The information on the Medical Costs Finder is a guide only and should not be used as a quote or medical diagnosis.

MCF Portal privacy notice

This collection notice explains how we manage personal information of medical specialists and their authorised persons who use the Medical Costs Finder (MCF) Portal

On this page:

What the MCF Portal is

The MCF Portal is for medical specialists and their authorised representatives. Specialists and their staff can enter information about medical services including:

  • where services are provided
  • indicative fees
  • any gap arrangements they have with private health insurers.

The information is then published on the MCF website.

If you are a medical specialist and would like to publish your fees on the Medical Costs Finder website, you will need to sign up or log in(opens in new tab) to the MCF Portal.

Medical Costs Finder Portal

Access to the MCF Portal is restricted to approved users (users) who:

Scope

This collection notice applies to the MCF Portal(opens in new tab).

It explains how we (the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) manage your personal information in relation to the MCF Portal consistent with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988(opens in new tab) (the Privacy Act).

Information we collect and store in the MCF Portal

We will collect and store your personal information to set up a user account and provide access to the MCF Portal. This includes your:

  • full name
  • date of birth
  • email
  • unique identifier from when you verify your identity through PRODA or myID.

If you are a medical specialist, we will collect your:

  • specialities
  • Medicare provider number
  • Australia Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) number.

We cannot create you a user account for the MCF portal without this information.

We will also collect service information that users provide. This includes:

  • address
  • fee insurance and service information for each practice location for a medical specialist
  • business contact details (for example, phone and email)
  • appointment, access levels and contact details for an authorised person

When users access the MCF Portal, we will collect information about user access and actions in audit logs.

If you register interest in a speciality for which the MCF Portal is not yet available, we will collect your name, email and specialty.

When we collect your personal information from others

We will only collect personal information from others with your consent. This includes:

  • from PRODA or myID when you verify your identity
  • from a user you nominate as an authorised person, if you are a specialist
  • from a specialist you agree to represent, if you are an authorised person.

Why we collect, use and disclose personal information

We collect, use and disclose personal information about you to:

  • set up a user account
  • validate a user's identity
  • register users and notify the outcome of registration requests
  • give access to and administer the MCF Portal
  • verify your identity if you contact our MCF Portal Support Team
  • receive registrations of interest and notify specialists when their specialty is available
  • get information about medical specialists for publication on the MCF website.

Your personal information may also be used or disclosed where you have provided consent, or it is required or authorised by or under law.

When we disclose information to the Digital Identity Interim Oversight Authority

If you use Australia’s Digital ID System (the System) to access the MCF Portal, we may provide the personal information linked to your Digital ID to Services Australia and the Digital Transformation Agency. This is to assist them to perform functions on behalf of the Digital Identity Interim Oversight Authority (Oversight Authority). These functions include:

  • identifying fraud
  • locating where a cyber security incident has been detected within the System.

For more information on how the Oversight Authority handles your personal information, see the Oversight Authority privacy notice(opens in new tab)

Sharing your personal information

The law, including the Privacy Act 1988(opens in new tab) (the Privacy Act), protects your personal information.

Your personal information will not be disclosed to any other person, body, or agency unless:

  • you give us permission, for example, to share with another Australian Government system or service
  • it is authorised or required by law
  • it meets one of the other exceptions in the Australian Privacy Principles

If we need to share information with a third party as part of our service to you, the form you fill in will tell you about it.

Personal information you provide for publication to the MCF website may be accessible overseas.

How information in the MCF Portal is stored

Information collected in the MCF Portal is stored in a secure cloud service hosted in the Department of Health and Aged Care. The information is stored in Australia.

We will store your data in the MCF Portal in accordance with any requirements under the Archives Act 1983(opens in new tab)

How you can access or correct your information

Our privacy policy(opens in new tab) provides further information on how you access or correct your information.

If you need to correct your personal information in the MCF Portal, you can either:

Concerns and complaints

Our privacy policy(opens in new tab) explains how you can make a complaint if you think we have breached:

  • the Australian Privacy Principles
  • the Australian Government Agencies Privacy Code

The privacy policy(opens in new tab) also explains how we will manage your complaint.

Contact Details

Contact us to find out more about privacy within the department, or to make a privacy enquiry or complaint.

  • Phone: 02 6289 1555
  • Freecall: 1800 020 103
  • Email: MCFportalSupport@health.gov.au
  • Post:
    • Privacy Officer
    • Department of Health and Aged Care
    • MDP 62
    • GPO Box 9848
    • Canberra ACT 2601

Date last updated: November 2022