Telemedicine and Teleconsultation

Definitions

Telehealth: It is the set of health-related activities, services and methods, which are carried out remotely with the help of information and telecommunications technologies. It includes, among others, Telemedicine and Teleeducation in health.

Telemedicine: It is the provision of remote health services in the components of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, by health professionals who use information and communication technologies, which allow them to exchange data with the purpose of facilitating access. and the opportunity in providing services to the population that has limitations in supply, access to services or both in their geographical area.

Information and Communication Technologies. (TIC): Set of resources, tools, equipment, computer programs, applications, networks and media, which allow the compilation, processing, storage, transmission of information such as voice, data, text, video and images.

Teleconsultation Service

@SaludPanama will provide a communication channel between the doctor and the patient, which will facilitate a conversation through live, encrypted, private and closed video between both parties. @SaludPanama guarantees the patient that the doctors listed in its directory are specialists with qualifications issued by the Republic of Panama, thus certifying their ability to provide advice and medical care.

The Internet user who, browsing our platform, always within the Saludpanama.com domain, and within the domains linked specifically for the purpose of complementing this service, including the domains doxy.me, Saludpanama.org, Salud.com.pa and calendly.com, decide to request the Teleconsultation service, and pay for it the rates listed in the profiles of each specialist, fully accept the terms and conditions of use, privacy policy and management of @SaludPanama, listed in our LEGAL section , located in https://www.saludpanama.com/legal

The user who has purchased the Teleconsultation service at @SaludPanama, and who receives this service from a suitable doctor, accepts that this service is in its nature different from the in-person medical consultation service, and that the doctor may use questions and specific requests that will be made during the Teleconsultation, to achieve a diagnosis and subsequent medical advice, based on the discoveries made during the teleconsultation. The medical specialist may have to ask the patient to book a new appointment, now in person, or to go to another specialist who is physically close to them, to continue with a more in-depth physical examination. In this case, said new consultation will have a separate cost and the patient agrees to assume this cost.

Once the Teleconsultation is finished, the patient will follow the instructions of the doctor who has treated him, and will maintain contact in the manner instructed by him, for subsequent follow-up and control.

Data

@SaludPanama puts the privacy and integrity of the data of each user who interacts with our systems first and as priority #1. All usage data of our systems, which may be recorded, will be kept secure during the validity period assigned for this type of data. Data related to consultations or questions of a clinical, informative, or any kind, coming from people as patients, and that is carried out within the context of an informative consultation, medical consultation or consultation of any other type, especially those that include private information or information protected in any way by current regulations regarding internet communications, telemedicine, personal identity, right to be forgotten, and similar, will not be stored by @SaludPanama. Any communication that uses our systems as a channel or vehicle, whether synchronous or asynchronous, and that occurs between a medical provider and a consumer or patient, will be the responsibility of the participants in said communication, and not our channel. The use of our systems for any purpose by the consumer and the medical provider implies that responsibility for the information shared between them will not be stored or managed by @SaludPanama. In the event that a user requires any data provided to a medical provider, they must request it from this medical provider, and vice versa, and @SaludPanama will not be obliged to serve as a communication channel in case there is any type of claim in the future.

Terms and Conditions of Use

Telemedicine/Telehealth/Teleconsultation involves the use of electronic communications to allow medical and health care providers, and their patients, located in different locations, to share individual clinical and medical information of the patient, in order to address the medical needs of patients, and provide updated information to medical providers, for the correct monitoring of treatments and the patient's general health condition.

Electronic communication means the use of interactive telecommunications equipment including, at a minimum, audio and video equipment that enables real-time, two-way interactive communication between the patient and the health and medical care provider. In this interaction, the location of the beneficiary patient is understood as the site of origin; while the distant site is where the doctor or Telemedicine/Telehealth providers are located during the time of the consultation. Providers may include primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, medical specialists and/or subspecialists, and therapists. The information may be used for diagnosis, therapy, monitoring and/or education.

In this sense, the user of the Teleconsultation platform of Panasalud, SA (@SaludPanama), when using our technological solution, and all the services contained within the SaludPanama.com domain, ensures that they understand that, as with any medical procedure, there are expected benefits and potential risks associated with the use of Telemedicine/Teleconsultation, including:

Expected benefits include the following:

• Improving access to care by allowing a patient to remain at a remote site while receiving professional care from a medical or health care provider.

• More efficient medical evaluation and management.

• Possibilities of early diagnosis and treatment, which can contribute to better results and treatments at a lower cost.

Possible risks include, but are not limited to:

• Despite reasonable safeguarding efforts, the transmission of medical information could be altered or distorted by technical failures that could result in delays in evaluation; the transmission of medical information could be interrupted by an unauthorized person; and/or the electronic storage of medical information could be accessed by unauthorized persons.

• Telemedicine/Telehealth based services may not be as comprehensive as face-to-face services. It is understood that it is the responsibility of the telemedicine/teleconsultation provider to define whether the patient's care is sufficient with teleconsultation or requires that it be complemented with a face-to-face service, redirecting the responsibility to the patient to follow the reference instructions and their compliance.

• In rare cases, the information transmitted may not be sufficient (for example, poor resolution of images) to allow appropriate decision making by the Telemedicine/Telehealth healthcare provider. • In rare cases, security protocols may fail, resulting in a breach of the privacy of personal health information.

• In rare cases, lack of access to complete and/or accurate medical records or information may result in adverse drug reactions, allergic reactions, or other errors in judgment.

By accepting the terms and conditions of use of the @SaludPanama platform, the user/patient understands that:

You give your informed consent, in accordance with these terms and conditions, to share personal health information with Panasalud, SA, and affiliated physicians. You have the right to deny or withdraw your consent to the use of Telemedicine/Telehealth in the course of care at any time without affecting your right to receive future care or treatment.

You have the right to inspect all information obtained and recorded in the course of a Telemedicine/Telesalud interaction, and may receive copies of this information, if any, and you understand that it is not the obligation of Panasalud, SA, @SaludPanama, record, save, archive or maintain any such information in physical or virtual form.

Alternative methods of medical/health care may be available, including face-to-face interaction, and you may choose another alternative at any time, at the cost of this choice.

That you can expect the anticipated benefits from the use of Telemedicine/Telehealth under your care, but that results cannot be guaranteed or assured.

Laws protecting the confidentiality of medical information also apply to telemedicine. As such, you understand that information disclosed during the course of the consultation is confidential; however, there are mandatory and permissive exceptions to confidentiality, including, but not limited to, reporting sexual abuse, elder abuse, and vulnerable adult abuse.

Any cause of action arising out of this service must arise exclusively in Panama and you knowingly waive your right to access any other legal forum.

All commercial, privacy, reimbursement and other parameters included in the LEGAL section of @SaludPanama are added to this description of Telemedicine services.

NOTE: This policy may require adaptation in the event that new local regulations in the Republic of Panama affect the services described.

Last update January 31, 2023