Terms & conditions

By booking an appointment with Wollongong Acupuncture, you agree to the following terms and conditions. Consent to Treatment You consent to receive acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and/or other Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments as recommended by your practitioner. You understand that these treatments are generally safe but may carry risks including bruising, temporary soreness, or fatigue. You may withdraw your consent to treatment at any time. What are the possible side effects of acupuncture? ● Minor bleeding or occasionally bruising can occur at the site of insertion ● In less than 3% of patients, symptoms may become worse before they improve for 1-2 days following treatment. This is usually a good sign. Please advise your acupuncturist if worsening of symptoms continues for more than 3 days post-treatment. Where possible we source certified herbs that undergo multiple testing for traces of heavy metal and other contaminants. Our practitioners fully understand that some particular herbs may be toxic in large doses or inappropriate during pregnancy. So, if pregnancy occurs and has not previously been discussed with the prescribing practitioner please contact the clinic before continuing on any prescribed herbs. Apart from the usual medical details, it is important that you let your practitioner know: ● If you have ever experienced a fit, faint, or other odd detached sensations; ● If you have a pacemaker or any other electrical implants; ● If you are pregnant; ● If you have a bleeding disorder; ● If you are taking anticoagulants (blood thinners) or any other medication; ● If your medical status or conditions change during the course of treatment; Appointments and Punctuality Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive late, your session may be shortened to avoid delaying other clients. The full fee will still apply. No-Shows If you fail to attend a scheduled appointment without prior notice, the late cancellation fee will apply and must be paid before any future treatments. Payment Payment is due at the time of your appointment unless otherwise arranged. We accept Cash and Eftpos or on the spot bank transfer. Health fund rebates may be available for eligible services — please check with your fund directly. Health Information You agree to provide accurate and complete health information, including current medications, allergies, and relevant medical history. Please inform your practitioner of any changes to your health between appointments. Scope of Practice TCM treatments provided by this practice are complementary in nature and are not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a registered medical practitioner. You are encouraged to maintain your relationship with your GP and other healthcare providers. Communication We may contact you via email, SMS, or phone regarding your appointments, treatment plans, and practice updates. You can update your communication preferences at any time through your practitioner. Changes to These Terms We reserve the right to update these terms from time to time. Any changes will take effect when you next book an appointment.

Privacy policy

Wollongong Acupuncture is committed to protecting your personal and health information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Collection of Information We collect personal and health information that is necessary to provide you with healthcare services. This includes your name, contact details, date of birth, health history, treatment records, and payment information. We collect this information directly from you, or with your consent, from other healthcare providers. Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways; - When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via intake form, and payment details will be processed through payment of the deposit via stripe. - During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. - We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from: - your guardian or responsible person - other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services - your health fund Use and Disclosure Your personal and health information is used for the purpose of providing you with healthcare services, managing your appointments, processing payments, and communicating with you about your care. We will not disclose your information to third parties without your consent, except where required or authorised by law, or where necessary to provide you with treatment, for example: - referrals to other healthcare providers - when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent - to assist in locating a missing person - to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim If you claim a private health fund rebate for your treatment, we may provide relevant details of your treatment and payments (such as itemised receipts and, where your fund requires it, supporting information to verify the services provided) to your health fund in connection with your claim or a fund audit. Storage and Security Your information is stored securely using Daobook, a practice management system hosted in Australia. Your data is protected by industry-standard encryption and security measures. Access to your information is restricted to authorised practitioners and staff involved in your care. Overseas Disclosure Your clinical records are stored in Australia. Some service providers used to operate our practice — such as SMS delivery, email delivery, and card payment processing — may process limited personal information (such as your name, contact details, and appointment or payment details) outside Australia, including in the United States and India. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles. Access and Correction You have the right to request access to your personal information and to request corrections if it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and email your request to hello@wollongongacupuncture.com.au and our practice will respond within 10 business days. Gathering this data will incur an administration fee of $20. Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to hello@wollongongacupuncture.com.au Retention and Destruction We retain your health records in accordance with applicable state and territory health records legislation. In most cases, health records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date of last entry (or until a minor patient turns 25 years of age). When your records are no longer required to be retained, they are securely destroyed or de-identified. Complaints If you have a concern about how your information has been handled, please contact us directly. We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing and contact us via the information below. We will then attempt to resolve the concern within 30 days. Zoe King hello@wollongongacupuncture.com.au 0431 363 450 You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992. Contact If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at Wollongong Acupuncture hello@wollongongacupuncture.com.au 0431 363 450 Policy review statement Our policy will be reviewed at the beginning of each financial year and if any amendments are made, this will be communicated with you via your email. The services our practice software uses We keep your records in Daobook, a practice management system that stores them with Amazon Web Services in Sydney, Australia. The services below handle some of your information for us. Daobook keeps this part of our policy up to date. • Text messages, such as appointment reminders, are sent through Mobile Message in Australia. Messages to overseas numbers, and any Mobile Message cannot deliver, go through Twilio in the United States. • Emails, such as booking confirmations, receipts and forms, are sent through ZeptoMail (Zoho), which may process them in India or elsewhere outside Australia. • Some features of our practice software use AI from Anthropic, in the United States, for example to tidy or translate our notes. We check what the AI drafts before we rely on it, and Anthropic does not use your information to train its AI. • We may write up your treatment as a case report for a professional journal or for other practitioners, using AI from Anthropic to draft it from our notes. The AI is not given your name, date of birth, contact details, address or appointment dates, and we will not publish a case report without your consent. • Card payments are processed by Stripe in the United States, which receives your name, email address and payment details. • Video consultations run through Twilio in the United States. • When we order herbal medicine for you from Empirical Health, your name goes with the order to its online store, which runs on Shopify outside Australia, and your address and phone number too if it is sent straight to you. We take reasonable steps to make sure these services handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.