Terms for Doctors

1. Nature of Service and Roles

HeyDottore operates exclusively as a technology service provider and provides Healthcare Professionals with a technical communication platform to interact with their patients. HeyDottore does not provide healthcare services. Any professional service rendered by the Doctor through the channel is performed under their sole responsibility; the Professional is required to comply with the Code of Medical Ethics and all regulations applicable to their activity, assessing on a case-by-case basis whether the request can be handled remotely or requires an in-person visit.

2. Access Requirements and Verification

2.1 Mandatory requirements

To use the Platform as a Doctor you must:

1. Be a licensed medical doctor authorized to practice
2. Be registered with the Italian Medical Association
3. Have no pending disciplinary measures
4. Hold professional liability insurance that also covers remote services (clause 2.4)
5. Complete identity verification via ID document (Stripe Identity)

2.2 Verification process

1. Registration with personal and professional data and a declaration regarding professional liability insurance
2. Identity verification through Stripe Identity
3. Check of the registration with the Medical Register on the FNOMCeO portal
4. Profile approval by HeyDottore

HeyDottore's check covers the Doctor's identity and their registration with the Medical Register on the date of the check. HeyDottore does not examine the insurance policy or the Doctor's relationship with the Italian National Health Service, which remain the subject of the Doctor's declarations (clauses 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5).

2.3 Declarations and warranties

The Doctor declares and warrants:

• The truthfulness of all data and documents provided
• Possession of requirements for the practice of medicine
• Compliance with the Medical Code of Ethics
• Operating in compliance with current regulations
• The insurance coverage described in clause 2.4
• The compatibility of the activity carried out through the Platform with their relationship with the Italian National Health Service, as described in clause 2.5

2.4 Professional liability insurance

At registration, the Doctor declares that they hold professional liability insurance compliant with Article 10(2) of Law 24/2017, which also covers services provided remotely through the Platform, and undertakes to keep it in force for the whole duration of the relationship. At HeyDottore's request, the Doctor provides the policy details (insurer, number, coverage limit and expiry date) and a copy of the policy. The Doctor informs HeyDottore within 5 business days of any relevant change: suspension, cancellation, non-renewal or reduction of the coverage. The Doctor gives their patients the information about the policy required by law (Article 9(4) of Decree-Law 1/2012).

HeyDottore does not examine the content of the policy and does not guarantee that it will respond: the adequacy of the coverage is the Doctor's sole responsibility. Without coverage the Doctor does not accept new paid consultations, and HeyDottore may suspend the receipt of new requests (clause 7.1).

2.5 Relationship with the Italian National Health Service

Before accepting their first paid consultation, the Doctor informs HeyDottore, in the manner indicated in the Platform or by email to supporto@heydottore.com, of their relationship with the Italian National Health Service (SSN): doctor under an SSN agreement (general practice, family paediatrics or outpatient specialist care), SSN employee, or no relationship. The Doctor reports any change within 5 business days. The Doctor warrants that any paid activity carried out through the Platform is permitted private professional practice, compatible with that relationship; in particular:

• (a) a doctor under an SSN agreement does not request or receive fees from their own SSN patients for services falling within the duties set by the National Collective Agreements and supplementary agreements (for example advice and consultations for their own patients, or certificates that are free of charge by law);
• (b) an SSN-employed doctor complies with their exclusivity or incompatibility regime and with any authorisations for private practice.

Verifying compatibility is the Doctor's sole responsibility: HeyDottore does not verify the Doctor's relationship with the SSN. The Doctor alone is liable for any breach of these obligations and holds HeyDottore harmless from it (clause 6.2).

