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Introduction

As funder of select online GP services, Health New Zealand collects information about appointments from those service providers, which includes information about service users.

This statement applies to you if you have been directed here from an online service provider’s Privacy Statement or consent materials. If you are unsure if this statement applies to you, please check with your provider.

Purposes

Information is collected to enable and support:

  • evaluation of the effectiveness of the funded online GP services
  • analysis to support planning and service improvements for the online services and related primary healthcare services, within the context of the wider New Zealand healthcare system, and
  • subsidy payment for services provided.

Information collected relating to service users

As part of regular reporting, Health New Zealand collects the following information for all engagements with select funded online GP service providers. If you engage with a service we will collect:

  • Your NHI number (National Health Index identifier)
  • Demographic information: your date of birth; gender; ethnicity; country of residence; broad location; whether you hold a Community Services Card; and whether you are enrolled with a Primary Healthcare Provider
  • Information about your engagement with the provider including: the provider you used; your reasons for choosing the provider and mode of delivery; when you requested an appointment; your appointment date, time and length; the clinician who saw you; and your appointment outcome (e.g. whether you were treated, referred or experienced technical issues connecting)
  • A medical diagnosis code from your encounter (unless you ask for this not to be shared)
  • Payment information: information about your funding code related to your age (under 14, 14-17 or adult) and Community Services Card status; and information about the portion of the service charge paid by you and the portion funded by Health New Zealand

How information is used

Information collected by Health New Zealand:

  • will not be used to identify you in analysis and reporting activities, including in any published reports, without your further consent
  • may be validated against other information held by Health New Zealand
  • may be analysed alongside other information held by Health New Zealand for the evaluation and analysis purposes described above, and
  • may be shared with authorised Ministry of Health staff for service evaluation and analysis purposes, subject to the same or equivalent protections to those above.

Subject to the protections above and privacy considerations, information may be used for other lawful analysis purposes.

Access to and correction of personal information

You have the right to access any information we hold about you and ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong. For more information see the Health New Zealand Privacy and Security webpage.