Privacy policy
Moonee Valley Specialist Centre
Moonee Valley Specialist Centre is committed to protecting your privacy and managing your personal information in an open and transparent way.
This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) website at www.oaic.gov.au.
What is personal information?
Personal information is information or an opinion that identifies an individual. This may include:
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Medicare details
- Health fund details
- Medical history
- Referral information
- Appointment history
- Diagnostic results
- Treatment records
- Payment and billing information
As healthcare providers, we may also collect sensitive information, including health information, as necessary to provide medical services and healthcare treatment.
How we collect personal information
We may collect personal information in a number of ways, including:
- During appointments and consultations
- Through telephone calls
- Through online forms and appointment bookings
- Via email and written correspondence
- Through our website
- From referring doctors and healthcare providers
- From hospitals, specialists, pathology and radiology providers
- From Medicare, health funds and insurers
- Through cookies and analytics tools on our website
- From publicly available sources, where appropriate
Where reasonable and practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you.
If we receive information from third parties, we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are aware of it.
We collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:
- Providing healthcare services and treatment
- Managing appointments and patient records
- Communicating with you regarding your care
- Processing payments and billing
- Managing referrals and specialist care
- Complying with legal and regulatory obligations
- Improving our services and website functionality
- Conducting administrative and business functions
- Sending practice updates or health-related communications where appropriate
We may also use your personal information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure.
You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by contacting us in writing.
Sensitive information and health information
Sensitive information includes information about an individual’s health, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, criminal history or other information defined under the Privacy Act.
As a specialist medical centre, we primarily collect and use health information to provide healthcare services.
We will only use or disclose sensitive information:
- For the primary purpose for which it was collected
- For a directly related secondary purpose, you would reasonably expect
- With your consent
- Where required or authorised by law
Disclosure of personal information
Your personal information may be disclosed to:
- Referring doctors and healthcare providers
- Specialists, hospitals and allied health providers involved in your care
- Pathology and radiology providers
- Medicare and private health insurers
- Medical billing and debt recovery providers
- IT service providers and practice management software providers
- Accreditation and regulatory bodies
- Government agencies where required by law
We will disclose personal information only when reasonably necessary for healthcare delivery, business operations, or legal compliance.
Overseas disclosure
Some third-party service providers we use, including cloud storage and software providers, may store or process personal information overseas.
Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers comply with Australian privacy obligations and maintain appropriate security standards.
Website, cookies and analytics
Our website may collect information such as:
- IP address
- Browser type
- Device information
- Pages visited
- Time spent on the website
This information may be collected using cookies, analytics tools and similar technologies to improve website functionality and user experience.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings, although this may affect website functionality.
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.
Security of personal information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Personal information may be stored in:
- Electronic medical record systems
- Secure cloud-based systems
- Paper files
- Secure practice management software
We use physical, electronic and administrative safeguards to help protect personal information.
When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify it, subject to legal record retention requirements.
Medical records are retained in accordance with applicable Australian healthcare record retention requirements. In Victoria, adult health records are generally retained for a minimum of 7 years from the date of the last entry. For minors, records are generally retained until the individual turns 25. We take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify records once retention obligations have been satisfied.
Data breaches
In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
This may include notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where required.
Access to and correction of personal information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and request corrections if the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
Requests for access or correction should be made in writing using the contact details below.
We may require proof of identity before releasing personal information.
We will not charge a fee for making a request, although an administrative fee may apply for providing copies of records where permitted by law.
In some circumstances, access may be refused where permitted under the Privacy Act.
Electronic communications and telehealth
When you communicate with us electronically, including by email, SMS, or telehealth platforms, there may be privacy and security risks.
While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted electronically.
Privacy complaints
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information has been handled, please contact us using the details below.
We will investigate complaints and respond within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Contact us
Moonee Valley Specialist Centre
1003 Mt Alexander Road
Essendon VIC 3040
Phone: 1300 938 148
Email: reception@mvscentre.com.au
Website: www.mvscentre.com.au
Changes to this policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, technology or business practices.
The latest version will always be available on our website.
Last Updated: May 2026