Legal
These Patient Payment Terms & Privacy Notice (“Patient Terms”) apply when you use a payment page, billing link, text-message experience, payment plan, or other patient-facing service provided by Hatch West, LLC dba Balance (“Balance,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) on behalf of a healthcare provider or medical practice (“Provider”). By using the patient-facing services, you agree to the applicable terms below. If you make a payment for another person, you represent that you are authorized to do so and to use the payment method you provide.
Your healthcare relationship, medical services, and underlying bill are with the Provider, not Balance. Balance provides billing, communications, and payment technology to the Provider and its authorized billing company.
1. Balance’s Role
Balance helps Providers send billing communications, present statements and balance information, receive billing-related messages, and offer payment methods through third-party payment providers. Balance does not provide medical care, determine medical necessity, code claims, adjudicate insurance coverage, determine financial-assistance eligibility, decide what you legally owe, purchase medical debt, or own the Provider’s receivable.
The balance and billing information displayed through Balance are supplied by or on behalf of the Provider. If you believe a bill is wrong, has already been paid, should have been paid by insurance, should be adjusted, qualifies for financial assistance, or is otherwise disputed, contact the Provider identified on the payment page or billing communication. Balance may help route a billing-related message but generally cannot change the underlying balance without the Provider’s instruction.
2. Payments and Payment Authorization
2.1 One-Time Payments
Payments are processed by Stripe and, where applicable, payment methods made available through Stripe. Balance does not hold or control your payment funds. When you submit payment information, secure payment fields may transmit payment credentials directly to Stripe or the applicable payment provider.
By submitting a one-time payment, you authorize the Provider, through Stripe and the Balance payment experience, to charge the payment method you select for the amount you approve. Stripe may provide Balance and the Provider with transaction status and limited payment metadata needed to operate the billing and payment service.
2.2 Scheduled or Recurring Installment Payments
If you affirmatively enroll in a Provider payment plan or other scheduled-payment arrangement that uses a stored payment method, you authorize the Provider, through Stripe and the Balance payment experience, to charge your designated payment method on the dates and in the amounts shown when you enroll, subject to any later changes you separately authorize.
That authorization remains in effect until the scheduled plan is completed, cancelled, or revoked. You may revoke a future scheduled-payment authorization using any cancellation method made available in the payment experience or by contacting the Provider. A revocation must be received with reasonable time to act before the next scheduled charge and does not reverse charges already submitted or eliminate amounts otherwise owed to the Provider. If a scheduled payment fails, the Provider or applicable payment provider may ask you to provide another payment method or re-enroll in the payment arrangement.
Nothing in these Patient Terms waives any right you may have to dispute an unauthorized or incorrect payment under applicable law or your cardholder or financial-institution agreement.
2.3 Refunds, Failed Payments, and Payment Disputes
The Provider, not Balance, determines whether a refund or billing adjustment is appropriate. Approved refunds are processed through the applicable payment provider and may take time to appear depending on the payment method and financial institution. Failed, declined, reversed, or disputed payments may remain subject to the Provider’s billing policies and any applicable payment-provider terms.
2.4 HSA/FSA Cards and Mobile Wallets
The payment page may allow cards associated with a health savings account (“HSA”) or flexible spending account (“FSA”), mobile wallets, and other payment methods when supported by Stripe and the applicable issuer or provider. Making an HSA/FSA-capable card available does not mean Balance has determined that an expense is eligible for reimbursement or favorable tax treatment. You are responsible for determining eligibility and retaining documentation required by your plan administrator or applicable law.
2.5 Affirm and Other Financing Options
Some Providers may enable Affirm or another financing or buy-now-pay-later option through Stripe. If you choose that option, any financing is offered by the applicable third-party financing provider, not Balance. Approval, disclosures, loan terms, interest or fees, repayment obligations, and servicing are governed by that provider’s terms. Balance does not lend money, make credit decisions, or set financing terms.
3. Billing Communications and Text Messaging
Balance may send billing and payment-related texts or emails on the Provider’s behalf using contact information supplied by the Provider, its authorized billing company, or you. Messages may include statement availability, balance notifications, payment reminders, payment confirmations, payment-plan notices, and responses to billing-related questions. Message frequency varies based on your account activity and the Provider’s billing workflow. Message and data rates may apply.
Where consent is required, the Provider is responsible for obtaining legally sufficient consent before directing Balance to send the applicable communication. If you separately and affirmatively opt in to text messaging through a Balance experience, you consent to receive the billing-related messages described at the point of opt-in, including messages sent using automated technology. Consent to text messages is not a condition of receiving medical care, making a one-time payment, or using a payment method unless expressly stated and legally permitted.
You may withdraw consent to applicable automated text messages using a reasonable opt-out method, including replying STOP. Balance or the Provider may send a one-time confirmation of the opt-out where permitted by law. You may reply HELP where supported for assistance. Opting out of text messages does not cancel an amount owed, cancel a scheduled-payment authorization, or prevent the Provider from communicating with you through another lawful channel.
You represent that you are the subscriber or an authorized user of a mobile number you provide directly to Balance and agree to notify the Provider or Balance if you change or relinquish that number.
Patient-facing Balance messaging is for billing and administrative matters only. Do not use Balance messages for urgent medical questions, diagnosis, treatment decisions, prescription requests, or emergencies. For a medical emergency, contact appropriate emergency services or your Provider through its clinical communication channels.
4. Accuracy of Information and Account Security
You are responsible for providing accurate payment and contact information when you enter or update it through a Balance experience. Balance is not responsible for payment-processing errors caused by inaccurate payment information you provide or by actions of your bank, card issuer, Stripe, or another payment provider.
If a Balance patient experience uses authentication credentials, access codes, or other security measures, you are responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect them and should not knowingly allow an unauthorized person to access your billing information.
