Specialties
Virtual
Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Telehealth Informed Consent
We value the privacy of our patients and visitors to our website
Introduction
This communication service is provided by Coastline Medical Services, PLLC. ("Coastline Medical" or "we") for use by the healthcare providers who are members of Coastline Medical's online network (“Providers”) to facilitate communications with their patients, including through video calls (the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service as a patient, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the terms and privacy practices described below, as may be amended from time to time, (collectively, these "Terms"). If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use the Service. If you are using the Service on behalf of someone other than yourself, by using the Service you confirm you have the authority to do so.
THE SERVICE IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN THE EVENT OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE IS EXPERIENCING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
To the extent that your use of the Service requires, or permits utilization of wireless, cellular data or internet access, you are solely responsible for securing the necessary data access services. Any fees charged by your mobile carrier or your other service providers in connection with your use of the Service including, without limitation, any data access fees charged by your mobile carrier or internet provider, are solely your responsibility. The number of communications you may receive through the Service depends on how often your Provider chooses to use the Service to communicate with you and how often you choose to reply to your Provider through the Service. If you do not wish to receive communications initiated by your Provider through the Service, reply "STOP" to any SMS text message that you receive notifying you of a request from your Provider. If at any time you forget how to opt-out, reply "HELP" to any SMS text you will receive instructions on how to opt-out.
Privacy
This privacy policy explains in detail how we use and protect the information we collect when you visit our website, as well as our social media channels. Read this privacy policy completely. Please refrain from visiting the site if the terms outlined below are not satisfactory to you. We reserve the right to change this policy at any time and will list these changes in the updates section of the policy. By reading this notice and visiting the site, you agree that you understand that customers will not be personally notified when this policy changes. Therefore, we advise our customers to frequently review our privacy policy so that they remain aware of its updates. By using the site, you accept that the posted policy and all its changes apply to your interaction with Coastline Medical Services, PLLC. Information may be collected by this site in many ways. This information includes:
Information that can be used to identify you, such as your phone number, which may be provided by you or your healthcare provider. Healthcare-related information, such as the name of your doctor, which may be protected health information, or "PHI," subject to the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended (“HIPAA”). Information about your device and engagement with the Service including the type of device and browser used to access the Service, your IP address, operating system, and Service usage details, e.g., date and time the Service was accessed, duration and frequency of use. Other information that you volunteer, such as SMS replies to your Provider, or that you provide in response to a specific request from us. The communications between you and your healthcare provider on our platform are not recorded. Capturing video, audio and/or images from our telehealth platform is stricly prohibited.
We may use information about you as follows:
To improve the Service and related features or provide technical support. To create de-identified information that cannot be used to personally identify you, such as aggregate statistics relating to use of the Service. To facilitate your connection with the Service, notify you of updates from your healthcare provider, nonitor and prevent theft, respond to your requests. To enhance the safety, security, and performance of the Service, including to prevent and detect fraud or other unauthorized or illegal activities. To enforce these Terms and protect the rights, property, or safety of us or any other person. To comply with applicable federal, state, and other laws and regulations. For other purposes for which you have provided consent, where legally required.
We may disclose information about you as follows:
To third parties pursuant to any consent or authorization that you may provide. To service providers that help us provide and improve the Service, including in the areas of telecommunications and information security. To comply with any legal obligation, to enforce these Terms or any other agreement, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of us or third parties. In the event of a corporate change in control resulting from, for example, a merger, a sale of assets, or bankruptcy or in connection with the evaluation of and entry into such transactions. With respect to de-identified information, for any purpose without restriction.
User Rules and Responsibilities
You agree not to use the Service: (i) to impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity; (ii) for any purpose that infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates any intellectual property right or other right of any third party, violates any applicable law, or is not authorized by these Terms; (iii) to attempt to obtain unauthorized access to or interfere with the Service; (iv) to tamper with the Service, our computer systems or security features; (v) to monitor the availability, performance or functionality of the Service for any competitive purpose; or (vi) to attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Service.
Ownership
As between you and Coastline Medical, Coastline Medical is the sole and exclusive owner of the Service. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, Coastline Medical grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, and nontransferable license to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use.
