Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Matters to Us
Effective July 2026
At Next Wave Cancer Rehab, we are committed to protecting your personal and health information and handling it with care, respect, and transparency. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and how you can access or correct your information.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and other applicable Australian privacy legislation. We understand that the information you share with us is personal and often sensitive, and we are committed to keeping it secure and confidential.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we collect and use it, when and why we may share it, how we protect it, how you can access or correct it, and how to make a privacy complaint.
Next Wave Cancer Rehab (ABN 30 964 656 284) is a sole trader business operated by Megan Kate Oster, Principal Physiotherapist and Founder.
What Personal Information We Collect
- Personal information, including your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, and emergency contact details.
- Health information, including your medical history, cancer diagnosis and treatment history, medications, allergies, imaging and pathology reports, referrals, physiotherapy assessments, exercise programs, clinical notes, and appointment history.
- Billing and administrative information, including Medicare, DVA, and private health insurance details, your Healthcare Identifier (IHI), and payment and invoice information.
How and Why We Use Your Information
How We Collect Your Information
We generally collect information directly from you, through appointments, registration forms, telephone, email, or our website. With your consent, or where permitted by law, we may also collect information from your GP, specialists, hospitals, allied health professionals, pathology and imaging providers, Medicare, DVA, and private health insurers.
Why We Collect Your Information
We collect information to provide safe, evidence-informed physiotherapy care, develop personalised rehabilitation programs, communicate with your treating team, coordinate your care, process payments and claims, manage appointments, maintain accurate records, and comply with our legal and professional obligations.
Website and Online Privacy
When you visit our website, limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and website usage statistics, may be collected to help us improve website performance and security. This information is generally anonymous.
Online Enquiries
If you submit an enquiry or referral through our website, we collect the information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, phone number, and message, solely to respond to your enquiry or assist with arranging an appointment. This information is stored within our own Google Workspace environment (Google Sheets and Gmail) rather than a third-party form or marketing platform, and is not used for marketing without your consent.
Analytics and Cookies
We use Google Analytics to help us understand how our website is used, such as which pages are visited and how visitors navigate the site. Google Analytics uses cookies and may collect information such as your approximate location, device and browser type, and browsing behaviour on our website. This information is used only to improve our website and does not identify you personally.
Google may process this information in accordance with its own privacy policy. You can control or opt out of this data collection at any time through your browser's cookie settings, or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Choosing not to allow analytics cookies will not affect your ability to use our website or contact us.
Keeping Your Information Secure
Security of Your Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information. Clinical records are held in our secure, cloud-based practice management software (Cliniko), with password-protected access and encrypted data transmission. Enquiries and referrals submitted through our website are stored within our own Google Workspace environment (Google Sheets and Gmail), rather than a third-party form or marketing platform. Across both systems, we maintain restricted access to records, regular software updates, and secure disposal of confidential information.
Overseas Disclosure
Next Wave Cancer Rehab does not routinely disclose your information overseas. Some of our secure cloud service providers may store encrypted data on overseas servers as part of their infrastructure. Where this occurs, appropriate privacy safeguards apply.
How Long We Keep Your Information
In line with our professional and legal obligations, we retain patient health records for a minimum of seven years from the date of your last contact with our practice. Some records may need to be retained for longer where required by law.
Your Rights and Choices
Accessing and Correcting Your Information
You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information by contacting us in writing. We aim to respond within 30 days. A reasonable administrative fee may apply for extensive requests.
Receiving Care Anonymously
Where lawful and practical, you may receive services anonymously or under a pseudonym. Given the nature of physiotherapy and the need to communicate with your treating team, this may not always be possible.
Our Patients
Next Wave Cancer Rehab provides care to adults aged 20 years and over. We do not provide care to children or adolescents.
Privacy Complaints
If you have concerns about your privacy, please contact us first. We aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, professional standards, technology, or our services. The latest version will always be available on our website.
Contact Us
- Phone
- 0493 007 436
Next Wave Cancer Rehab
Megan Oster, Principal Physiotherapist and Founder
ABN 30 964 656 284