Terms of Service
Last updated: [DATE]
Draft v1 — starting point, not legal advice. Review with a qualified attorney before publishing. Bracketed […] items are placeholders to fill in.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the PatientPapers application and website (the "Service"), operated by Columbia Software Works LLC ("Company," "we," "us"). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. What PatientPapers is — and is not
PatientPapers is a documentation tool that helps licensed healthcare providers and their authorized staff complete, sign, and output patient-requested paperwork (such as FMLA medical certifications) more efficiently. Patient data you enter is stored locally on your device; it is not transmitted to or stored by the Company.
PatientPapers does not provide medical, legal, or professional advice. The Service does not tell you what to certify, diagnose any condition, or determine eligibility for any benefit, leave, or accommodation. Field-level help and templates are informational only.
You are the certifying provider. Any certification, attestation, signature, or statement made using a form completed in the Service is your professional act and your sole responsibility. You are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness of everything you certify.
2. Eligibility and acceptable use
You represent that you are a licensed healthcare provider (or staff authorized by and acting under the direction of one) and that your use complies with all laws and professional obligations applicable to you, including:
- your own obligations under HIPAA and other privacy laws with respect to patient information;
- the scope-of-practice and certification rules of your jurisdiction; and
- a prohibition on using the Service to create false, fraudulent, or unsupported certifications.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and for all activity under it, including activity by staff/delegates you authorize. Only a provider may apply a signature; you must not allow a delegate to sign on a provider's behalf.
3. The Company is not a Business Associate
Because patient data remains on your device and is never received, created, maintained, or transmitted by the Company, the Company does not act as a "business associate" under HIPAA with respect to your use of the Service, and no Business Associate Agreement is required or offered. You remain solely responsible for your own HIPAA and privacy compliance, including securing your device and any forms you generate, print, transmit, or share.
4. Your data and your device
Patient and form data you create is stored locally on your device and is under your control. You are responsible for:
- the security of your device (including device locks and access controls);
- backing up your data using the Service's export feature or otherwise; and
- understanding that if your device is lost, reset, or its storage is cleared, your locally stored data may be permanently lost, and the Company cannot recover it (we do not hold a copy).
Forms you generate are yours. You are responsible for how you deliver, transmit, or share them.
5. Subscriptions, trial, billing
- Free trial. The Service may offer a limited free trial (e.g., a fixed number of completed/signed forms). When the trial limit is reached, continued use requires a paid subscription.
- Subscription. Paid access is sold as an annual subscription per certifying provider (authorized staff/delegates included). Subscriptions renew automatically each term unless cancelled before renewal.
- Payments are processed by Stripe; by subscribing you also agree to Stripe's terms. The Company does not receive or store your full payment card details.
- Founding pricing. If you subscribed at a designated founding price, that price will be honored for your continued, uninterrupted subscription as described at signup.
- Refunds. [State your refund policy — e.g., pro-rata / no refunds / 30-day.]
- Price changes. We may change prices for future terms with reasonable notice; changes do not affect a guaranteed founding price.
6. Intellectual property
The Service, including its software, design, brand, and form templates and field maps, is owned by the Company and protected by law. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service during your subscription. Blank government and third-party forms reproduced in the Service remain the property of their respective owners. You retain ownership of the completed forms you generate.
7. Disclaimers and limitation of liability
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that any form completed using the Service will be accepted by any employer, agency, insurer, or other recipient, or that any form is current, accurate, or complete for your purpose. You are responsible for verifying the correct and current form and the accuracy of its contents.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE COMPANY WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST DATA, LOST PROFITS, OR PROFESSIONAL, REGULATORY, OR LEGAL CONSEQUENCES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE. THE COMPANY'S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE SERVICE IN THE [12] MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM.
8. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from claims, losses, and expenses arising out of your use of the Service, the certifications or forms you create, or your breach of these Terms or of applicable law or professional obligations.
9. Termination
You may cancel at any time; cancellation stops future renewals. We may suspend or terminate access for breach of these Terms. On termination your license ends; your locally stored data remains on your device and under your control.
10. Changes; governing law; contact
We may update these Terms with notice; continued use means acceptance. These Terms are governed by the laws of [State of [___]], without regard to conflict-of-laws rules, and disputes will be resolved in [venue / arbitration — specify].
Columbia Software Works LLC · [mailing address] · [support@patientpapers.app]