Privacy Policy

Midland Orthodontics(“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of every patient, parent, carer and website visitor. As a health service provider we are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and our professional obligations under the Dental Board of Australia and Ahpra.

This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we store and protect it, and how you can access or correct it. It applies to our practice at 8 The Avenue, Midland WA 6056 and to this website.

The information we collect depends on your relationship with us. We only collect what is reasonably necessary to provide safe, appropriate orthodontic care and to run the practice.

Personal information

• Name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address
• Parent, guardian or carer details where the patient is a minor
• Emergency contact details
• Medicare, private health fund, DVA and payment plan details
• Your dentist or referring practitioner's details

Health information

• Medical and dental history, including allergies, medications and relevant conditions
• Clinical notes, treatment plans, progress records and correspondence
• Diagnostic records: photographs, X-rays, OPG and lateral cephalometric imaging, digital scans and study models
• Appointment history and treatment outcomes

Website information

• Details you submit through our appointment request and contact forms
• Standard server log data such as IP address, browser type, referring page and pages visited
• Analytics data about how the site is used, where analytics tools are enabled

Wherever it is reasonable and practicable, we collect information directly from you: in person at the practice, over the phone, by email, or through the forms on this website.

Sometimes we collect information from a third party, such as your referring dentist, general practitioner, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, another treating specialist, your health fund, or a parent, guardian or carer acting on your behalf. Where we do, we take reasonable steps to make sure you know we hold that information.

We use your information to:

• Assess, plan, provide and review your orthodontic treatment
• Communicate with you about appointments, reminders, treatment progress and aftercare
• Correspond with your dentist, referring practitioner or other treating clinicians involved in your care
• Process payments, health fund claims and payment plans, and manage accounts
• Meet our legal, professional, insurance and record-keeping obligations
• Respond to enquiries you send us through this website
• Improve our services, including reviewing quality and safety of care

We will not use your information for direct marketing without your consent, and every marketing message we send will include a simple way to opt out.

We do not sell your information. We may disclose it to:

• Your referring dentist, GP, surgeon or other health practitioners involved in your care
• Dental laboratories and imaging providers, so appliances and diagnostics can be produced for your treatment
• Your parent, guardian, carer or another person you have authorised in writing
• Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, your private health fund or a payment plan provider, for claiming and billing
• Our IT, practice management software, secure storage and professional advisers, who are bound to protect it
• Anyone else where the law requires or authorises us to, including to prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety

Some of our service providers may store data on servers located outside Australia. Where that is the case, we take reasonable steps to ensure the provider handles your information in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Records are held in a combination of secure electronic systems and, where relevant, physical files. We protect them with access controls, password protection, secure backups, staff confidentiality obligations and secured premises.

We retain health records for the period required by law, generally at least seven years from your last visit, or, for patients treated as children, until they turn 25. When records are no longer required and the law permits, we destroy or de-identify them securely.

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will respond in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme and notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required.

You have the right to ask for access to the personal and health information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Requests should be made in writing to reception@midlandorthodontists.com.au.

We will verify your identity before releasing anything. We aim to respond within 30 days. An administrative fee may apply for retrieving and copying records, and we will tell you about any fee before we proceed. In limited circumstances the law allows us to refuse access. If we do, we will explain why in writing and how you can respond.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working correctly and to understand how visitors use it. Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies; some parts of the site may not function properly if you do.

Forms on this site are for enquiries and appointment requests only. Please do not send detailed health information through a web form or email, because email is not a secure channel. Call us on 08 9274 6861 to discuss anything sensitive.

This site may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any site we link to.

If you have a question about this policy, or you believe we have mishandled your information, please contact us first so we can put it right:

• Privacy Officer, Midland Orthodontics, 8 The Avenue, Midland WA 6056
• Phone: 08 9274 6861
• Email: reception@midlandorthodontists.com.au

We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

We review this policy periodically and may update it to reflect changes in our practice or the law. The current version is always available at this page, with the revision date shown at the top. Our Terms & Conditions also apply to your use of this website.