Agreement to These Terms
These Terms of Use are a binding agreement between you and Ascend Mind & Body ("Ascend," "we," "us"). They apply whenever you visit ascendmb.com, submit a form, book an appointment, or communicate with us through this site. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site.
These terms cover your use of the website. They do not replace the consent forms, financial policy, and treatment agreements you sign as a patient. Where a signed patient agreement conflicts with this page, the signed agreement controls.
This Site Is Not Medical Advice
Everything on ascendmb.com is general health information published for education. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for a consultation with a licensed clinician who knows your history.
Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you read here. Health information can also become outdated between our review cycles.
No Clinician-Patient Relationship Is Created by This Site
Reading this site, filling out a form, requesting an appointment, or emailing us does not create a clinician-patient relationship. That relationship begins only when you have been formally accepted as a patient, completed intake, and been seen by one of our clinicians.
Until then, do not send us clinical details expecting a clinical response, and do not rely on any reply as medical guidance.
Medical Emergencies
This site is not monitored for emergencies. Do not use it to report a medical or psychiatric crisis.
- If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
- If you are in a suicidal or mental health crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), available 24/7.
- Forms, email, and voicemail may not be reviewed until the next business day.
Who May Use This Site
You must be at least 18 years old to submit information through this site. A parent or legal guardian must submit on behalf of a minor and may do so only if legally authorized to make that child's health decisions.
Our clinicians are licensed in Florida. Care, including telehealth, is generally available only to patients physically located in Florida at the time of the visit. We may decline to provide services where we are not licensed or where care is clinically inappropriate for a remote setting.
Telehealth
Telehealth has limits. A remote visit may not permit the physical examination or in-person assessment your condition requires, technology can fail mid-visit, and your clinician may determine at any point that you must be seen in person or directed to emergency care. You consent to those limitations when you choose a telehealth appointment, and your clinician retains full discretion to convert, decline, or end a visit on clinical grounds.
Appointments, Cancellations, and Fees
Requesting an appointment through this site is a request, not a confirmed booking. An appointment exists only once our office confirms it directly with you.
Cancellation, no-show, late-arrival, and payment obligations are governed by the financial policy and patient agreement you sign at intake. Prices, services, and insurance participation shown anywhere on this site may change without notice and are not an offer or a guarantee of coverage. Verify your benefits with your insurer before your visit; you remain responsible for amounts your plan does not cover.
Treatment Decisions and Prescriptions
Nothing on this site guarantees that you will be prescribed any particular medication or accepted for any particular treatment. Every treatment decision rests with the treating clinician, based on evaluation and clinical judgment, and is subject to state and federal law.
We do not prescribe controlled substances on demand, and we do not guarantee continuation of a medication started elsewhere.
Some treatments we discuss are used off-label. In particular, ketamine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of depression or any psychiatric condition; its use in that setting is off-label and is offered only after individual evaluation. Medical marijuana certification is governed by Florida law and requires a qualifying condition; certification is never guaranteed.
Individual results vary. No outcome is promised, and any patient experience described on this site is that person's experience, not a prediction of yours.
How We Communicate With You
By giving us your phone number or email, you agree we may contact you about appointments, care, and billing by phone, text, or email, including automated messages where you have consented. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of marketing messages at any time by replying STOP or contacting our office; you cannot opt out of essential communications about your care while you are a patient.
Ordinary email and text are not secure. Do not send sensitive health information through them. Use the patient portal or call the office instead.
Your Privacy
How we handle protected health information is described in our Notice of Privacy Practices. How this website handles data is described in our Privacy Policy. Information you submit through a public web form before becoming a patient may not carry the same protections as information exchanged inside a treatment relationship.
Acceptable Use
When using this site, you agree not to:
- Submit false, misleading, or another person's information without authorization.
- Attempt to access accounts, records, or systems you are not authorized to access.
- Scrape, harvest, or bulk-collect content or contact information by automated means.
- Introduce malware, probe for vulnerabilities, or disrupt the site's operation.
- Use the site to harass, threaten, or defame anyone, including our staff and clinicians.
- Reproduce or republish our content for commercial purposes without written permission.
We may restrict or terminate site access for any violation, and may report unlawful activity to authorities.
Our Content
The text, images, layout, logos, and design on ascendmb.com belong to Ascend Mind & Body or our licensors and are protected by copyright and trademark law. You may view and print pages for personal, non-commercial use. Everything else requires our written permission.
Links to Other Sites
We link to outside resources such as government health agencies, insurers, and scheduling tools. We do not control those sites, do not endorse everything on them, and are not responsible for their content, security, or privacy practices. Once you leave ascendmb.com, their terms govern.
Site Availability
We provide this site "as is" and "as available." We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or that its content is complete or current. We may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of it at any time without notice. To the fullest extent permitted by Florida law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ascend Mind & Body and its owners, clinicians, and employees are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of this website, including lost data, lost profits, or damages from reliance on site content or from any interruption or unauthorized access.
This limitation applies to your use of the website. It does not limit our responsibility for the professional care we provide to our patients, and nothing here waives any right you cannot legally waive under Florida law.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ascend Mind & Body, its owners, clinicians, and employees from claims, damages, and reasonable legal fees arising out of your misuse of this site, your violation of these terms, or your infringement of another person's rights.
Governing Law and Disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute relating to this website will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts serving Hillsborough County, Florida, and you consent to jurisdiction there. Disputes concerning medical care are governed by Florida's medical malpractice statutes and any dispute-resolution terms in your signed patient agreement.
If any provision here is found unenforceable, the rest remains in force.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these terms as our services, technology, or the law changes. The "last updated" date above reflects the current version, and continuing to use the site after we post changes means you accept them. Material changes affecting patients will also be communicated through our normal patient channels.
Accessibility
We work to keep this site usable for everyone. If you encounter a barrier, tell us through our accessibility page and we will help you get the information another way.
Contact
Questions about these terms: info@ascendmb.com, or reach our offices through the contact page. For anything clinical, call your care team. For an emergency, call 911, or call or text 988 for a mental health crisis.