The Specialist Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic (“the Clinic”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal and health information. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and how you can access or correct it.
We handle your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). Health information is treated as sensitive information and is given a higher level of protection.
What information we collect
Personal and health information
When you become a patient of the Clinic, we generally collect:
- your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address;
- your Medicare number and, where relevant, DVA, private health fund, WorkCover or TAC details;
- the name and contact details of your GP, referring practitioner and any other treating clinicians;
- your emergency contact or next of kin;
- your medical and surgical history, current medications, allergies and relevant family history;
- your symptoms, examination findings, imaging and pathology results, and clinical notes;
- correspondence about your care, including referrals, reports and operation notes; and
- billing and payment records.
Assessment and rehabilitation data
If you attend for a Biomechanical Profile Assessment, prehabilitation or physiotherapy, we may also collect objective measurement data — for example strength, balance and movement results recorded using VALD equipment (ForceDecks, ForceFrame, HumanTrak), body composition measurements recorded using InBody, and exercise or progress information you enter into the Healthy Joints app.
Website information
When you visit this website we may collect technical information that does not usually identify you by name, including your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view, how long you spend on them, and the site or search term that brought you here. If you email us or use a contact link on the site, we collect the information you choose to send us.
How we collect information
Wherever practical we collect information directly from you — in person, by phone, by email, or through forms you complete. We may also collect information about you from:
- your referring GP or specialist;
- hospitals and day procedure centres where you are treated;
- radiology and pathology providers;
- other members of your treating team, including physiotherapists and anaesthetists;
- your family member, carer or authorised representative, where you have consented or where you are unable to provide the information yourself; and
- Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, private health funds, WorkCover or the TAC in relation to your claim.
Why we collect and use your information
We collect your information so that we can:
- assess, diagnose and treat your condition, and plan your rehabilitation;
- communicate with you about appointments, results, surgery and follow-up;
- communicate with your GP, referring practitioner and the rest of your treating team;
- arrange hospital admission, surgery, imaging, pathology and anaesthetic care;
- bill for our services and process Medicare, health fund, WorkCover or TAC claims;
- review and improve the quality and safety of the care we provide; and
- meet our legal, professional and insurance obligations.
We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for marketing without your consent.
Who we disclose your information to
We disclose your information only where it is necessary for your care or where the law requires or permits it. This may include:
- your GP, referring practitioner and other clinicians involved in your treatment;
- hospitals and day procedure centres where you are admitted;
- radiology, pathology and allied health providers;
- Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, your private health fund, WorkCover or the TAC for claiming and billing;
- our practice management, secure messaging, IT and archiving providers, under confidentiality obligations;
- our professional indemnity insurers and legal advisers where necessary; and
- any person or body to whom disclosure is required or authorised by law, or where there is a serious threat to the life, health or safety of you or another person.
If we ever wish to use your information for research, teaching or publication, we will seek your written consent or use information that has been de-identified, and we will comply with any applicable ethics approval.
Third-party systems we use
We use third-party systems to run the practice and this website. The main ones are:
- Clinic to Cloud — our cloud-based practice management and patient portal system, which holds appointment, clinical and billing records.
- VALD — assessment platforms that record and store your strength, movement and body composition measurements.
- Google Analytics — provides anonymous statistics about how this website is used.
- Google Fonts and Google Maps — used to display type and the map on our Contact page. These services receive your IP address when a page loads.
Some of these providers may store or process information outside Australia. If you would like to know where a particular provider holds your information, please ask us and we will tell you what we know.
Cookies and website analytics
This website uses cookies — small files stored by your browser — to keep the site working correctly and to gather anonymous usage statistics through Google Analytics. This data helps us understand which pages people find useful; it is not used to identify you personally, and it is not linked to your medical record.
You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics entirely by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Blocking cookies may affect how parts of the site display.
Email and online enquiries
Email is convenient but not a secure method of communication. Please do not send detailed clinical information, images or identity documents by email unless we have agreed on a secure method with you. Do not use email or this website for urgent matters — in an emergency, call 000.
Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These include restricting access to staff who need it, using password-protected and access-controlled systems, storing any paper records securely, and requiring our service providers to maintain confidentiality.
If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to cause you serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
How long we keep your records
We are required to retain health records for a minimum period. For adults, this is at least seven years from the date of the last service. For patients treated as children, records are kept until the patient turns 25.
Accessing and correcting your information
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.
Please make your request in writing to the Practice Manager at office@sosclinic.com.au. We may ask you to verify your identity, and a reasonable fee may apply to cover the cost of retrieving and copying records.
In limited circumstances we may not be able to give you full access — for example where doing so would pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any person, or would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy. If we refuse access, we will explain why in writing and discuss alternatives with you, such as providing a summary or releasing the records to another practitioner.
Making a complaint
If you are concerned about how we have handled your information, please contact our Practice Manager at office@sosclinic.com.au or on (03) 9928 6161. We take privacy complaints seriously.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact:
- the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992; or
- the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria) — hcc.vic.gov.au or 1300 582 113.
Contact us
Practice Manager
Specialist Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic
Ground Floor, St Francis Building
166 Gipps St, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: (03) 9928 6161
Email: office@sosclinic.com.au
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice or in the law. The version published on this page is the current version.
Last updated: August 2026