Information Security
Normally, your information stays on our site. However, below we have listed the situations that may require us to share the information we collect from you: When required by law, such as for fraud protection, With our third-party providers for payment processing and hosting, With your consent for marketing purposes, When you post comments on the site, To our advertisers, affiliates, and partners, If data must be transferred.
We take technical and administrative precautions to protect your data, but we cannot guarantee its safety against all types of fraud or misuse. If you provide personal information, we cannot verify its total security against all types of interception. We may use cookies, trackers, web beacons, and other technology to customize our website to improve your experience. We may customize the site using this information. These trackers do not have access to your personal information and can be removed from your browser options. Website analytics may also be used to track users and remarket our website. We do not give these vendors access to your personal information. Some browsers offer Do-Not-Track settings to prevent any information from being distributed. Although these settings have not been legally established as standard practice, we do acknowledge these settings. Our website may contain links to third-party websites in the form of policies, ads, and other nonaffiliated links. Once you leave our site, we are no longer responsible for how your information is collected and disclosed. Please refer to the privacy policies of those third-party sites for more information.
You should take steps to protect against unauthorized access to your information by, among other things, securing your device with a complex password that nobody else knows or can easily guess. We are not responsible for any compromised passcodes or for any unauthorized access to or use of the Service on your behalf. You understand that the Service involves the transmission of information through various channels and to various endpoints, some of which are outside of Coastline Medical's systems, e.g., SMS text messages. Information transmitted or accessed outside of our systems may not be encrypted and could be interrupted, intercepted or otherwise accessed by unauthorized third parties. In no event will Coastline Medical have any liability to you or any other person or entity for any such unauthorized access.
Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
We make no representation or warranty about the Service, including that it will be uninterrupted, or free from error, defect, interference, viruses, hacking or other security intrusion, or that information you obtain through use of the Service is accurate, complete or error-free. The Service is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the maximum extent permissible under applicable law, we disclaim any and all implied warranties of any kind, including without limitation implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, title, and non-infringement.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will Coastline Medical, its affiliates, or their respective service providers, employees, agents, officers, directors, or shareholders be liable under any legal or equitable theory, whether in tort (including negligence), contract, strict liability or otherwise, for any indirect, punitive, special, incidental, or consequential damages, loss of data, service interruption, device damage, system failure, damages for personal or bodily injury or emotional distress, including death, or any other damages arising out of or in connection with use of (or inability to use) the Service. If you are dissatisfied with the Service, you agree that your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue use of the Service.
Governing Law and Disputes
Please read this section carefully, as it affects your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court. The Service is controlled and operated by us from the United States and is not intended to subject us to the laws or jurisdiction of any state, country, or territory other than that of the United States. These Terms will be governed by the laws of the State of Florida without regard to conflicts of law principles. You and Coastline Medical agree that all claims and disputes relating in any way to the Service or relating to these Terms, except for any dispute in which either party seeks equitable relief for the alleged unlawful use of its intellectual property, shall be resolved by binding arbitration, on an individual basis only and not on a class basis, and you expressly waive any right to file a class action or seek relief on a class basis, whether within or outside of arbitration. Unless both you and Coastline Medical agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate or join more than one person's or party's claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a consolidated, representative, or class proceeding. Also, the arbitrator may award relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that party's individual claim or dispute. Please be aware that you are giving up the right to litigate a dispute in court before a judge or jury.
The U.S. Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of the arbitration process. Any arbitration between you and Coastline Medical will be administered by our representative law firm, in accordance with its provisions and procedures for consumer-related disputes, excluding any rules or procedures governing or permitting class actions. Instructions about how to initiate an arbitration can be obtained by written request. You agree that any arbitration will take place in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. You have the right to opt out and not be bound by this arbitration agreement and class-action-waiver by sending written notice of your decision to opt out to the following address: Coastline Medical Services, PLLC., 1817 Lewis Turner Blvd., Suite F, Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32547. The notice must be sent within 30 days.
Additional Options
At any time, you may opt to review or change your account settings, including contact information. You may also opt-out of emails and other correspondences from our site at any time. The State of Florida's Privacy Rights Enumerate your state's privacy codes and any permits, legal age limits, or associated information necessary for people in your specific jurisdiction.
