Policies

Central Health Group (t/as That Psych Guy Dan)

 

Purpose & Confidentiality Your psychologist will record necessary personal information for your assessment and treatment. Your information is confidential and securely stored, with exceptions only for legal subpoenas, risk of harm to yourself or others, mandatory reporting requirements, or with your explicit written consent.

Digital Security & AI Documentation To manage your care efficiently, this practice uses:

  • Practice Management: Halaxy is used for secure appointments and billing. Your payment details are securely stored within this platform in accordance with Australian privacy requirements.

  • Clinical Documentation: NovoNote is used to assist in drafting clinical session summaries. The tool transcribes the session for the sole purpose of generating a draft, which your psychologist then personally reviews and finalises.

    • Note: No data is used to train AI models. The use of this tool is voluntary; please inform your psychologist if you prefer manual note-taking.

Communication & Administrative Policy

The practice phone and email are managed strictly for administrative purposes. For example: scheduling, clinical communication, and invoicing.

  • Availability: These channels are monitored only during "business hours," defined as 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and public holidays). Please allow up to 48 working day hours for an administrative response.

  • Note on Correspondence: You may occasionally receive emails or administrative updates from your psychologist outside of these hours. Please note that this is at the practitioner’s discretion and does not imply an availability for, or expectation of, return communication outside of standard business hours.

  • Clinical Service Boundaries: These channels are not intended for clinical support or crisis intervention. In an emergency, please contact 000, your local hospital, or a 24-hour service like Lifeline (13 11 14).

  • Digital Security: To protect your privacy, please do not use social media or messaging apps to contact your psychologist, as these are not secure platforms.

Fees & Medicare/NDIS

  • Standard Session: $225 (50 minutes).

  • Medicare: If eligible, you may receive a rebate of $98.95. It is your responsibility to maintain a current referral and provide all required information for rebate processing.

  • NDIS: Fees align with the current NDIS Price Guide.

  • Annual Adjustment: Fees are subject to an annual inflation-based review with 30 days' notice provided.

Cancellations

See full cancellation policy for more information.

  • 48+ (working day) hours' notice: No charge.

  • 24–48 (working day) hours' notice: 50% fee.

  • Under 24 hours' notice / No-show: 100% of the session fee.

For clients utilising NDIS funding, cancellation fees are applied in accordance with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Short-notice cancellations of less than 72 hours may incur a fee of up to 100% of the agreed session rate, as specified in the individual Service Agreement. NDIS policy defines late notice as less than 7 days’ notice, which may also be applied for repeat cancellations.

Telehealth

While your psychologist ensures stable technology, technical failures may require a transition to telephone or in-person sessions to maintain care. That Psych Guy Dan is intended to provide in person and face to face service. At times services may be conducted via telehealth where both the client and practitioner agree, however the service provider is structured to be in-person.

Records

Records are stored in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 for a minimum of 7 years. To monitor service effectiveness, anonymised attendance and outcome data may be collected securely.

Consent

By attending your appointment, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this information. Please discuss any questions with your psychologist at your next session.

 

Consent Form

Cancellation Policy

Central Health Group (t/as That Psych Guy Dan)

 

1. Purpose

The appointment time reserved for each client is dedicated exclusively to them. To ensure the viability of the practice and to provide timely access to psychological services for all clients on the waiting list, the following cancellation and rescheduling policy is in place.

2. Notice Requirements

Clients are requested to provide as much notice as possible if they are unable to attend a scheduled appointment. To avoid cancellation fees, notice must be provided in accordance with the following timeframes:

  • Notice of 48 (working day) hours or more: No cancellation fee applies.

  • Notice of less than 48 (working day) hours: A cancellation fee equivalent to 50% of the standard session fee applies.

  • Notice of less than 24 hours (or non-attendance): The full (100%) session fee applies.

 NDIS Funded Supports

For clients utilising NDIS funding, cancellation fees are applied in accordance with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Short-notice cancellations of less than 72 hours may incur a fee of up to 100% of the agreed session rate, as specified in the Individual Service Agreement. NDIS policy defines late notice as less than 7 days’ notice, which may also be applied for repeat cancellations.

