Disclaimer

1. Scope of the Site

medical-centers.org/ publishes editorial guides to hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, community health centers (FQHCs), specialty centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and rehabilitation facilities across the United States (primary coverage), United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It does not provide medical care, telemedicine consultations, prescription services, lab services, imaging services, or any other clinical service.

2. Not Medical Advice (Repeated)

Nothing on the site is medical advice. Information about hospitals, services, accreditation, specialties, emergency department status, and similar topics is general informational background. For any medical question, consult a licensed clinician — your primary care clinician, specialist, or — if you don’t have one — your country’s primary care navigation service. In a medical emergency, dial your country’s emergency number immediately.

3. No Endorsements or Clinical Rankings

We do not endorse, rank, or rate medical centers by clinical quality. The order in which facilities appear in our directory is editorial — alphabetical, geographic, or by category — and does not imply quality, recommendation, or preference. Public quality data — Medicare Hospital Compare star ratings (US), CQC ratings (England), provincial public-hospital data (Canada), AIHW MyHospitals (Australia) — are produced by the relevant public authorities and we link readers to those public sources rather than republishing or interpreting them.

4. Not a Consumer Reporting Agency (FCRA Position)

medical-centers.org/ is not a Consumer Reporting Agency under the U.S. Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.). We do not assemble, evaluate, or sell consumer reports. We do not provide reports for employment, credit, insurance, tenant-screening, or physician-credentialling purposes. If you need a physician verification, the appropriate authority is the state medical board (US), GMC (UK), provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada), or AHPRA (Australia).

5. Not a HIPAA Covered Entity

The U.S. HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164) applies to “covered entities” — health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and most healthcare providers — and to their “business associates.” We are none of these. We do not collect, store, transmit, or maintain Protected Health Information (PHI). Equivalent frameworks apply outside the U.S. (UK GDPR & NHS Caldicott principles; PHIPA in Ontario / HIA in Alberta / other provincial frameworks in Canada; My Health Records Act 2012 in Australia) — none of which we are covered by.

6. Not a Medical Record System

We do not host, store, or process medical records. If you need a copy of your medical record, contact your healthcare provider’s medical records or health information management department directly. Patient portals — MyChart and others (US), the NHS App (UK), provincial portals (Canada), My Health Record (Australia) — are operated by your healthcare provider or by national health authorities, not by us.

7. Multi-Country Regulatory Variance

1. U.S. healthcare regulation is largely state-by-state for clinical practice; federal for hospital conditions of participation. CMS Conditions of Participation set federal-program standards. Joint Commission accreditation is voluntary but used as a Medicare deemed-status basis. State medical boards license physicians.
2. UK healthcare is structured around the four NHS systems plus an independent sector. CQC regulates in England; Healthcare Improvement Scotland in Scotland; Healthcare Inspectorate Wales in Wales; RQIA in Northern Ireland. The General Medical Council registers physicians.
3. Canadian healthcare is structured under the Canada Health Act with provincial delivery. Each province operates its own health system (OHIP, MSP, AHCIP, etc.) and provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons license physicians.
4. Australian healthcare is dual public-private with national Medicare. The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care leads federally; states/territories operate public hospitals; AHPRA registers health practitioners across 16 professions; ACSQHC sets national safety and quality standards.

8. Accreditation References — Link Only, Not Republished

Where we reference a facility’s accreditation status (Joint Commission, DNV-GL, HFAP, AAAHC in the U.S.; CQC inspection report in England; Accreditation Canada; ACSQHC engagement in Australia), we link to the accrediting body’s own published page rather than republishing the report. Accreditation status changes; the accrediting body’s own page is the authoritative current reference.

9. Insurance, Coverage & Payment — Generic Notes Only

We describe generic insurance and payment frameworks (Medicare/Medicaid in the US; NHS funded vs. private in the UK; provincial coverage and OHIP/MSP/AHCIP in Canada; Medicare Australia and private health insurance) at a category level. We do not list specific insurance plans accepted at specific facilities — that information changes frequently and is the facility’s call. Confirm directly with the facility before any planned care.

10. Telehealth & Cross-Border Care

Telehealth and cross-border care raise complex licensing and coverage questions. A clinician licensed in one U.S. state generally cannot practise in another without that state’s licensure (with limited interstate-compact exceptions). UK GMC registration is required for practice in the UK; Canadian provincial licensure for Canadian practice; AHPRA registration for Australian practice. Cross-border care is generally not covered by domestic insurance. We describe the framework only — consult a licensed clinician and verify with your insurer before any cross-border or telehealth care.

11. Clinical Complaints — Where to Take Them

12. Third-Party Content and Links

The site links extensively to hospitals, clinics, regulators, and accrediting bodies. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, availability, accuracy, or privacy practices. A link does not imply endorsement.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, medical-centers.org/ and its operators, editors, and contributors are not liable for any indirect, consequential, special, incidental, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site or your reliance on any content — specifically including but not limited to any healthcare outcome, missed appointment, wrong-facility selection, treatment delay, or coverage denial. Aggregate liability is capped at $100. See Terms of Service for the full liability framework, including the Delaware governing-law and AAA arbitration provisions.