What is telehealth?
Telehealth is a way to visit with healthcare providers, such as your physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or mental health therapist from any place, including your home. You don't physically travel to a clinic or hospital. Telehealth is a way for you to receive care using telecommunications technology to connect you with your healthcare provider. You can do so from any location where you have access to a device and an internet connection. You meet with your healthcare provider via an electronic device such as a phone, computer, or tablet by transmitting audio and video.
Benefits of telehealth
Virtual visits are growing in popularity. Though in-person office visits may be necessary in certain cases, there are many benefits of telehealth care. Limited physical contact reduces everyone's exposure to infectious diseases. Virtual visits ensure you get health care wherever you are located - at home, at work or even m your car. Virtual visits cut down on travel, time off from work, and the need for childcare. Virtual health care tools can shorten the wait for an appointment. Increased access to specialists who may be located far away from your hometown.
Potential risks for the use of telehealth
As with any medical procedure, there are potential risks associated with the use of telehealth. These
risks include, but may not be limited to:
In rare cases, information transmitted may not be sufficient (e.g. poor resolution of images) to
allow for appropriate medical decision making by the clinician providing your healthcare via
telehealth. Delays in medical evaluation and treatment could occur due to deficiencies or failures of the
equipment. In very rare instances, security protocols could fail, causing a breach of privacy of personal
medical information. In rare cases, a lack of access to complete medical records may result in adverse drug
interactions or allergic reactions or other judgment errors. You and your healthcare provider will not be in the same room, so it may feel different
from an office visit. Your healthcare provider may make a mistake because they cannot examine you as closely as at
an office visit. (We do not know if mistakes are more common with telehealth visits.) Your healthcare provider may decide you still need an office visit if they feel that the
information obtained via telemedicine was not sufficient to make a diagnosis. The video connection may not work, or it may stop working during the consultation. The video picture or information transmitted may not be clear enough to be useful for the consultation. Therefore, you may be required to go to the healthcare provider's office. Not all networks are private and secure. It is the responsibility of the patient to ensure that the
network and device used by the patient for telehealth services is secure and private.
Will my telehealth visit be private?
Telehealth visits are not recorded. Your healthcare provider will take notes as they normally would in our secure electronic medical records system or on paper, which is separate from our telehealth technology. If people are near you, private information may be overheard by others. You should be in a private place, so other people cannot hear you. Coastline Medical utilizes telehealth technology that is designed to protect your privacy. However, as with any internet-based communication, there is a very small chance that someone could use technology to hear or see your telehealth visit.
What if I try telehealth and don't like it?
You can stop using telehealth any time, even during a telehealth visit. You can always schedule an office visit if you no longer want a telehealth visit. Should you choose not to opt for any telehealth or to stop telehealth your future care or treatment will not be affected.
How much does a telehealth visit cost?
What you pay depends on your insurance. If you are self-pay, you will be billed for the visit. A telehealth visit will not cost any more than an office visit. If your healthcare provider decides you need an office visit in addition to your telehealth visit, you may have to pay for both visits.
Informed Consent for Telehealth
I understand that my healthcare provider wishes to evaluate, diagnose, manage, and/or treat my medical condition through an interactive video communication involving the electronic transmission of information referred to as “telehealth” or “telemedicine.” I further understand that because my provider and I are not in the same room, a telehealth consultation will not be the same as an in-person visit as my provider must rely solely on the information reported to make recommendations.
I understand that while steps are taken to secure the telehealth communication, there is no guarantee of security and there are potential risks to this technology, including interruptions and disconnections of the audio/video link, unauthorized access, and other technical difficulties.
I understand that my healthcare provider or I can discontinue the consultation at any time for any reason. I further understand that I can be seen in person at another time, my healthcare provider may charge me for my telehealth consultation, and I confirm that my participation in telehealth is completely voluntary.
By participating in a telehealth consultation, I confirm that the risks, benefits and any practical alternatives have been discussed, I have had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the process, and that my questions have been answered to my satisfaction.
By participating in a telehealth consultation, I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy described above.
Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us at:
Coastline Medical Services, PLLC., 1817 Lewis Turner Blvd., Suite F, Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32547, Tel: 8503961110, Fax: 8504660950