3. Doctor's Obligations

3.1 Professional obligations

• Accept or decline requests and reply within the time limits set out in clause 3.3
• Provide professional, complete, and understandable responses
• Operate according to science and conscience
• Follow clinical guidelines and best practices
• Assess the appropriateness of remote handling versus an in-person visit, case by case
• Refer patients for in-person visits when necessary

3.2 Regulatory obligations

The Doctor commits to comply with:

• Medical Association Code of Ethics
• Law 219/2017 (informed consent)
• Law 24/2017 (healthcare liability)
• GDPR and privacy regulations
• Legislative Decree 219/2006 (prescriptions)
• Where the service rendered constitutes a telemedicine act, the applicable Guidelines (Ministerial Decree of 21 September 2022; State-Regions)

3.3 Acceptance and reply time limits, reading messages

The Doctor accepts or declines each request within the time limit shown in the Platform when the request is made: 24 hours from payment for a single consultation and 48 hours from the request for a consultation included in a subscription. After acceptance, the Doctor sends the first reply within 48 hours. If these time limits expire, the request is cancelled; for a single consultation the Patient is refunded and the Doctor does not receive the fee.

The Doctor reads the messages received until the consultation is closed and does not rely only on notifications (push, email, SMS), which may be delayed or not delivered. Changes to these time limits are communicated as set out in clause 7.5.

3.4 Emergencies

The chat is not an emergency service. If signs of a possible emergency emerge from a request or a message, the Doctor promptly tells the Patient, in writing in the consultation, to call 112 or go to the emergency department, and does not handle the emergency through the chat. HeyDottore does not examine messages to assess their urgency.

3.5 Minors and other persons

Patient accounts are reserved for adults. The Doctor handles a consultation concerning a minor only if the parent or legal guardian requests it from their own account. In that case the Doctor: (a) obtains written confirmation in the consultation of the minor's name and age and that the person writing is the minor's parent or guardian; (b) decides under their own responsibility whether and how to handle the request remotely, taking into account the minor's wishes according to their age and maturity (Article 3 of Italian Law 219/2017); (c) issues prescriptions and other documents in the minor's name; (d) declines the request if in doubt that the person writing is entitled to make it, or if a visit is needed. If a request concerns another adult, the Doctor checks, to the extent necessary for the service, that this person has consented, decides under their own responsibility whether and how to handle it remotely, and issues prescriptions and certificates in the name of the person being treated.

3.6 Informed consent

The Doctor informs the Patient about the features and limits of the service provided remotely and obtains their informed consent, including for the Doctor's own diagnostic and therapeutic proposals (Law 219/2017). The information texts that the Platform shows to the Patient are a support tool and do not replace the information owed by the Doctor.

3.7 Keeping data up to date

The Doctor keeps their profile data up to date and informs HeyDottore, within 5 business days and by email to supporto@heydottore.com, of:

• (a) suspension, cancellation or removal from the Medical Register;
• (b) disciplinary or precautionary measures affecting the practice of the profession;
• (c) loss, suspension or reduction of the insurance coverage (clause 2.4);
• (d) changes in their relationship with the SSN (clause 2.5).

3.8 Confidentiality and use of patient data

The Doctor is the data controller for their patients' data (DPA). The Doctor respects professional secrecy; provides patients with the information required by Article 13 GDPR; uses the data received through the Platform only for the Patient's care and for legal obligations, and does not use them outside the Platform for other purposes (for example promotional ones) without their own legal basis. The Doctor keeps their login credentials safe and is responsible for the use of their account. The Doctor is responsible, as controller, for the data they download or export from the Platform, including their security.

3.9 Prescriptions

• The Doctor is SOLELY responsible for the prescription
• The Platform only provides formatting tools
• The Doctor verifies accuracy of all data
• Digital/electronic signature is the Doctor's responsibility

3.10 Delivery Service

Through the Platform the Doctor may deliver messages and documents to their patients, including patients not yet registered (Delivery Service). The recipient can read the text of the message without registering; opening the attached documents requires creating an account. If the recipient does not create an account, the contents remain viewable for 30 days after the last delivery and are deleted within 90 days after the last delivery. When using the Delivery Service, the Doctor:

