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(03) 8199 9949

bookings@wintersmiles.au

Policies

POLICY

Cancellation, Failed to Attend and Short Notice Cancellation Policy

Here at Winter Smiles we try to respect your time as much as we expect our patients to respect ours. Short notice cancellations, failure to attend and arriving late (more than 10 minutes) disrupts our other patients and staff members. 

We are also a small, personable business that aims to provide excellent quality at an affordable price. One of the ways that we achieve this is by the efficient use of appointment time and staff. A missed appointment or short notice cancellation represents a cost to us and represents scheduling problems for other patients looking to book in. 

Accordingly, due to the difficulties of filling last minute cancellations and the financial strain missed appointments put on us, we require 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel / rearrange an appointment.

Due to our small business size and high demand for appointments, we have the following cancellation policy. 

  • You will receive a reminder SMS more than 24 hours before your appointment*. Firstly, please read the text to confirm the date and time, then please respond either by calling or replying to the SMS. This saves our staff from having to follow you up. 
  • Rescheduling or cancelling appointments with more than 24 hours’ notice is absolutely fine and we will be more than accommodating. 
  • If you fail to attend, reschedule or cancel an appointment at least two times with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will be asked to pay a holding fee of $50 for any future booking, which, if you attend, will be taken off your cost of treatment. If the booking is for a procedure that requires longer than a standard appointment time, such as root canal treatment, orthodontics or some fillings, you will be asked to pay a 50% deposit at the time of booking, which, if you attend, will be taken off the cost of treatment.

At Winter Smiles we reserve the right to ask patients who fail to attend, cancel appointments at short notice, continually arrive later or are simply rude to see another dental provider. This is obviously as a last resort and we hope that it would never come to this. 

*Please bear in mind that if you do not receive a SMS, your appointment remains your responsibility for you to attend or reschedule with more than 24 hours’ notice. 

POLICY

Privacy Policy

One of our highest priorities is patient privacy and we value the importance of handling patient personal information (which includes health information) correctly. 

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). 

Our Privacy Policy outlines how we use and manage your personal and health information.

Collection and use of information

We collect health information directly from you and your authorised representatives to provide you with dental treatment. 

Personal information such as your name, address, health insurance and financial details are used for the purpose of addressing accounts to you, as well as for processing payments and writing to you about our services and any issues affecting your health care. 

We may de-identify and use your information and data for research, evaluation and benchmarking purposes. 

We may also collect health information from a third party, such as a health fund or referrer. 

We will only collect your email address if you send us a message or you provide us with your address directly. It will only be used for the purpose for which you provided it. You have the option of having your email address deleted from our records at any time. 

Non-disclosure of information

If you choose not to provide us with information relevant to your care, we may not be able to provide a service to you, or the service we are asked to provide may not be appropriate for your needs. 

Importantly, you could suffer some harm or other adverse outcome if you do not provide information relevant to your care. 

Website security

Our Internet Service Provider makes a record of your visit to our Practice website and logs the following information for our reference: 

  • Your server address
  • Your domain or top level domain name (for example practice.com, .gov, .au, etc.)
  • The date, time and duration of your visit to the site
  • The pages you accessed and documents downloaded
  • The previous site you visited
  • The type of browser you are using
  • Your ISP may collect more of less information for you

This non-identified information is used to monitor usage patterns on our site in order to improve navigation and design features – helping you to get information more easily. 

Cookies

This website only uses session cookies during a search query of the website. 

Upon closing your browser, the session cookie set by this website is destroyed and no personal information is maintained. 

Employer/employee responsibilities

All staff employed at Winter Smiles are required to undergo training to understand their responsibilities in maintaining your privacy and to sign a confidentiality agreement in order to protect your personal and health information. 

Disclosure

The purpose of collecting your information is to provide you with a dental service; for internal and external administrative purposes; insurance purposes; and record keeping. 

We will not use your information for any other purpose unless one of the following applies:

  1. You have consented; 
  2. You would reasonably expect that your information may be used for that purpose (for example, we may disclose your health information to another health service provider, such as a specialist dentist, technician, your GP or another health practitioner for the purpose of providing you with health care;)) or
  3. The use of your health information is required or authorised by law. 

Data quality

The Practice takes steps to ensure that the personal and health information that we collect is accurate, up-to-date and complete. These steps include maintaining and updating your information when you attend the Practice or when you advise us that your information has changed. 

Data security

The Practice keeps hard-copy, electronic records or a hybrid of both. 

We protect them by ensuring hard-copy records are kept in locked files and there are security processes in place regarding computer access. Electronic data is backed-up. 

Access and correction

You can request access to your health or personal information that we hold, or request that we change that information. 

Requests for access or correction must be in writing and directed to the Practice Manager. 

You can access or make changes to your personal or health information unless we consider that there is a sound reason under the Privacy Act, or other relevant law to withhold the information, or not make the changes. 

After a period of 7 years (and if you attended the Practice as a child, after you have reached the age of 25) we may destroy your records in accordance with applicable laws. 

Marketing

Our Practice may use your information for the purpose of direct marketing; however, we will not on-sell your personal information. 

We understand that you may not wish to receive marketing materials. If you would prefer not to receive such information, please approach the Practice Manager or another staff member at the Practice. 

Sending information overseas

As part of maintaining your records, the Practice may use off-site electronic data storage providers, transcription service providers, professional indemnity insurers, marketing agencies or other third party service entities. These providers may be located offshore. 

We will try to inform you about where your information is sent. Please be assured that we take reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Australian privacy Principles in relation to any off-shore transfer of your information. 

Complaints

If you suspect that there has been or may have been a breach of your privacy, you can complain directly to the Practice Manager. 

We take complaints very seriously. 

You can lodge a complaint in a number of ways: by phone, email, in writing or in person. 

Your complaint will be reviewed in house. 

Any appropriate corrective action required to manage a breach and any preventative actions required in order to prevent breaches in the future will be discussed and decided. 

You will be sent a letter explaining the review process and the consequences of the review. 

In the event of a privacy breach, we will comply with applicable guidelines issued by the Office of the Australian Information commissioner. 

For more information about Privacy laws, or to raise concerns about any matter not satisfactorily resolved with the Practice, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au or ph: 1300 363 992). 

Privacy and general complaints about your care can also be directed to the Health Complaints Commissioner.

Enquiries

For further information about the Practice’s management of privacy, please contact our Practice Manager, Anne Winter, at bookings@wintersmiles.au

POLICY

Website Disclaimer

Information provided for education and research information only 

The information on this website is presented by Winter Smiles for the purpose of disseminating health information free of charge for the benefit of the public. 

While Winter Smiles has exercised due care in ensuring the accuracy of the material contained on this website, the information on the site is made available on the basis that Winter Smiles is not providing professional advice on a particular matter. 

This website is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this site is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice. 

Winters Smiles does not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on the information provided on this website. 

Quality of information

Winter Smiles makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website and updates the information regularly. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. Winter Smiles cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency, completeness or interpretation of the information. 

The material may include the views or recommendations of third parties and does not necessarily reflect the views of Winter Smiles or indicate a commitment to a particular course of action.