Australian GPs are now best placed to comply with new Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) following the development of new and updated resources by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
The APPs, scheduled to take effect on 12 March 2014, will replace the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) that currently apply to Australian Government agencies and the National Privacy Principles (NPPs) that apply to businesses.
They have been designed by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) to regulate the handling of personal information by both Australian government agencies and businesses.
RACGP President, Dr Liz Marles, said the new privacy laws bring with them new requirements for GPs and the RACGP is committed to supporting GPs throughout the transition period.
“The resources are in place to ensure GPs are not exposed to breaches of guidelines and that they feel comfortable navigating the new principles.
“The APPs will present a temporary challenge to general practices, however the resources provide uncomplicated directions on how to meet the new legal obligations,” said Dr Marles.
The RACGP has developed the first of a suite of new resources for privacy including the Compliance indicators for the APPs which is an addendum to the Computer and information security standards (2nd edition) (CISS), incorporating changes to the Australian legislation and the OAIC directives. This document is available for download on the RACGP website.
The Compliance indicators for the APPs explain in detail the steps general practices’ need to take to ensure compliance with the requirements of the APPs. The APP privacy policy: Managing patient health information is designed to assist GPs meet their legal obligations in accordance with the new Privacy laws.
The RACGP is currently working on updating its privacy handbook, patient pamphlet, APP privacy policy template and Internal practice privacy policy to reflect these changes and will have these resources released by mid-April 2014. All resources will be available for download on the RACGP website.
The RACGP is committed to ensuring its members are informed of all changes in legislation that affect the general practice profession and are supported during these times.
For further information on the APPs, visit the OAIC website.