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Privacy and the National Cancer Screening Register
The coming screening register raises some important questions regarding issues of patient privacy.
The National Cervical Cancer Screening Program provides answers to frequently asked questions about the National Cancer Screening Register and patient privacy.
The National Cervical Cancer Screening Program has prepared answers and supporting reference material to assist GPs with frequently asked questions about privacy and some of the National Cancer Screening Register’s functions.
Privacy
There are strict rules around access to the information and how the information is stored on the National Cancer Screening Register (the Register) which ensure it is used only for intended purposes.
The Privacy Policy of November 2017 has been updated.
A set of frequently asked questions relating to privacy has been prepared and is also now available on the Department of Health website.
Information collected by the Register
Personal information held by the Register includes a person’s name, address, contact details, date of birth, sex, Medicare number or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) number and individual healthcare identifier.
This information is collected and used by the Register in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016, and is required to provide authentication credentials upon access.
The Register also holds individuals’ cervical screening test histories and cervical test results, Medicare claim information, details of healthcare providers (including pathology providers) involved in an individual’s cervical screening test, and any request an individual has made about their participation in the Register.
It may also collect information about a participant’s status as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, country of origin and preferred language to assist in improving the delivery of cancer screening programs. Participants do not have to disclose this information and their access to cervical screening will not be affected if they choose not to do so.
Access to personal information
Program participants control who is allowed to access their personal information on the Register, and only authorised and authenticated users may access the system.
The Department of Health is the custodian of the data in the Register. Telstra Health has been contracted to build and operate the Register.
Information is stored within Australia in secure data storage facilities. Legislation requires notification to the Australian Information Commissioner if there has been a data breach.
Invitation and reminder functions
The Register will issue invitations and send reminders to participants for cervical screening. One of its key roles is to provide a ‘safety net’ for individuals whose cervical screening test results indicate a need for further investigation and/or treatment, and who have not attended for further testing, by prompting them to have follow up tests.
Healthcare providers can use the Register to:
- check a patient’s screening history and reminders
- check and update a patient’s personal details
- manage a patient’s participation in the National Cervical Screening Program.
Call the Register on 1800 627 701 for more information.
This article first appeared in the National Cervical Screening Program’s October newsletter and is reproduced with its permission.
Cervical Cancer Screening data security health data patient privacy privacy The National Cancer Screening Program The National Cervical Cancer Screening Register
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