Privacy Policy

Better Physiotherapy Bundoora (ABN: [insert ABN]) ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal and health information.

By using our website or services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect two categories of information:

Personal information

• Name, date of birth, address
• Phone number and email address
• Medicare number, health fund details, DVA number
• Referring practitioner details
• Payment information (processed via EFTPOS — we do not store card numbers)

Health information (sensitive information)

• Medical and clinical history relevant to your treatment
• Diagnosis, injury details, symptoms, and treatment records
• WorkCover or TAC claim details
• Information provided by referring health practitioners

Website usage data

• Page views and navigation patterns (aggregated, not linked to identity)
• Device type and browser (via standard web server logs)
• Cookies necessary for the website to function (see Section 8)

2. How We Collect Information

We collect information:

• Directly from you when you complete our online booking or referral form
• When you contact us by phone or email
• From your referring GP or specialist (with your consent)
• During your assessment and treatment at our clinic
• From your funding body (Medicare, NDIS, WorkCover, TAC, DVA) where relevant

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide, manage, and deliver physiotherapy services
• Confirm and manage appointments
• Communicate with you about your treatment and care
• Process payments and billing, including Medicare and health fund claims
• Correspond with your referring practitioners and treating healthcare team
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations under Australian health law
• Improve our clinical services and website (using de-identified, aggregated data only)
• Send appointment reminders (you may opt out at any time)

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal or health information. We may disclose your information to:

• Your treating healthcare team — GPs, specialists, or other practitioners involved in your care, where clinically necessary and with your consent.
• Funding bodies — Medicare Australia, NDIS, WorkCover Victoria, TAC, DVA, or your private health insurer, as required to process claims.
• Cliniko — our practice management software provider, used to store appointments and patient records. Cliniko stores data on Australian servers and is bound by the Australian Privacy Act. See cliniko.com/privacy.
• Supabase — our database infrastructure provider, used to store booking requests submitted via our website. Data is stored in the Singapore region on servers compliant with international security standards (ISO 27001). See supabase.com/privacy.
• Vercel — our website hosting provider. Vercel processes request logs but does not have access to your health information.
• Law enforcement or regulators — where required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of any person.

We will always seek your consent before disclosing your health information for any purpose not described above, unless disclosure is required by law.

5. Data Retention

We retain your health and clinical records for a minimum of 7 years from the date of your last appointment, or for a minimum of 10 years if you were under 18 at the time of treatment (until age 25), in accordance with Victorian health records legislation.

Website booking requests and contact form submissions are retained for 2 years and then securely deleted. De-identified analytics data (page views) are retained for 12 months.

6. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted via this website
• Access controls limiting staff access to clinical records on a need-to-know basis
• Secure, password-protected practice management software
• Physical security at our clinic premises
• Regular review of our data security practices

No internet transmission is 100% secure. While we implement industry-standard protections, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of data transmitted to or from our website.

7. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), you have the right to:

• Access your records — request a copy of the personal and health information we hold about you. We will respond within 30 days. In some cases, a fee may apply to cover the cost of retrieval and copying.
• Correct your records — request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information. If we do not agree to make the correction, we will explain why.
• Opt out of marketing communications — unsubscribe from appointment reminders or marketing emails at any time by contacting us.
• Make a complaint — see Section 10 below.

8. Cookies

Our website uses only strictly necessary cookies to ensure the website functions correctly (for example, maintaining your admin session if you are a staff member). We do not use advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not use Google Analytics.

If you use our Cliniko online booking widget, Cliniko may set its own cookies governed by Cliniko's privacy policy.

9. Children

We treat children under 18 as clients and collect their health information with parental or guardian consent. Our website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 via our website without verified parental consent.

10. Complaints

If you believe we have handled your information in a way that does not comply with the Privacy Act or the Health Records Act, please contact us in the first instance:

• Email: hello@betterphysiotherapy.com.au
• Phone: (03) 9467 6900

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and respond substantively within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or call 1300 363 992, or with the Health Complaints Commissioner Victoria at hcc.vic.gov.au.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The current version will always be published on this page with the effective date.