Note: For the purpose of this policy, "working day hours" are defined as 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and public holidays).

3. Rationale

Psychological appointments involve significant preparation time and are difficult to fill at short notice. This policy exists to:

  • Ensure fairness for other clients who may be waiting for an urgent appointment.

  • Allow the practice to manage administrative and clinical workflows effectively.

  • Support the sustainability of the practice and the practitioner’s availability.

4. Exceptional Circumstances

Central Health Group acknowledges that unforeseen emergencies occur. Requests for a fee waiver due to extenuating circumstances may be submitted in writing. Such requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate) may be requested.

5. Payment of Fees

  • Cancellation fees are not eligible for Medicare rebates or private health insurance claims.

  • Fees are payable at the time of cancellation and may be processed using the encrypted payment details stored on file.

  • Accounts must be settled in full prior to the scheduling of future appointments.

6. Continuity of Care and Service Termination

While Central Health Group strives to maintain long-term therapeutic relationships, persistent non-attendance or outstanding accounts may necessitate the termination of services. In such instances:

  • Reasonable attempts will be made to notify the client of the termination.

  • The practice will provide the client with information regarding alternative services, including relevant government or community-based mental health resources, to ensure ongoing support and continuity of care.

  • This process is conducted in accordance with ethical standards regarding the responsible transition of clients.

 

Privacy Policy

Central Health Group (t/as That Psych Guy Dan)

1. Purpose

This policy outlines the management of personal information at Central Health Group (trading as That Psych Guy Dan). The practice is committed to protecting client privacy and complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the AHPRA Code of Conduct for psychologists.

2. Information Collection

Personal information is collected where reasonably necessary for the provision of psychological services. This includes:

  • Contact & Demographic Details: Name, address, date of birth, and contact information.

  • Clinical Information: Session notes, assessment results, and correspondence with other health providers.

  • Administrative Data: Billing information, Medicare/private health details, and appointment history.

3. Data Storage and Security

  • Digital Practice Management: Records are stored exclusively in Halaxy, a secure, encrypted platform. Data is hosted on Australian-based servers that meet industry-leading health data security standards.

  • Security Standards: Both Halaxy and any integrated tools utilise enterprise-grade encryption (both in transit and at rest). Access to files is strictly limited to authorised personnel and is protected by multi-factor authentication.

4. Use of AI Scribe (NovoNote)

To support clinical documentation accuracy and optimise session focus, NovoNote may be utilised to transcribe and summarise consultations.

  • No AI Training: NovoNote is a clinical-grade tool that does not use client data for AI model training. All data is processed under a strict non-disclosure framework, ensuring information is never used for secondary purposes.

  • Audio Privacy: Audio recordings are processed in real-time to create a clinical summary and are immediately discarded. No audio recordings are ever saved or stored.

  • Redaction: Personally identifiable information is redacted before processing to ensure that external LLMs (Large Language Models) have no access to specific client identities.

  • Consent: The use of NovoNote is optional. Clients retain the right to "opt-out" of AI-assisted note-taking at any time, in which case manual note-taking will be employed.

5. Data Retention

In accordance with AHPRA guidelines, clinical records are retained for a minimum of:

  • Adults: 7 years from the date of the last session.

  • Minors: Until the client turns 25, or 7 years from the last session (whichever is longer). After this period, records are securely and permanently destroyed.

6. Disclosure of Information

Information remains confidential and will not be disclosed without explicit consent, except under the following circumstances:

  • Legal Requirements: Disclosure is required or authorised by law (e.g., subpoena, court order, or mandatory reporting).

  • Duty of Care: There is a reasonable belief that disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent risk of harm to the client or another person.

  • Care Coordination: Explicit consent has been provided to share information with other health professionals for the purpose of ongoing care.

7. Access and Correction

Clients maintain the right to request access to the personal information held by Central Health Group. If records are believed to be inaccurate, a request for correction may be submitted. Such requests will be facilitated in a timely manner, subject to legal and professional exemptions.

8. Complaints

Concerns regarding the management of personal information should be directed to the practice in the first instance via thatpsychguydan@gmail.com. If the resolution is unsatisfactory, contact may be made with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.