This privacy policy explains how Bio Chain Clinic handles your personal and health information. It covers our website, our assessment form and our telehealth consultations. We follow the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Who we are
Bio Chain Clinic is the trading name of BIO CHAIN CLINIC PTY LTD (ABN 46 699 092 834). We are a telehealth clinic based at 5/39 Belmont Road, Tingalpa QLD 4173. When this policy says "we" or "us", it means BIO CHAIN CLINIC PTY LTD.
For any privacy question, email us at [email protected], call 0400 808 970 or write to us at the address above.
What health information means
Personal information is any information or opinion that identifies you, or could reasonably identify you. Health information is a type of sensitive information, and the law gives it extra protection.
For us, health information includes:
- your medical history, symptoms and the concerns you raise with us
- diagnoses, clinical notes and your practitioner's opinions
- medicines you take, allergies and prescriptions written for you
- test requests and results, if your practitioner orders tests
- referrals, letters to other practitioners and care plans
- your answers to our assessment form
- consultation details, such as the date, time, length and who took part
- payment records and any Medicare or health fund details you give us
What we collect and how
We collect what we need to prepare for and provide your care. That usually means your name, date of birth, contact details and the health information listed above. We also keep records of messages, bookings and payments.
We collect it:
- from you, through our assessment form, contact form, email or phone
- during your live consultation with your practitioner
- from other health providers, such as a pathology lab or your regular GP, with your consent or where the law allows
We ask for your consent before we collect health information. If you don't give us the information we ask for, we may not be able to prepare for your consultation or provide care.
Using a pseudonym
Due to the nature of the health services we provide, it is generally impracticable for us to deal with individuals who have not identified themselves. Accurate identification is required to ensure the safety and continuity of clinical care, to comply with our legal and professional obligations under applicable health legislation, and to meet the requirements of Medicare and private health insurance billing.
You can ask a general question through our contact page without giving your full name. Once you book a consultation, we need to know who you are.
Information we did not ask for
From time to time, we may receive personal or health information that we did not solicit. Where we receive unsolicited personal information, we will promptly assess whether that information is of a kind we could have collected under our standard collection practices.
If we could not have collected it, we destroy it or de-identify it as soon as it is lawful and reasonable to do so. If we could have collected it, we handle it under this policy.
How we use your information
We use your information to:
- review your enquiry and prepare for your consultation
- provide your consultation and any follow-up care
- coordinate care with other providers, with your consent
- take payments and keep business records
- meet our legal and professional duties
- improve our service, using information that no longer names you
We only use your information for another purpose if you agree, if you would reasonably expect it and it relates directly to your care, or if the law requires or allows it. We never sell your information.
Privacy in a telehealth consultation
Every consultation is live, with an Australian-registered practitioner. At the start, your practitioner confirms who you are. They also check that you're in a private place and ask whether anyone else is with you.
Your practitioner joins from a private space. We won't record a consultation unless you agree to it first.
Telehealth doesn't suit every concern. If your practitioner thinks you need to be seen in person, they will tell you and may refer you elsewhere. With your consent, we share what that provider needs to know.
AI and automated tools
We don't use AI or automated tools to diagnose you or decide your treatment. Every clinical decision, including any prescription, is made by your practitioner after a live consultation.
If your practitioner wants to use an AI tool, such as a note-taking assistant, we will tell you first and ask for your consent. Your practitioner checks anything the tool produces before it goes into your record. We never put your information into public AI tools.
Who we share it with
We share your information only when needed, and only with:
- other practitioners involved in your care, with your consent
- pathology providers and imaging services, if your practitioner orders tests
- the pharmacy you choose, if you receive a prescription
- service providers who help us run the clinic, such as booking, form, email, payment and website hosting services
- regulators, courts or others where the law requires or allows it, or to lessen a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety
Our service providers may use your information only to provide their service to us. We require them to protect it.
Information sent overseas
We don't send your health information to anyone overseas to provide your care. Some of the software services we use, such as cloud hosting, form processing and email, may store or process information on servers outside Australia, including in the United States.
Before we use a provider like this, we take reasonable steps to make sure it protects your information in line with the APPs. Our assessment form tells you about this before you send your answers. Ask us and we'll name each provider and the countries involved.
Medicare numbers and identifiers
Our consultation fees are private. We may ask for your Medicare number or Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) only where another provider needs it, such as for a pathology request or a referral.
We use these numbers only for that purpose, as the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 (Cth) and the APPs allow. We never use a government identifier as our own way of identifying you.
My Health Record
At this stage, we don't view or upload to My Health Record. If that changes, we will update this policy before we start. You can control who sees your My Health Record through its access settings.
Direct marketing
We only send updates if you tick the separate marketing box on our form. That box is never required to book. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email, or by contacting us.
We never use your health information to target marketing to you. We never sell or share your details with others for their marketing.
Cookies, analytics and pixels
The pages you visit on a health website can reveal sensitive things about you. So we keep tracking to a minimum.
Our site uses a small amount of browser storage to run its forms. It counts recent form sends to stop spam. If you arrive from a campaign link, it notes that link and the page you came from, and sends them with your form.
We use Google Analytics 4, loaded through Google Tag Manager, to count visits and form sends so we can see which pages and campaigns help people reach us. Both are served from our own web address through Cloudflare. Google Analytics is set up without advertising features and never receives your name, email, phone number or form answers. We do not run any advertising tools on this site.
We follow the 2026 position of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). We won't load a marketing pixel, such as one from Meta, TikTok or Google Ads, unless you have first given express opt-in consent for that specific pixel. We will never place one on a page about a health concern or treatment. If we add any other analytics or pixel, we will name it and its platform here first.
How we protect your information
We store records electronically in secure systems. Access is limited to people who need it for your care or to run the clinic. We use passwords, encryption where available and access controls.
Our form system keeps a coded version of your internet address for a short time to block spam. It does not keep that address in a readable form.
How long we keep records
Queensland does not have a separate health records law for private clinics. We follow the Privacy Act and the record-keeping guidance for registered practitioners. We keep clinical records for at least 7 years from the last entry in your record.
If you live in a state or territory whose law needs a longer period, we keep your records for that longer period. After that, we destroy them securely or de-identify them.
Data breaches
We follow the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in Part IIIC of the Privacy Act. If we suspect a breach, we act quickly to contain it. We then assess it within 30 days.
If the breach is likely to cause you serious harm, the law calls it an eligible data breach. We will then tell you and the OAIC as soon as practicable. We'll explain what happened and the steps you can take.
Access and correction
You can ask to see the information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it. Contact us using the details below. We'll confirm who you are before we release anything.
We aim to respond within 30 days. Asking is free. We may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of copies, and we'll tell you the amount first.
In some cases the law lets us refuse access, for example where it would put someone's life or health at serious risk. If we refuse access or correction, we will tell you why in writing and how to complain.
Privacy complaints
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please tell us first. Email or write to us with the details. We aim to reply within 30 days.
If you're not satisfied with our reply, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (opens in a new tab) on 1300 363 992. You can read the full APPs on the OAIC website (opens in a new tab).
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our services, our providers or the law change. The date at the top shows the latest version. If a change affects how we use your health information, we'll tell you before it applies. Our terms and conditions explain how consultations and fees work, and our FAQs answer common questions.