Thank you for visiting genomiqa.com. We respect and protect the privacy of our users and are committed to protecting it. This privacy policy tells you how we collect and use information.
The term “Personal Information” in this privacy policy means any information from which your identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained. We do not collect personal information about you when you visit this online service.
You can use this service without telling us who you are or revealing other personal information. If you send us a contact or feedback form you do not need to identify yourself or use your real name.
Paper records and information in electronic form are stored in a secure manner and may only be accessed by authorised personnel.
genomiQa provides customers whether patients, medical professionals or companies with choices about how their information is used and to whom it is disclosed.
In order to provide appropriate service to its customers, genomiQa may collect and maintain personal information about its customers, together with information about their health and treatment. When we receive a request to provide you with genetic testing services, we create a unique digital record for you. We will usually collect your personal information from you or the requesting healthcare professional.
Personal information
If you contact us, we will collect the email address you nominate and any other identifying information you provide, such as a name or phone number.
Please do not give us other personal or sensitive information via the website.
How we protect your personal information
To help protect the privacy of data and personal information we collect and hold, we maintain physical, technical and administrative safeguards.
We update and test our security technology on an ongoing basis.
genomiQa takes reasonable steps to protect the personal information it holds from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include ensuring that our information technology systems and processes comply with the requirements of the National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council for information communication.
We train our employees about the importance of confidentiality and maintaining the privacy and security of your information. Access to your personal information is restricted to employees who need it to provide benefits or services to you. This is the same for any information we collect directly from customers to perform our services.
While genomiQa endeavours to provide a secure online environment through its website, you should be aware that there are inherent risks associated with the transmission of information via the internet.
Where personal information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, genomiQa will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify such personal information.
How we use your personal information
Operating our business and sending accounts
We use your personal information as necessary to manage our accounts and obtain payment for the services we provide. Specifically, we will use and, where necessary, disclose your personal information to obtain payment from, as appropriate, Medicare Australia, you, your private health insurance fund or from any organisation responsible for payment of any part of your account, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs. This may also extend to disclosure of your personal information to a debt collector or a credit-checking agency.
We may use your personal information to:
It may also be shared with third parties who support the genomic profiling undertaken, for example, the pathologist that extracts the DNA from the blood and/or tissue sample or the company that provides the whole genome sequencing service.
Teaching and research
We may use your personal information for internal teaching purposes or to monitor, evaluate, plan and improve the services we provide. We will only use de-identified information (information that does not contain any personal details that may reasonably identify you) for these purposes.
Entities undertaking research (such as Cancer Councils, universities and pharmaceutical companies) periodically request data from our records. We will only provide identified data in response to these requests when authorised to do so by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
University students undertaking clinical placements with us may have access to and use your personal information.
The data can be of assistance for a variety of research purposes. This could be to:
In recent times, your data has been collected in a way that we can provide it to you at your request. Depending on how you receive the data, there may be a fee to cover the costs of the retrieval of the data. This is because time has to be taken to deidentify your data and to download the data from the cloud, and to cover the costs of the hard drive your data is provided to you. These services will be charged at cost.
It is important for you to have access to your data, as you may want to support specific research or to have your data analysed by geneticists to compare your and other family members’ health risk factors.
Other disclosures: We may be required by law to disclose your personal information without your consent.
Will your personal information be sent overseas?
genomiQa does not typically or routinely disclose personal information to overseas recipients, unless your clinician is located overseas. These databanks are used to improve genomic pathology services to other individuals; to further clinical research; and may be used by researchers and industry to develop new drugs, treatments and therapies.
Unless we have your consent, or an exception under the Australian Privacy Principles applies, we will only disclose your personal information to overseas recipients where we have taken reasonable steps to ensure the overseas recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to your personal information.
Website analytics
To improve your experience on our site, we may use ‘cookies’. Cookies are an industry standard and most major websites use them. A cookie is a small text file that our site may place on your computer as a tool to remember your preferences. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. However, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
Our website may contain links to other websites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. When you go to other websites from here, we advise you to be aware and read their privacy policy.
Our website uses Google Analytics, a service that transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. We use reports provided by Google Analytics to help us understand website traffic and webpage usage.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google’s Privacy Policy and for the purposes set out above. You can opt out of Google Analytics if you disable or refuse the cookie, disable JavaScript, or use the opt-out service provided by Google.
genomiqa.com also uses interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others. If you choose to “like” or “share” information from this website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a social media site, the interfaces may allow the social media site to connect your visits to this site with other personal information.
Cookies
genomiQa’s website may use cookies to enhance some website functionality.
Cookies work by placing some information on your computer that is accessed by the website whenever you visit the site. In effect, the cookie helps the website “remember” you when you return to the site.
Internet browsers generally allow an individual to control whether they will accept cookies from a website. Individuals who choose not to accept cookies will still be able to access genomiQa’s website, but the user may notice that some website functions do not work properly or efficiently.
Access to information/obligations
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982, patients/customers have the right to request access to their medical information and personal information held. If there is information in the record the patient believes is incorrect or with which a patient does not agree, they also have the right to request that it be corrected. A fee may apply for access or correction.
Requests for correction or access to a patient’s own medical record must be made in writing. GPs and other health professionals may request information for patients they are currently treating.
genomiQa’s services are also bound by the provisions of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles- external site.
If you have any queries about genomiQa’s privacy policy or if you have any complaints about the handling of your personal information, contact genomiQa’s privacy officer via [email protected] or phone +61 7 3362 0250
All requests for information must be made via mail or email:
Email: enquiries@genomiqa
Mail: c/- Privacy Officer, genomiQa Pty Ltd, 300 Herston Road, Herston QLD, Australia
Other matters
As genomiQa uses an internet connection and computers provided by QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, some information may be stored on their computers. Please visit www.qimrberghofer.edu.au for their privacy policies.
Last updated: November 2018