• (a) delivers only to persons with whom they have a care relationship;
• (b) is responsible for the accuracy of the contact details entered and uses the verification tools provided by the Platform;
• (c) acknowledges that the privacy notice to recipients is provided in their name through the Platform (Privacy Policy, section 12);
• (d) does not include external links in the body of messages;
• (e) uses the Delivery Service to deliver results and documents, not to answer new clinical questions, for which the consultation is intended;
• (f) acknowledges that opening the attached documents requires the recipient to create an account, reserved for adults, and that the Delivery Service is therefore an additional channel that does not release the Doctor from the obligation to make the documents concerning their patient available by other means;
• (g) is responsible for the use of their account, including by their practice staff;
• (h) does not include in the text of the message diagnoses, treatments or other health data beyond what is strictly necessary, because anyone who has the link can read the text without creating an account: clinical content belongs in the attachments.

HeyDottore acts as data processor on the Doctor's instructions: it does not select recipients and does not initiate any communication other than those pre-authorised in the DPA (Section 2-bis).

4. Fees and Payments

4.1 Collection and invoicing mandate

4.2 Price and service cost

• Consultation price: the Doctor sets their own fee in the profile settings, within the minimum and maximum limits shown in the Platform; the patient sees it before starting the consultation
• Service cost: the fee the Doctor pays HeyDottore for each paid consultation and each collected patient subscription instalment. It has two components: the commission, a percentage of the final price collected from the patient (Base plan 25%; Premium and Pioneer plans 15%), and the collection management fee of EUR 0.60; 22% VAT applies to both. In the Platform and on invoices the service cost may be shown as a total or split into its two components. The fee for paid plans (Section 5) is not part of the service cost
• Changes to the service cost: require at least 15 days of notice on a durable medium (email) and the right to withdraw before they take effect (clause 7.5)
• Doctor settlement: collected price less the service cost and the related VAT, before the Doctor’s taxes and contributions. Monthly VAT rounding adjustments are shown separately in the statement
• Deliveries and complimentary consultations: Deliveries (clause 3.10) and consultations the Doctor offers free of charge, such as the complimentary first question offered with a Delivery, generate no fee and no service cost, and no invoice is issued for them

4.3 Payment methods

• Payments processed through Stripe Connect
• Settlement: the fee is made available on the Doctor's Stripe Connect account at the end of a hold period, normally 7 days, running from the closure of the consultation (by the Doctor, the Patient or automatically) and in any case no earlier than 7 days from the Patient's payment, provided the Doctor has replied; the current hold duration is shown in the dashboard and may be updated with at least 15 days' notice on a durable medium (email). Bank payouts are scheduled on Fridays from available funds, subject to Stripe checks, holidays and bank processing. For patient subscription instalments, the hold starts at each collection and does not require a consultation to close
• Tax requirements: the Doctor is responsible for their own tax compliance

4.4 Tax obligations

• HeyDottore does NOT act as tax withholding agent
• HeyDottore invoices to the Doctor: HeyDottore invoices the Doctor, with 22% VAT and by electronic invoice, for the service cost (commission and collection management fee); the platform subscription is invoiced separately. The monthly statement lists the transactions, amounts withheld and any rounding adjustments
• Fiscal document to the patient: under the mandate (clause 4.1) HeyDottore issues it in the Doctor's name and on their behalf, with the Doctor as service provider, for the full service price and not for the net settlement
• VAT on the service: the document shows the regime matching the tax data entered by the Doctor (flat-rate regime: VAT not applied; ordinary regime: exemption for healthcare services of diagnosis and treatment, art. 10(18) of Presidential Decree 633/1972). VAT treatment, stamp duty, deductibility and contributions depend on the Doctor’s tax position, and the Doctor checks that they are correct for each service. A subscription is not automatically VAT exempt: if a service or a subscription does not qualify for the exemption, the Doctor informs HeyDottore before offering it for payment through the Platform
• Tax regime: Doctor's exclusive responsibility

4.5 Refunds, set-off and recovery

A full refund reverses the commission, the collection management fee and the related VAT; partial refunds reverse these amounts proportionally and cumulatively against the original amounts. Unreturned Stripe costs remain with HeyDottore. If funds have already been settled, the Doctor’s share is recovered from their Connect balance or subsequent collections; outstanding balances are reconciled when the relationship ends. Previously issued invoices require the corresponding fiscal adjustment document.

