I-MED Radiology Network is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our patient information. This Privacy Policy (Privacy Policy) applies to the New Zealand companies in the I-MED Radiology Network , including Hamilton Radiology Limited, Midland MRI Limited and Mokoia Radiology Limited  (“we”, “our” or “us”) management of personal and health information

References to “you” and “yours” means you – our patients.

We are required to comply with the Privacy Act 2020 (the Act) and, where health information is involved, with the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (the Code).

We believe you are entitled to:

• The best care possible;
• Be treated with dignity and respect at all times;
• Be fully informed about your examination;
• Privacy at all times.

We collect information from you in order for us to provide you with medical imaging and diagnostic radiology services (our Services). We have developed this Privacy Policy to inform you about:

• the kind of personal information that we collect and how we collect it;
• the purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information;
• whether we disclose your personal information to third parties;
• how you request access to and/or correction of your personal information; and
• how to lodge a complaint about our privacy practices.

What personal information do we collect?

We collect personal information about you depending on the Services being provided – this may include:

• personal information which is necessary for, or incidental to, providing Services to you, including your name, contact details, email and postal address, ethnicity and date of birth;
• the name of your GP or referring healthcare practitioner;
• your usual medical centre details;
• your health insurance and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) details if applicable;
• your National Health Index (NHI) number;
• records of your medical history including health information such as medical test results, diagnoses and treatments;
• payment information; and
• images, scans, reports and further information we create or obtain in connection with providing our Services.

Why do We collect personal information?

We collect personal information so that we can:

• provide you with our Services;
• contact you about our Services;
• administer, manage and improve our business and Services;
• manage payment of our Services, including charges, invoices, debt collection and claims management;
• conduct appropriate health insurance eligibility checks and provide relevant information to your health/medical insurer (where relevant);
• consult with ACC in relation to any ACC claim relating to the Services we provide;
• meet and comply with our legal obligations; and
• monitor the quality of patient care and treatment status.

How we collect information about you

The nature of our Services mean that we collect personal information from various sources. These include:

• information provided to us by your referring medical practitioner (this may be your GP, specialist and/or Te Whatu Ora or hospital);
• information collected directly from you;
• information from your medical insurance provider (where relevant);
• information from ACC where you have made an ACC claim which relates to the Services we provide to you;
• information from third parties, where you have authorised us to do so and/or authorised that third party to disclose it; and
• information about you from other sources if you authorise us to do so or if we are authorised to do so by law.

We will take steps that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that you are aware when your personal information is being collected and why it is being collected.

Where we receive personal information about you from referring practitioners, medical insurance providers and/or ACC, we do so on the basis that you have given consent for those parties to disclose that information to us.

If you do not provide the personal information we request or do not consent to us collecting personal information from third parties, depending on the type of personal information concerned, we may not be able to provide you with our Services, or may be unable to assist you with a claim for insurance or subsidy.

It’s important that the details we hold about you are correct and up to date. Please let us know if any of your personal information changes so that we can update our records.

How do we use personal information?

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• to provide you with our Services;
• to communicate with your referring medical practitioner(s);
• to refer you to other medical practitioners or healthcare providers;
• to confirm your identity;
• to claim fees/settle payment with medical insurance providers, ACC and other funding agencies;
• administration, management and operation of our business;
• investigating and resolving complaints concerning the provision of our Services;
• to meet and comply with legal and regulatory requirements and obligations;
• to perform administrative functions including accounting, credit control, risk management and record keeping;
• to train our staff or Radiology Trainees within the I-MED Radiology Network, and monitor our Services;
• any other purpose(s) reasonably connected with the provision of Services to you; and
• any other purpose you have authorised or as required or permitted by law.

We may also use de-identified, aggregated information (such as statistical data about our patient base) for the purpose of evaluating, managing, and improving our service delivery.  We do not use personal information for direct marketing purposes.

Disclosure of personal information

Confidentiality is important to us – we treat personal information as confidential but may disclose it for purposes directly related to the provision of our Services to you. This includes sharing your personal information in ways you would reasonably expect for your ongoing care and treatment, and/or in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may transfer or disclose personal information (including scans, imaging results and reports) to:

• your nominated GP;
• other medical practitioners, healthcare providers and/or specialists for a referral;
• another treating health service or hospital for a referral;
• your health/medical insurer;
• ACC and other funding agencies;
• our third party service providers (who assist us in providing our Services and operating our business);
• our related companies;
• third parties where you have authorised us to do so;
• to other recipients where required or permitted by law; and

To facilitate continuation of your care, it is our practice to disclose personal information to your nominated general practitioner, and other health practitioners if nominated by you. Please let us know if you do not want your personal information disclosed to your nominated general practitioner.

Some of the third parties listed above may be located overseas, and to the extent those third parties require use of personal information for their own purposes, we will comply with our obligations under the Privacy Act when disclosing personal information outside of New Zealand. 

Please be aware that the online appointment booking system is hosted within Australia and that information that is put into that system will be hosted and stored in Australia.  This information is protected as noted above.

Your rights

Access and Correction

You have the right to access and correct or update the personal information we hold about you.  To make a request, please notify us in writing or email us at:

• info.hamrad@i-med.co.nz for Hamilton Radiology;
• mri.waikato@i-med.co.nz for Midland MRI;
• Info.ct@i-med.co.nz for Midland PET-CT;
• info.mokoia@i-med.co.nz for Mokoia Radiology Limited;
• info.focus@i-med.co.nz for Focus Radiology.

We will acknowledge your request and respond as soon as we can, but no later than 20 working days from the date we receive the request (unless we have extended the time limit for responding to your request in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act).

Please note that it is our practice to apply a 10-day standdown period between providing Services to you and providing you directly with access to the reporting, results or other imaging information arising out of those Services. The purpose of this standdown is to allow your medical practitioner or other healthcare professional to provide medical advice in relation to the reporting, results or other imaging.  

We may ask questions to verify your identity before we release personal information to you. Where you have requested access to your information, we will either provide copies of the information or allow you to view the information.

Where your access request may result in disclosure of personal information and, in particular health information, about other individuals, the request for access must be in writing with appropriate consents included, or a declaration that consent has been given before the personal information is released.

There are certain circumstances permitted under the Privacy Act where we might not be able or willing to fulfil your request. If that happens, we will provide reasons in writing for the denial or limitation on access and the options available to you to dispute the refusal, and we will inform you of any exceptions relied on under the Privacy Act.

If you believe that any information, we hold about you is incorrect, you may request that we correct the information. Please assist us to keep accurate and up to date details by informing us whenever your personal details or nominated GP change or whenever you become aware that our records are inaccurate.

Storage and security

Your personal information will be collected and held by I-MED Radiology Network at 11 Thackeray Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton, 3204, New Zealand.

We implement reasonable security measures to safeguard personal information and protect it from unauthorised loss, access, use, modification, disclosure or misuse.

Where personal information is transferred over the internet, we take all reasonable care but cannot guarantee that a transmission of information is always secure. 

Changes to the Privacy Policy

Our current Privacy Policy can be found on our websites:

www.hamiltonradiology.co.nz

www.midlandmri.co.nz

www.midlandpetct.co.nz

www.mokoiaradiology.co.nz

www.focusultrasound.co.nz

This Privacy Policy was last updated in March 2024 and is subject to ongoing review. We may amend and update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and will endeavour to notify you of any material changes that may impact your privacy rights.

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding our Privacy Policy, wish to access or amend the personal information that we hold about you, or wish to make a complaint about our privacy practices, please contact us.

The Privacy Officer
Angus Brown