, the Office Manager (for typing and transferring of notes/files notes and reports and Rehabilitation Agency Typist). Hard copies are retained in locked filing cabinets.

THE MAIN PURPOSE IN WHICH THIS REHABILITATION AGENCY HOLDS INFORMATION

This Rehabilitation Agency holds information as referred to above for the primary purpose of enabling it to conduct the services it provides to its customers (injured workers, employers, treating Medical Practitioner and Workers’ Compensation Insurance companies).

In particular:

  • This Rehabilitation Agency collects information to enable it to provide services in connection to vocational rehabilitation to assist injured workers to return to work in a productive capacity in the pre-injury or alternate employment capacity
  • Information collected by this Rehabilitation Agency is used to provide recommendations to abovementioned key parties (injured workers, Medical Practitioners and employers) and to other non-key, but relevant parties inclusive of treating Physiotherapists/treating Specialists and Workers’ Compensation Insurers. This is in respect to an injured workers rehabilitation programme and attempts and efforts made at coordinating these efforts between all parties involved in the rehabilitation process including those key and non-key parties as noted above
  • Information obtained from key parties including Workers’ Compensation Insurers, treating Specialist, Consulting Specialist and Physiotherapist for the purpose of assisting them in undertaking and planning treatment programmes and management programmes of injured workers
  • Information collected by this Rehabilitation Agency is transferred via the Internet (email) for the purposes of maintaining communication with parties. This includes access to injured workers, Medical Practitioners, employers and Workers’ Compensation Insurers.

5. This Rehabilitation Agency does contract out services to third parties that involves disclosing personal information. This includes access to Rehabilitation Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist Consultant Adjustment Counselling, Vocational Counselling and Vocational Assessment. This Agency hence discloses personal information to such Rehabilitation Psychologist’s who performs activities of vocational planning/counselling and assessment to assist in identification in a new occupation should redeployment be required. Very occasionally this Agency also refers to contract providers for labour market research to assist in identification of market trends in relation to a particular injured workers requirement such as wage information, availability of employment information, entry level for employment information, availability of positions in the market place and general trends of employment. This relates specifically to an injured workers requirement and case request.

CONTACTING THIS REHABILITATION AGENCY REGARDING PRIVACY MATTERS

If an individual wishes to make a complaint about this Rehabilitation Agency’s activities with respect to privacy in the APP’s, or obtain more information about the way in which this agency manages personal information it holds, the individual should make immediate contact with this Rehabilitation Agency as designated Privacy Officer (Mr Shane Taranto – Managing Director). That Privacy Officer and senior management of this Agency can be contacted with the following details:

  • STAR Injury Management Services – PO Box 1513, Applecross WA 6953 524 A Canning Hwy ATTADALE WA 6953 Phone no.: 08 9317 1533 / Fax: 08 9317 2511 Email: shane@starims.com.au

ACCESSING PERSONAL INFORMATION HELD BY THIS REHABILITATION AGENCY

  1. Pursuant to the APP’s, persons are entitled to obtain access to personal information held by this Rehabilitation Agency with respect to that individual. Subject to the relevant exemptions contained in the APP’s and subject to an individual providing sufficient proof of his or her identity, this Rehabilitation Agency will provide access to information that it holds relating to an individual. This Rehabilitation Agency will charge a fee in most instances for the provision of this information based on the administrative cost of supplying the information requested. Further details as to these costs can be obtained by contacting the Rehabilitation Agency Privacy Officer.
  2. This Rehabilitation Agency requests, for the purposes of clarity, that any requests for access to personal information be made in writing addressed to the Rehabilitation Agency Privacy Officer.