Hear Life Privacy Policy
Hear Life offers an independent, ethical & customised best practice approach to your hearing loss journey.
Our team of audiologists are passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and pride themselves on their commitment to client care.
How we approach privacy
We are committed to protecting your privacy, and being transparent about what information we collect and how it is used. Hear Life will collect client information that is necessary for the services we provide.
Following the amendment of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 by the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000, Australia now has comprehensive privacy legislation covering the private sector. The Privacy Act encompasses ten National Privacy Principles (NPP) that govern the management of clients’ health information.
We strive to abide by the ten NPPs that form the core of the private sector provisions of the Privacy Act.
What is the kind of personal information we collect?
Type of personal information can include (but is not limited to): Name, address, date of birth, contact details like your email address, phone number, your gender, your pensioner number, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) number, and payment details.
Sensitive information
Some personal information we collect is sensitive information.
This may include information we ask you about your hearing, health condition, your medical history, hearing test results and general health and lifestyle information or your race or ethnicity. We may also ask you about your linguistic or indigenous background to use these identifiers to help us serve you better. For example, we may request the use of interpreters or specialist officers.
We also collect government identifiers such as Department of Hearing Services (HSP identifiers), Pensioner & Department of Veteran Affairs numbers as relevant but will not adopt these identifiers for our own record keeping systems. These identifiers may only be used or disclosed for the reasons they were issued or if other provisions under this principle (NPP 7) apply.
Why we collect your Personal Information
We are a provider of hearing and related services and products, therefore we will ask for a range of personal information from our clients and others. We collect your Personal Information so that we can provide you with excellent customer service and deliver suitable services and products.
We collect your personal information:
To verify your identity.
To assess if you are eligible for the Australian Government Hearing Services Program.
To apply (on your behalf) to the Department of Health for a hearing services voucher
Managing your Personal Information on their online system.
To review your progress.
To order products from third party suppliers.
To respond to requests for information.
You may choose not to provide your personal information to us for the purposes we lay out but we may not be able to meet your hearing service needs without that information.
When or how we collect your personal information
Personal Information is commonly collected when:
A client visits or calls our practice to make an appointment for an audiological consultation.
A customer completes a client details questionnaire (Refer to the Microsoft Forms section at the bottom of this policy)
We have to provide services using the government’s Hearing Services Online portal.
You are referred to us by your GP or a family friend (for example) for an audiological consultation.
You are referred to us by Ear Nose Throat Specialists (ENT) or Neurologists.
You complete an application, consent or other forms.
As you can see, we collect Personal Information (PI) directly from you, but there are times when we collect personal information from your healthcare provider, your nominated person or other persons provided with your consent. PI can come from client referrals and third party data
However, when PI comes from persons other than you, we only collect and retain this PI where we believe that you have consented to the provision of this Personal Information to us or authorised by law to use your Personal Information for another purpose.
Disclosing Your Personal Information to Other Parties
We will not disclose your Personal Information without your permission, unless the disclosure is:
In accordance with this Privacy Policy or any agreement you enter into with us.
Required or authorised by law.
Permitted by the National Privacy Principles (NPPs).
Hear Life may disclose your Personal Information to third parties that provide products and services to us or through us, or to other third parties depending on the nature of your engagement with us.
Hear Life may also disclose your Personal Information to:
Anyone you request or consent to receiving the information through a consent form or other forms.
Suppliers to Hear Life (like Hearing Aid manufacturers, ear moulds, Cochlear implants or other related products).
Third party service providers, contractors, consultants or vendors engaged to provide hearing or other services directly related to purpose for which we collect your information on Hear Life’s behalf;
your health practitioner or other hearing service providers;
your parents, guardians or family members unless you advise us of a Court or tribunal order restricting this disclosure;
the Department of Health for assessing your eligibility, processing your voucher application or for audit purposes;
relevant officers of the Commonwealth, State or Territory Governments (such as Services Australia and the Departments of, Health, Veterans’ Affairs, Defence, Education, Employment, or Medicare)
relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory statutory authorities (such as the National Disability Insurance Agency)
the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or other law enforcement agencies
Hear Life does not accept responsibility for use or disclosure of your Personal Information in circumstances beyond our control.
How we hold and secure Your Personal Information
We aim to keep your Personal Information secure. Safeguarding the privacy, security and integrity of your Personal Information is important to us.
We hold your Personal Information in both paper and electronic form but will aim to reduce dependency on paper forms. This will mean we will obtain your consent via our electronic signature option. We take reasonable steps to protect the Personal Information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
How to Access, Update and Correct your Personal Information
Hear Life clients have a general right of access to their own health records. Access can only be denied in certain circumstances, such as when access can pose a serious risk to a person's life or health. Please contact us if you believe that the Personal Information is inaccurate or incomplete. We will respond to your request within 30 days and use all reasonable efforts to correct your Personal Information.
Before we can consider an access request you will need to complete an application form verifying your identity and specifying what information you require. A request for access can be made free of charge by contacting us via our website. On receipt of your written request, we will respond within a month.
We take all reasonable steps to ensure that any Personal Information we collect and use is accurate, complete and up-to-date. To assist us in this, you need to provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as requested, and properly update the information provided to us when your information does change.
Transborder data flows
If health information needs to be transferred out of Australia, this may occur if laws (or a scheme) with similar privacy protection to these principles bind us. Otherwise, health information will only be transferred with the client’s consent, or if other provisions under this principle (NPP 9) apply.
Link to other Sites
External sites that are linked to or from the Hear Life website are not under our control and may collect your Personal Information so you are advised to view their privacy collection notices separately.
Hear Life is not responsible for any content contained in any external websites, or accidental or malicious damage that may arise to your local systems, data, software or hardware through accessing Hear Life's website or any external websites and their content.
Collecting information through the Client Details Questionnaire via Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms is compliant in the following way: HIPAA and BAA compliant. GDPR compliance requirements met as of May 2018.
What about privacy? Are FERPA and BAA protections in place? Microsoft Forms meets FERPA and BAA protection standards.
Is Microsoft Forms data encrypted at rest and in transit? Yes, Microsoft Forms is encrypted both at rest and in transit.
Updates to this Policy
This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take into account new laws and technologies, changes to our operations and business environment.
The most current version of this Policy can be accessed from www.hearlife.com.au or can be provided to you on request.
This Policy was last updated on 14 August 2021.