Welcome to the First Step Client Registration Form

You are a client of First Step. You have asked us to provide you with medical and other health care services to assist you with your treatment and rehabilitation. To do this, we need to collect information from you and about you, which we will use to assess, diagnose, and treat your illness and for other limited purposes relating to quality control and management of First Step, administration of First Step, and billing including compliance with Medicare and Health Insurance Commission requirements.

We may need to disclose or discuss your health information with persons or bodies that we deal with to assist with your treatment or rehabilitation. This may be required in discussions with external doctors or health care providers, or in the ordering of medical tests and receipt of medical reports and medical results. If First Step needs to collect or release information in your health’s interest then you will be requested to sign a separate authority to authorise this request, if your treating Doctor at First Step feels that you are not sufficiently capable of signing this request then your treating Doctor will request or release such documents in the interest of your best health care. We may also be required to disclose your health information to other third-party providers if required by law, therefore if First Step is subpoenaed, receives a court order or search warrant then we are at liberty to release this information if the request in is writing from the relevant authority and a copy is held on file. Your medical records are stored on our medical database “Medical Director” which is backed up daily from our sever.

At First Step, we operate a multi-disciplinary practice with the First Step Legal Service. At some stage, you may seek advice from our First Step Legal Service. If you do, we will not disclose your health information to legal practitioners of the First Step Legal Service without your consent. If we consider that a disclosure of your health information will be beneficial either for your treatment or rehabilitation, or if the First Step Legal Service considers that the disclosure will be useful for its provision of legal advice or representation, we will ask you to complete a consent form permitting the disclosure.

If you are accessing treatment through First Step which will require the formulation of a GP Management Plan Medicare Item Number 721, Team Care Arrangement Medicare Item Number 723, GP Mental Health Treatment Plan Medicare Item Number 2700, 2701, 2715, 2717 or a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan review 2712, then by signing this document you agree to First Step preparing these plans on your behalf.

It may be necessary at some stage during your treatment for our clinical team to conduct a multi/disciplinary case conference with members of your treating team under Medicare Items Numbers 735, 739, 743. 747, 750 or 758 this conference will be initiated and conducted by your treatment medical practitioner.

Your medical file is the property of First Step. You have the right to access your file, however, under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), there may be situations where we are entitled to refuse access. All requests for the release of a medical file will be required in writing and will be considered individually.

You may review and withdraw any consent that you sign at any time.

First Step Policies and Procedures relating to privacy and confidentiality can be found at www.firststep.org.au/privacy.

Client’s Acknowledgement

I have read and understood the contents of this privacy authority collection statement.