4.6 Payment disputes

If a Patient disputes with their bank the charge for a consultation or an instalment (chargeback), HeyDottore handles the dispute on the Doctor's behalf with Stripe and the bank. HeyDottore uses the Platform records (dates of payment, acceptance, sending and reading of messages) without transmitting the content of the messages, unless the Doctor gives written instructions. On request, the Doctor provides within 5 business days evidence that the service was provided, limited to the necessary data: the Doctor does not transmit clinical content unless it is indispensable, and then only to the minimum extent. If the dispute is decided in the Patient's favour, the amount reversed is recovered from the Doctor's share as set out in clause 4.5. Dispute fees charged by Stripe or the bank are borne by HeyDottore, unless the dispute results from a breach by the Doctor (for example no reply, or requesting fees that are not due).

5. Paid Plans and Pioneer Program

The Platform offers optional subscription plans (Premium) with a reduced service cost and additional features. Base has no monthly subscription fee. Premium costs EUR 39 plus 22% VAT per month (EUR 47.58 including VAT). Plan prices and contents are shown in the dashboard before activation.

• 5.1 Automatic renewal: paid plans renew automatically each month until cancelled
• 5.2 Cancellation: possible at any time from the dashboard, effective at the end of the current period with return to the Base plan; no penalty
• 5.3 Free promotional periods: conversion to paid occurs at the end of the promotional period, under the conditions shown at activation; cancelling before conversion excludes any charge
• 5.4 Plan price changes: communicated with at least 15 days' notice on a durable medium (email); in case of disagreement the Doctor may cancel before they take effect
• 5.5 Delivery Service: included in all plans, including the Base plan, at no extra cost. The technical anti-abuse limits shown in the Platform apply in any case. Any per-plan usage limits are shown in the dashboard and introduced with at least 15 days' notice on a durable medium (email)

5.7 Visibility and ranking in search

The Doctor appears in the Patients' public search only if the profile is approved, the email is confirmed, the Stripe account and invoicing are active, availability and search visibility are switched on, and a paid plan (Premium or Pioneer) is active. With the Base plan the Doctor does not appear in the public search and Patients reach them through their link or invitation code.

Among the visible Doctors, results are filtered according to the criteria chosen by the Patient (name, specialty, city, languages, price, availability of subscriptions) and, unless the Patient chooses otherwise, sorted by the years of experience declared by the Doctor, highest first; the Patient may also sort them by consultation or subscription price. The plan determines presence in search, not the order of results: there are no other forms of paid ranking (Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1150).

6. Liability and Indemnification

6.2 Indemnity

The Doctor holds HeyDottore harmless from any damage, cost (including reasonable legal fees) and third-party claim arising from:

• (a) healthcare services provided through the Platform, including diagnoses, treatments, prescriptions and certificates, and Patients' professional liability claims;
• (b) breaches of healthcare or ethical rules, or of data protection law committed by the Doctor as data controller;
• (c) breach of obligations towards the SSN or of the exclusivity regime (clause 2.5), including charging their own SSN patients for services covered by conventional duties;
• (d) absence, inadequacy or failure of the insurance coverage (clause 2.4);
• (e) Deliveries made to incorrect contact details entered by the Doctor, the content of Delivery messages, and the Doctor's use of personal channels to share the links;
• (f) penalties imposed on HeyDottore as a result of breaches attributable to the Doctor, to the extent the law allows them to be recovered.

The indemnity does not apply to damage attributable to HeyDottore's wilful misconduct or gross negligence or to its breaches of the DPA; if the damage is partly caused by HeyDottore, the indemnity is reduced proportionally. HeyDottore promptly informs the Doctor of any claim received and allows the Doctor to take part in the defence.

