White Paper-Project Description

SelfPayMD is a social media experiment — It is a platform designed to help patients connect with doctors.

SelfPayMD is NOT insurance. It is a public bulletin board to help patients find the medical care they need when they are uninsured or underinsured. Due to federal law, by using SelfPayMD you attest that you are not insured by Medicare, Medicaid, or any federally funded program.

Patients MAY post in the discussion forum what condition they are seeking care for. The post MUST be under the state heading where you are physically located at that time as medical licensing is not reciprocal between the states. Only doctors licensed in the state where you are physically located can evaluate and treat you.

If you wish you may post what you can afford to offer for care. For example, “I have a sinus infection and can only afford $50 for a visit.”

DO NOT post any personally identifiable information on the bulletin board as EVERYTHING you post is public. Use a nickname and do not provide any personal details until you either go to a doctor’s office in person or log in to a HIPAA compatible telemedicine platform like PracticeFusion™ or Doximity™.

By logging in to this social media platform you agree to these Terms of Service which, among other things, specifies that no doctor patient relationship is formed on SelfPayMD itself as it is only intended as a way for patients to locate self-pay medical doctors (MD or DO) licensed physicians in the 50 State plus DC.

SelfPayMD does not vet anyone posting in the forum and does not verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a doctor. Similar to a phone book, make sure you verify your doctor by checking their contact details on your state’s board of medicine website and/or visiting their office or telemedicine practice website yourself.

Above all, users of SelfPayMD agree to use the platform ‘as is’ and AT YOUR OWN RISK. SelfPayMD accepts no liability for damages, consequential or inconsequential, resulting from interactions on the social media platform as protected and codified in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) et al.

While you may post pictures of a rash, you MAY NOT post pictures anything below the belt or of breasts or of minors. Anything deemed inappropriate will be deleted without warning and the account responsible may be permanently banned. Any unlawful post may be reported to relevant law enforcement agencies including all available identifying information such as IP address or email address.

SelfPayMD reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason within the law, including profanity, hate speech, pornographic material or spam posting. No access to bots or law enforcement is permitted. Judgment lies solely with SelfPayMD and actions taken to enforce community standards will be swift and permanent. Any billing disputes for medical services are to be handled between the patient and the client, SelfPayMD does not bill patients or pay doctors. In the event of any legal claim against SelfPayMD all parties agree to mandatory arbitration if SelfPayMD elects to choose arbitration. In the alternative, any legal proceedings should be brought forth in the state of Maryland.

SelfPayMD does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status including race religion or gender.

If a doctor agrees to a consultation for less than the usual and customary charge you are implicitly stating that you cannot afford the usual and customary charge and are being given a cash/self-pay sliding scale discount. You as a user agree and proceed with the understanding that such discounts are not discriminatory or based on any protected status, they are simply a sliding scale being offered to help patients get the medical care they need in these times of limited access to care and rising insurance premiums.

SelfPayMD doctors do not agree to participate in any insurance plan and will not assist with submitting insurance claims, prior authorizations, peer to peer reviews or utilization management. If your doctor agrees to any administrative tasks then that is between you and your doctor, SelfPayMD will not assist or expend resources on such tasks as doing so is in direct opposition to the mission of SelfPayMD—helping self pay patients find doctors willing and able to provide necessary services without insurance company administrative burdens. Individual payment terms are to be negotiated between patient and doctor. SelfPayMD invites competition in pricing but does not negotiate or intervene on doctors’ or patients’ behalf. SelfPayMD is solely a social media advertising vehicle and nothing more.

SelfPayMD is NOT appropriate for many medical needs such as prescription of controlled substances, applying for disability benefits, motor vehicle accidents, assaults, concussions, or any other medical condition that has medio-legal ramifications. Please seek immediate in person evaluation for these concerns as telemedicine cannot meet the standard of care necessary for such evaluations.

SelfPayMD CANNOT act as your primary care doctor and providers here cannot write valid referrals to specialists as insurance companies will not honor generic referrals. You warrant and attest that you will seek and maintain a relationship with a primary care doctor for matters beyond the scope of care SelfPayMD can provide.

If you are a healthcare provider, you MUST be a licensed MD or DO in any state where you solicit patients. Mid-levels are not permitted to solicit patients on this site as it is not lawful to represent a non-physician as a MD or DO doctor – it is right in the name of the website itself. All doctors using SelfPayMD attest and agree to be licensed for the services you provide in the state(s) you solicit patients. All doctors further attest and agree to provide their own malpractice insurance, abide by all federal, state and local laws, and to meet the standard of care in any services provided.

If you as a patient believe you are having a medical emergency, SelfPayMD is NOT an appropriate venue for evaluation. Immediately call 911 for any medical emergencies.