5. Patient Privacy Notice
5.1 Information Balance Receives
In connection with a patient-facing billing or payment experience, Balance may receive or process:
information supplied by the Provider or its authorized billing company, such as your name, contact information, date of birth, account or statement identifiers, Provider information, balance due, charge and insurance-payment information, statement documents, and payment status;
billing-related text, email, chat, or support communications and related delivery or opt-out information;
payment and transaction information from Stripe or another payment provider, such as transaction identifiers, amount, status, date and time, payment-method type, card brand and last four digits, and refund or dispute status; and
technical information needed to operate and secure the payment experience, such as IP address, browser or device information, timestamps, logs, session information, and security events.
Some of this information may be Protected Health Information (“PHI”) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). Full payment-card numbers and security codes are generally collected through Stripe-enabled secure payment fields rather than stored by Balance.
5.2 How Balance Uses Patient Information
Balance uses patient-facing information to provide billing and payment services on the Provider’s behalf, including presenting bills and statements, sending authorized billing communications, facilitating payments and payment plans, routing billing-related messages, providing transaction status, supporting the Provider and its authorized billing company, authenticating and securing the service, preventing fraud and abuse, troubleshooting, complying with law, and improving the reliability and functionality of the Services as permitted by applicable agreements and law.
Balance does not use PHI, patient or guarantor billing information, patient contact information, statement contents, or patient payment transaction information for advertising, retargeting, custom audiences, or similar/lookalike audiences. Balance does not use PHI to train general-purpose artificial-intelligence models.
5.3 How Balance Discloses Patient Information
Balance may disclose or make patient information available:
to the Provider responsible for the account and billing companies or other users the Provider has authorized to administer its Balance account;
to Stripe and applicable payment-method or financing providers as necessary to process or support a payment, refund, dispute, payment plan, fraud review, or transaction reporting;
to service providers and subcontractors that support hosting, communications delivery, security, authentication, customer support, and other functions for Balance, subject to contractual protections required by applicable law and, for PHI, HIPAA;
to third-party systems or integrations at the Provider’s direction; and
when required by law or legal process, to protect rights or safety, investigate fraud or security incidents, or in connection with a corporate transaction subject to applicable legal protections.
Balance does not sell patient information for money and does not disclose patient information to advertising platforms for targeted or cross-context behavioral advertising.
5.4 HIPAA and the Provider’s Notice of Privacy Practices
When Balance creates, receives, maintains, or transmits PHI on behalf of a Provider subject to HIPAA, Balance generally acts as the Provider’s business associate. Balance’s use and disclosure of that PHI are governed by HIPAA and its Business Associate Agreement with the Provider. The Provider’s Notice of Privacy Practices describes the Provider’s own HIPAA privacy practices and your HIPAA rights.
If you want to access, amend, obtain a copy of, or exercise another HIPAA right regarding your medical or billing record, contact the Provider. Balance may assist the Provider as required by HIPAA and its agreement with the Provider, but the Provider generally controls the applicable medical or billing record and responds to those requests.
5.5 Cookies and Tracking on Patient Payment Pages
Balance may use cookies, session storage, logs, and similar technologies that are necessary for security, authentication, fraud prevention, preferences, and operation of patient-facing services. Balance does not use advertising or retargeting pixels on patient payment pages or authenticated areas where PHI or patient billing information is processed.
5.6 Retention and Security
Balance retains patient information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Services, comply with legal and contractual obligations, maintain security and business records, resolve disputes, and satisfy applicable Provider instructions and HIPAA requirements. Balance maintains reasonable and appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. No electronic system or transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
5.7 Privacy Questions and Requests
For requests concerning your medical or billing record, contact the Provider identified on the payment page or billing communication. For privacy questions about Balance, contact privacy@usebalance.co. Depending on applicable law and Balance’s role, Balance may direct a privacy request to the Provider or assist the Provider in responding. The broader Balance Privacy Policy provides additional information about Balance’s privacy practices, including practices relating to public Website visitors and Balance business users.
6. Acceptable Use and Intellectual Property
You may use the patient-facing Services only for lawful billing, payment, and administrative purposes. You may not attempt to access another person’s information without authorization, interfere with the Services, introduce malicious code, bypass security controls, reverse engineer the Services, impersonate another person, or use the Services for fraudulent or unlawful activity.
Balance and its licensors own the Balance software, payment-page design, trademarks, and related technology. You receive a limited right to use the patient-facing Services only for their intended purpose. No ownership rights are transferred to you.
7. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PATIENT-FACING SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” BALANCE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OR THAT BILLING INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THE PROVIDER IS ACCURATE. BALANCE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROVIDER’S MEDICAL SERVICES, BILLING DECISIONS, INSURANCE DETERMINATIONS, REFUNDS, FINANCIAL-ASSISTANCE DECISIONS, OR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF STRIPE, AFFIRM, CARD ISSUERS, BANKS, OR OTHER THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BALANCE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE PATIENT-FACING SERVICES. BALANCE’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU ARISING FROM THE PATIENT-FACING SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100), EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT A LIMITATION IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Nothing in these Patient Terms waives or limits a consumer, privacy, payment, healthcare-billing, or other right that cannot lawfully be waived or limited.
8. Changes, Governing Law, and Contact
Balance may update these Patient Terms from time to time by posting an updated version with a new effective date. Changes apply prospectively from the stated effective date.
These Patient Terms are governed by applicable federal law and, where state law applies, California law, except to the extent the law of your state must apply and cannot be waived.
For questions about your healthcare bill, contact the Provider identified on the payment page or billing communication. For technical support regarding Balance, contact support@usebalance.co. For privacy questions, contact privacy@usebalance.co.