Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Friends of Medicine member portal at portal.friendsofmed.com and related services (the “Platform”), operated by Friends of Medicine, LLC (“FOM,” “we,” “us”). By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy and our Code of Conduct, each incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. What the Platform is — and is not

FOM is a professional networking platform that helps healthcare professionals and vetted service providers discover and connect with one another.

The Platform is not a clinical, medical, or patient-care service, and it is not intended for the storage, exchange, or transmission of protected health information (PHI) or any patient-identifiable information. FOM does not provide medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice, and nothing on the Platform creates a provider-patient, attorney-client, or other professional relationship. FOM is not a HIPAA covered entity or business associate, and the Platform is not designed to be HIPAA-compliant.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and a healthcare professional, a representative of a healthcare-related business or service provider, or otherwise within FOM’s intended membership. By using the Platform you represent that you meet these requirements and are using it for lawful, professional purposes.

4. Accounts, accuracy, and self-reported information

You are responsible for the information you provide and for keeping it accurate and current. By creating and maintaining a profile you represent and warrant that the information you provide about your identity, professional status, credentials, licensure, and services is accurate, current, and truthful, and you agree to keep it updated.

No verification by FOM. FOM does not verify, endorse, or guarantee the identity, licensure, qualifications, credentials, or services of any member. Member profiles and listings are created and maintained by members and are self-reported. FOM is not responsible or liable for false, inaccurate, misleading, or fraudulent information provided by members, or for any claims of services made on the Platform. You are solely responsible for your own due diligence before relying on, connecting with, or transacting with any member.

You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all activity under your account.

5. Prohibited content and conduct

You agree not to upload, post, share, or transmit through the Platform (including in profiles, need descriptions, listings, and messages):

• Any patient-identifiable information or protected health information (PHI) — including patient names, photographs, records, case details, test results, or anything that could reasonably re-identify a patient;
• Confidential or proprietary information you are not authorized to disclose, or any information subject to a confidentiality or non-disclosure obligation owed to another party;
• False, misleading, defamatory, harassing, discriminatory, or unlawful content;
• Malware, or content that infringes the intellectual-property or other rights of others.

Your use of the Platform is also governed by the FOM Code of Conduct, which describes additional conduct rules and the consequences of violations.

6. Member content and license

You retain ownership of the content you submit. You grant FOM a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, and display your content as necessary to operate and provide the Platform. You represent that you have the rights necessary to share any content you submit.

7. Connections, fees, and payments

The Platform facilitates paid connections between members:

• A service provider may pay a connection fee of $29 to open a conversation with a healthcare professional in response to a posted need. Reopening a connection after 14 days is $9.
• Healthcare professionals may post up to 3 needs per year at no cost and may purchase additional capacity in bundles of 5 needs for $25.
• Healthcare professionals do not pay to receive or accept connections.

All fees are stated and charged in U.S. dollars and processed by our third-party payment processor (Stripe). All fees are non-refundable, and FOM does not provide credits or credit-backs for connections, except where required by law. FOM may change its fees and offerings at any time on a prospective basis.

8. Privacy, data, retention, and deletion

Your use of the Platform is subject to our Privacy Policy. In general:

• We retain your profile, messages, and uploaded files while your account is active.
• On account closure we soft-delete your account and then permanently delete your data and uploaded files after a 30-day grace period.
• We honor data access and deletion requests as required by applicable law, within the applicable timeframes.
• We retain only those records we are legally required to keep (for example, transaction and tax records held by our payment processor).

9. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. FOM does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any member’s information, credentials, or services are accurate or legitimate.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, FOM and its officers, members, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss arising from your reliance on or dealings with any member, content, or service on the Platform. FOM’s total liability for any claim relating to the Platform will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid FOM in the 12 months before the claim or $100.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless FOM from any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of your use of the Platform, your content, your interactions with other members, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

12. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Platform at any time. FOM may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access at its discretion, including for any violation of these Terms or the Code of Conduct, or in response to a report of misconduct.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email and/or via the Platform, and your continued use after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes acceptance.

14. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and you consent to their jurisdiction.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms: legal@friendsofmed.com.