Terms of Service

1. Not for Emergencies

StartCare is NOT for medical emergencies. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Do not use the Service for urgent, emergency, or life-threatening conditions.

2. About the Service

StartCare is a technology platform that supports a telemedicine visit. It uses AI to guide an intake conversation and to prepare a draft assessment, which a licensed healthcare provider reviews before any diagnosis, treatment plan, or prescription is issued. AI-generated content is not a medical decision and is not a substitute for the judgment of a licensed clinician.

The Service is available only where StartCare and participating providers are able to offer it, and its availability may change based on applicable law and regulatory requirements.

3. No Provider–Patient Relationship With StartCare

StartCare is a technology company, not a medical practice, pharmacy, or laboratory, and StartCare does not practice medicine. By using the Service you are not entering into a provider–patient relationship with StartCare. Care is delivered by independent, licensed healthcare providers who are solely responsible for the care and treatment they provide. Whether to provide care, and any diagnosis or treatment, is at the provider's sole professional discretion, and care may not be appropriate for everyone.

4. Providers, Prescriptions & Pharmacies

If a provider determines that a prescription is appropriate, the provider issues it in their professional judgment; a prescription is never guaranteed. Prescriptions are electronically sent to the pharmacy you choose. You may use any licensed pharmacy of your choice, and you are responsible for obtaining your medication from, and paying, that pharmacy in accordance with its terms.

StartCare does not control, and is not responsible for, the professional services or products of providers or pharmacies.

5. Eligibility & Accounts

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your state) to use the Service for yourself. A parent or legal guardian may use the Service on behalf of a minor where permitted by law and by the provider. You agree to provide truthful, accurate, and complete information, to keep it current, and to keep your account credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity under your account and must notify us promptly of any unauthorized use.

6. Financial Responsibility; No Insurance

The Service is provided on a cash-pay basis. StartCare and the providers are not enrolled with, and do not bill, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other federal or state healthcare program or commercial insurer for the services or products provided through the Service. You are solely responsible for the cost of any service or product, and you agree not to submit, and that we will not submit, a claim for reimbursement to any such program or insurer.

7. Fees, Subscriptions & Cancellation

Fees are described at checkout and are charged through our third-party payment processor. Certain offerings are sold on an automatically renewing subscription basis; your payment method will be charged at the intervals described until you cancel. You may cancel at any time in your account or by contacting us at info@startcare.ai; cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current billing period. Except where required by law, fees are non-refundable once a provider has reviewed your visit; we may provide refunds on a case-by-case basis in our discretion. We may change subscription plans or prices with advance notice.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence

StartCare uses AI technologies, including generative AI and machine learning, to guide intake and to draft summaries and recommendations for a licensed provider to review. StartCare does not use AI to make final clinical decisions; a licensed provider is responsible for your care. AI tools are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties, and AI-generated content may contain errors.

9. Your Responsibilities

You agree to provide complete and accurate health information, to use the Service only for lawful purposes and for yourself (or a minor for whom you are the parent/guardian), to follow your provider's guidance, and not to share your account or misuse the platform. You are responsible for the devices, software, and connectivity needed to use the Service.

10. Prohibited Conduct

You may not use the Service to violate any law; to gain unauthorized access to systems or data; to interfere with or disrupt the Service; to upload harmful code or infringing, unlawful, or misleading content; to impersonate others or provide false information; to scrape or use automated means to access the Service; or to reverse engineer any part of the Service. We may investigate and take appropriate action, including suspending or terminating access.

11. Intellectual Property; Your Submissions

The Service, including its software and content, is owned by StartCare or its licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use.

Except for information that is your protected health information (which is handled under our Privacy Policy and applicable law), you grant StartCare a worldwide, royalty-free license to use information you submit to operate, provide, and improve the Service. You are responsible for the information you submit.

12. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates third-party services, such as e-prescribing, payment processing, and communications providers. Your use of those services may be subject to their terms and privacy policies. StartCare is not responsible for third-party products or services.

13. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE, OR THAT AI-ASSISTED CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, STARTCARE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR FOR LOSS OF DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER THEORY. STARTCARE'S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO STARTCARE IN THE SIX (6) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR U.S. $100. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

15. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless StartCare and the providers from and against any claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms or applicable law, or your violation of the rights of another.

16. Electronic Communications & Text Messages

By using the Service you consent to receive communications from us and from providers electronically, including by email, SMS, and in-app messages, and you agree that electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing. Message and data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to opt out of non-essential text messages or HELP for help; we may still send you transactional or service messages.

17. Dispute Resolution; Binding Arbitration; Class-Action Waiver

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY — IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS. Except as provided below, you and StartCare agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service (a “Dispute”) will be resolved by final and binding individual arbitration, and NOT in court. YOU AND STARTCARE WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION, OR ANY OTHER REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

Informal resolution first. Before starting arbitration, the party raising a Dispute must send the other a written notice describing the Dispute and the relief sought (to StartCare at info@startcare.ai), and the parties will attempt in good faith to resolve it informally within 45 days.

Arbitration. If the Dispute is not resolved, it will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitrator will decide the Dispute, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this section.

Exceptions. Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either party may seek injunctive relief in court for intellectual-property or unauthorized-access claims. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) will proceed in court.

30-day right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by emailing info@startcare.ai with your name and a clear statement that you opt out of arbitration. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms.

18. Governing Law & Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. To the extent a Dispute is not subject to arbitration, it will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Florida, and you consent to their jurisdiction.

19. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, including for conduct that violates these Terms. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted here with an updated effective date, and your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

21. Miscellaneous

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Telehealth Consent, are the entire agreement between you and StartCare regarding the Service. If any provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

22. Text Messaging (SMS)

By providing your mobile phone number, you consent to receive account and service text messages from StartCare, including one-time verification codes (two-factor authentication) and transactional notifications about your care — for example, that your treatment report is ready, or, for providers, that a consult is awaiting review. These are transactional messages, not marketing.

Message frequency varies with your use of the Service. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe at any time, or HELP for help; you may also contact info@startcare.ai for assistance. Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. How we handle mobile information is described in our Privacy Policy.

23. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email info@startcare.ai.