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Data security and privacy essentials

How to keep client health information secure in your private practice: multi-factor authentication, password managers, secure sharing and backups.

You're legally responsible for protecting your clients' health information under the Privacy Act. HealthBank stores records securely, so your job is mainly to protect your own devices and accounts.

Do these on day one

  • Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your email and any other work account. HealthBank already has this built in.
  • Use a password manager to create a unique, long password for every account. You don't need to change them on a schedule; change one straight away if you think it's been exposed.
  • Lock your screen whenever you step away, and set it to lock automatically.
  • Keep your devices updated and use antivirus software.
  • Share files inside HealthBank, never as email attachments. (see How do I share a file with a client?)
  • Back up anything stored outside HealthBank, such as business documents.
  • Shred paper copies once you've scanned and uploaded them.

HealthBank's legal documents are built in. Clients agree to HealthBank's privacy policy and terms when they sign up, so you don't need to write your own for the platform. If you run your own website, you may still need website terms and a privacy statement for it.

HealthBank covers privacy policy, terms and conditions, informed consent, and cancellation policy.

For more, the Australian Cyber Security Centre has a free small business guide.