Last updated: 16/10/2025

Athletes Edge Physiotherapy (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information, particularly in the context of our physiotherapy and allied health services.

1. What Information We Collect

We may collect personal and sensitive information including but not limited to:

• Full name, date of birth, gender
• Contact details (email, phone number, address)
• Medicare number, private health insurance details
• Medical history, clinical records, referral letters
• Diagnostic results and treatment plans
• Payment and billing information
• Health data collected for research and quality improvement purposes (de-identified when applicable)

2. How We Collect Your Information

Information is collected directly from you or your authorised representatives when you:

• Attend consultations or communicate with our staff
• Complete our intake or online forms
• Are referred by your GP, specialist, or another health professional
• Use our website or digital services
• Participate in student placements, workshops, or research projects

We may also collect information from third parties such as diagnostic services, other healthcare providers, or your insurer where required and with consent.

3. Why We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information to:

• Provide physiotherapy and allied health services
• Develop and manage individual treatment plans
• Communicate with your referring practitioners or relevant healthcare providers
• Maintain accurate and complete clinical records
• Process payments and manage accounts
• Meet our legal and professional obligations
• Improve our services and carry out quality improvement or research (using de-identified data)
• Send newsletters, updates, and educational content (with your consent)

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may share your personal information with:

• Other treating healthcare providers
• Your GP, specialist, or referring practitioner
• Insurers or funding bodies (e.g. TAC, WorkCover, NDIS) as authorised
• Our team of physiotherapy students and researchers (with your permission)
• IT providers or cloud-based software services (with adequate safeguards)
• Legal or regulatory bodies when required by law

We will not share your information for any other purpose without your expressed consent.

5. Data Storage & Security

Your information is stored securely in both electronic and physical formats. We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal data is protected from unauthorised access, misuse, loss, or alteration, including:

• Password-protected systems specifically designed for medical record keeping
• Secure cloud based servers and encrypted data
• Staff training and confidentiality agreements
• Restricted access protocols

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw consent to communications or certain uses of your data
• Request that your records be transferred to another provider

To make a request, please contact our team using the details below. We may require verification of identity and may charge a reasonable fee for access requests.

7. Website & Digital Privacy

When you visit our website:

• We may collect non-identifiable data (e.g. IP address, browser type, referral source)
• We use cookies for functionality and to improve user experience
• Our website may contain links to external sites not governed by this policy

8. Student Observers & Research Participation

As part of our commitment to professional development and education, our clinic hosts university students and participates in ongoing research with our education partners (e.g. RMIT University). Patients may be invited to allow students to observe sessions or contribute de-identified data to quality improvement or research. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not affect your care. You can read more about our research partnerships here.

9. How to Contact Us

If you have questions, complaints, or wish to access or update your personal information, please contact:

Athletes Edge Physiotherapy
Email: admin@athletesedge.com.au
Address: 208 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North, 3161

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) via www.oaic.gov.au.

10. Website Cookies & Browsing Privacy

When you visit the Athlete’s Edge Physiotherapy website, we may use standard cookies and tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us understand how visitors use our website, including which pages are visited, how long users stay, and what content is most helpful. These cookies do not collect identifiable personal or health information unless you voluntarily submit it via a form. You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some features of the website may not function optimally without them. Information collected through cookies is used solely to improve the functionality, security, and user experience of our website and is never sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

 

11. Data Collection for Research Purposes

Throughout your visit/treatment at Athlete’s Edge Physiotherapy, You consent to Us sharing Data in connection with your visit/treatment with our research and education partner, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (“RMIT”) for research, teaching and scholarly purposes (“Purpose”). Any Data that is shared with RMIT will be de-identified. If you do not consent to your Data being used, you must notify Us prior to commencing your treatment.