6.3 Limitation of HeyDottore's liability

Except in cases of wilful misconduct or gross negligence and of breach of obligations arising from public policy rules (Article 1229 of the Italian Civil Code), HeyDottore's total liability towards the Doctor for matters relating to the Platform does not exceed, for each contract year, the amount of service cost and plan fees paid by the Doctor to HeyDottore in the 12 months preceding the event that caused the damage, with a minimum of EUR 500. Within the same limits HeyDottore is not liable for loss of profit or indirect damage. HeyDottore's obligation to pay out to the Doctor the amounts collected on their behalf (Section 4) remains unaffected in all cases.

7. Suspension, Termination and Changes

7.1 Suspension and restriction

HeyDottore may suspend the Doctor's account or restrict some of its functions (for example receiving new requests or search visibility) in the following cases:

• (a) loss or suspension of registration with the Medical Register, or failure to confirm the registration;
• (b) lack of insurance coverage or failure to provide the requested policy details (clause 2.4);
• (c) disciplinary, precautionary or criminal measures affecting the practice of the profession;
• (d) well-founded indications, arising from documented reports, of serious breaches of these Terms, the law or the Code of Medical Ethics, including requesting fees that are not due (clause 2.5);
• (e) concrete risks to the security of the Platform or of Patients, or suspected payment fraud;
• (f) an order of an authority or a legal obligation.

HeyDottore informs the Doctor of the suspension or restriction on a durable medium (email), before or at the latest when it takes effect, stating the specific facts and reasons. The Doctor may clarify the facts through the channel in clause 7.6; the suspension or restriction is lifted when its grounds no longer apply.

7.2 Automatic pause of requests

If within 7 days the Doctor lets 3 requests expire without accepting them or without replying within the time limits of clause 3.3, the Platform pauses the receipt of new requests, to spare Patients payments that would have to be refunded, and informs the Doctor of the reason. The Doctor can resume receiving requests at any time from the dashboard. The pause does not affect ongoing consultations.

7.4 Termination by the Doctor

The Doctor may terminate at any time, without penalty, by requesting the closure of the account at privacy@heydottore.com. Before closure, HeyDottore prepares and makes available to the Doctor an export of their data and of their patients' data processed on their behalf; it then suspends the account, retains the consultation records on the Doctor's behalf as provided in Section 6 of the DPA, and deletes only the Doctor's data as a Platform user, subject to legal obligations. The Doctor completes the consultations already accepted; obligations relating to collections already made remain unaffected. Section 5 applies to paid plans.

7.5 Changes to the Terms

HeyDottore notifies the Doctor of changes to these Terms on a durable medium (email) at least 15 days before they take effect, with a longer notice period when the change requires the Doctor to make significant technical or commercial adjustments. The Doctor may terminate without charge before the changes take effect. The notice period does not apply to changes required by a legal or regulatory obligation or by an order of an authority, nor to those needed to address an unforeseen and imminent danger of fraud, malware, spam, data breaches or other cybersecurity risks (Article 3(4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1150). Changes have no retroactive effect.

7.6 Complaints

The Doctor may lodge complaints about any aspect of the service, including suspensions, restrictions and the automatic pause, by writing to supporto@heydottore.com with the subject «Reclamo» (complaint). HeyDottore examines the complaint and communicates the outcome in writing, clearly and understandably. A complaint does not affect mediation or the remedies in Section 8.

7.7 Effects on the Delivery Service

Suspension of the account suspends the creation of new Deliveries and every scheduled sending of the Delivery Service (expiry reminders, welcome message notices). Termination of the account entails the revocation of all Deliveries and the deletion of their contents, attachments and delivery records, as provided in Section 6 of the DPA.

8. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

• 8.1 Governing law: these Terms are governed by Italian law.
• 8.2 Jurisdiction: the Courts of Milan have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between HeyDottore and the Doctor, both acting as professionals.
• 8.3 Mediation: mandatory mediation attempt for contractual disputes (Legislative Decree 28/2010).
• 8.4 Language: these Terms, the DPA and the collection and invoicing mandate are drawn up in Italian; any translation is provided for convenience and, in case of divergence, the Italian text prevails.

9. Contacts