Privacy policy
This policy explains how SpinePlus, the practice of Dr Paul Licina at Brisbane Private Hospital, handles personal information, including health information. It applies to information collected through this website, through the SurgiHUB patient app, and in the course of providing our services. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Who we are
SpinePlus is the practice of Dr Paul Licina (ABN 62 081 048 859). In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to SpinePlus and the clinicians and staff who work in the practice, including our rehabilitation clinic, BackSpace.
The information we collect
We collect only the information we need to care for you and to run the practice. Depending on your circumstances, this may include:
- your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address;
- your Medicare, Department of Veterans' Affairs, private health insurance, WorkCover or other claim details;
- health information, including your medical history, symptoms, test results, scans, referral letters and the outcomes of your care;
- the answers you give in our triage questionnaire, whether online or by telephone;
- billing and payment details;
- for medicolegal assessments, information provided by solicitors, insurers or other parties with your consent or under a legal authority.
How we collect it
We collect most information directly from you, in person, by telephone, through our online forms or through SurgiHUB. We also receive information from others involved in your care, such as your referring doctor, other specialists, hospitals, imaging and pathology providers, and, for claims, from insurers, WorkCover or legal representatives. We collect health information only with your consent or where the law permits it.
Why we collect it and how we use it
We use your information to:
- assess and triage your referral, make appointments and provide your care;
- communicate with you and with the other health professionals involved in your care;
- process payments and claims with Medicare, health funds, WorkCover and insurers;
- prepare medicolegal reports where you are the subject of an assessment;
- meet our legal, professional and accreditation obligations;
- monitor and improve the quality and outcomes of our care.
We use outcome information in research only when it has been de-identified, or with your consent and ethics committee approval. We do not use your information for marketing, and we never sell it.
Who we share it with
We share your information only for the purposes above, or as you would reasonably expect, and otherwise only with your consent or where the law requires or permits it. This may include:
- your referring doctor, general practitioner and other health professionals involved in your care;
- Brisbane Private Hospital, imaging and pathology providers, and our rehabilitation clinic, BackSpace;
- Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, health funds, WorkCover and insurers, for billing and claims;
- solicitors and insurers, for medicolegal matters in which you are assessed;
- service providers who support the practice, such as our practice software, SurgiHUB and information technology providers, under confidentiality obligations.
Information held or processed overseas
Our records are held in Australia. Our patient app, SurgiHUB, is operated by Surgihub Pty Ltd on our behalf and stores its data in Australia, with two exceptions: messages sent through the app's chat are held by its messaging provider in the United States, and app notifications pass through providers in the United States, carrying no names or clinical details. Where information is handled overseas, we remain responsible for it, and the providers involved are bound to protect it in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. SurgiHUB's own privacy policy, at surgihub.com.au/privacy, gives full details.
Our website and the online assistant
This website does not use cookies or analytics.
The assistant on our website answers general questions about the practice, such as appointments, fees and parking. It does not give medical advice. Questions you type are processed by an artificial intelligence service to produce an answer. The service is hosted in Australia, and your questions may be recorded in its service logs. Please do not enter personal health details in the assistant.
How we protect and keep your information
We store information in secure electronic systems with restricted access, and paper records in secure locations. Our staff are bound by confidentiality. We keep health records for as long as the law requires, and then destroy or de-identify them securely.
Accessing and correcting your information
You may ask to see the information we hold about you, or to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Please make your request in writing to the contact below. We will respond within 30 days. We may decline access in limited circumstances allowed by law, and will explain why.
Dealing with us anonymously
You may make general enquiries without identifying yourself. To provide health care, however, we need to know who you are.
Data breaches
If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question or concern about how we handle your information, please contact our privacy officer first, and we will respond within 30 days.
Privacy officer: Practice manager
SpinePlus, Brisbane Private Hospital, Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill QLD
Telephone 1300 52 53 54
Email spine@spineplus.com.au
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or at oaic.gov.au. For complaints about a health service in Queensland, you may contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman on 133 646 or at oho.qld.gov.au.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available on this website.
Last updated: October 2026