Privacy policy
How Southern Gold Coast Orthopaedics handles your personal and health information.
Southern Gold Coast Orthopaedics (Dr Jason Tsung) is committed to protecting your personal and health information. We handle your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
What we collect
Personal and health information necessary to provide orthopaedic care: your name, date of birth, contact details, Medicare, DVA, health-fund and compensable-claim details, referral information, and the clinical information you provide through our forms and during consultations (symptoms, history, questionnaire responses, height and weight).
How we collect it
We collect your information directly from you (through our website and online forms at sgco.au and forms.sgco.au, and during consultations), from your referring practitioner, and, where relevant to your care or a claim, from hospitals, diagnostic providers, Medicare, the DVA, your health fund or an insurer. When you use our website and online forms we also collect limited technical and usage data through cookies and analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to operate and improve the site. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
Why we collect it
To provide you with orthopaedic assessment and treatment, to communicate with you and your referring practitioners, to administer your care and any claims, and to meet our legal and professional obligations.
Health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We collect it with your consent and because it is necessary to provide you with a health service (a permitted health situation under the Australian Privacy Principles). Providing your information is voluntary, but without it we may be unable to provide appropriate orthopaedic care. You can make general enquiries anonymously or using a pseudonym, but we generally need to identify you to provide clinical care and to administer Medicare, DVA, health-fund or compensable claims.
How we store and protect it
Your patient records (form and clinical data) are stored in an Australian-based secure database hosted in Sydney. We apply access controls so that only authorised staff can view patient records.
Overseas disclosure: we do not routinely disclose your health information to recipients outside Australia. The exception is our AI-assisted transcription provider (see below): if you consent to that service, relevant consultation information is disclosed to the provider, and some of its processing may occur outside Australia through its sub-processors. Where information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps under Australian Privacy Principle 8 to ensure the recipient handles it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through binding contractual data-protection obligations.
AI-assisted consultation transcription
With your separate, optional consent, we use an AI-assisted transcription tool (Heidi) to help document your consultation. If you consent, your consultation is transcribed and your treating doctor reviews the transcript before it is added to your medical record. This involves disclosing relevant consultation information to the transcription provider, and some of that processing may occur outside Australia through the provider's sub-processors; we have contractual data-protection terms in place requiring handling consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles. Recordings and transcripts are handled by the provider under our instructions and may be stored temporarily before review.
Consent is entirely optional, you may decline without any effect on your care, and you may withdraw at any time by telling your doctor or contacting the practice. The tool is used only to draft documentation: a clinician reviews and is responsible for all clinical content, and no automated decision-making is used to make decisions about your diagnosis, treatment or care.
Disclosure to third parties
We disclose your information only for your healthcare (for example, to your referring GP, a hospital or a diagnostic provider), to your health fund, Medicare, the DVA or a compensable insurer (such as WorkCover or a CTP insurer) where necessary to process and obtain payment for a claim, where you have consented, or where required or authorised by law. We do not use your health information for direct marketing. We may contact you for clinical reasons such as appointment reminders, recalls and results.
Retention
We retain health records in line with professional and medico-legal standards for private practice (the RACGP Standards and Medical Board of Australia / AHPRA good-practice guidance) and the relevant limitation periods: generally for at least seven years from your last attendance, and for patients who were under 18 at their last attendance, until they reach (or would have reached) 25, and longer where required by law or relevant to a claim.
Access, correction and complaints
To request access to or correction of your information, or to make a privacy complaint, contact our Practice Manager at hello@sgco.au or (07) 5676 9930. If you make a complaint, we will acknowledge it promptly, investigate the matter, and respond to you in writing, ordinarily within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.
Data breaches
If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will respond in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including notifying affected individuals and the OAIC where required.
Contact
Southern Gold Coast Orthopaedics Suite 601A, Level 6, John Flynn Specialist Suites, 42A Inland Drive, Tugun QLD 4224 (07) 5676 9930 · hello@sgco.au
Last updated: 13 June 2026. Version 1.0. We review this policy periodically and publish any updates on this page. This policy is available free of charge, and we can provide it in an alternative format on request.