Terms of Use
North Star Medicine, LLC
Ryan J. Tran, MD
Website: northstarmed.org
Effective Date: 9/9/2026
IMPORTANT: MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
Do not use this website, email, a contact form, or any patient communication tool for a medical emergency. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or seek immediate medical care.
These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of northstarmed.org / northstarmedicine.org (the Website), which is operated by North Star Medicine, LLC, under the direction of Ryan J. Tran, MD (collectively, the Practice, we, us, or our). By using the Website, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website.
The Website provides general information about the Practice and its direct primary care (DPC) services. It does not sell products, process membership purchases, accept payments, or itself create a physician-patient relationship. Clinical care, membership fees, ancillary charges, eligibility, and termination rights are governed by the applicable written patient agreement and incorporated fee schedules.
1. Website Purpose and Scope
The Website is an informational and promotional resource for North Star Medicine. It may describe the Practice, Dr. Tran, the DPC model, services that may be available, general membership options, and ways to contact the Practice. Website descriptions are summaries only and may not contain every term, limitation, or eligibility requirement.
If any Website statement conflicts with a signed Individual Direct Primary Care Agreement, employer sponsorship agreement, patient-facing fee schedule, Notice of Privacy Practices, or other applicable written agreement, the applicable signed agreement or notice controls.
2. No Physician-Patient Relationship
Viewing the Website, requesting information, submitting a contact form, or communicating with the Practice does not establish a physician-patient relationship. A physician-patient relationship begins only after the Practice confirms eligibility, the patient and Practice complete the required written agreement and enrollment process, and the Practice accepts the person as a patient.
The Website is not a substitute for an in-person or telehealth evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, or advice from a qualified health care professional who is familiar with your circumstances.
3. No Medical Advice
Health-related information on the Website is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not individualized medical advice and should not be used to diagnose a condition, select a treatment, delay care, or disregard advice from your own clinician. Contact an appropriate health care professional with questions about a medical condition or treatment.
4. Direct Primary Care Information
North Star Medicine offers DPC memberships through separate written agreements. A DPC membership is not health insurance and is not a substitute for health insurance or other coverage for services outside the Practice, including emergency care, hospitalization, specialist care, imaging, or services not included in the membership.
Enrollment and payment obligations arise only under an applicable written DPC agreement; they do not arise from use of this Website.
The Practice does not currently enroll individuals who are enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid. Eligibility is subject to current Practice policy and the applicable written agreement.
An employer may sponsor membership fees, but each sponsored person must separately enter into and follow the Individual DPC Agreement. Special individual, family, student, educator, or other retail pricing does not apply to employer-sponsored memberships unless the Practice expressly designates otherwise in writing.
Some separately designated services, supplies, laboratory services, medications, or third-party services may involve ancillary charges. Any such charges are governed by the Individual DPC Agreement and its incorporated patient-facing fee schedules, not by this Website.
Any Website discussion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) is general information only. HSA eligibility, contribution rules, and tax treatment depend on applicable law and individual circumstances. The Practice does not provide legal or tax advice.
5. No Guarantee of Availability or Outcomes
The Website may describe access goals, communication options, or potential benefits of DPC. These descriptions are not guarantees of a particular appointment time, provider availability, cost savings, utilization reduction, health outcome, or employer outcome. Actual services and access depend on clinical appropriateness, provider availability, emergencies, operational circumstances, and the applicable written agreement.
6. Privacy and Electronic Communications
Our Notice of Privacy Practices explains how the Practice may use and disclose protected health information and describes patient rights. The Notice of Privacy Practices should be made available through the Website and upon request.
Ordinary email, general Website contact forms, and standard text messages may not be secure. Do not use them to send sensitive medical information unless the Practice has specifically instructed you to do so through an approved method. Established patients should use the Practice's designated secure patient communication method when appropriate. Electronic messages may not be reviewed immediately and must never be used for emergencies.
7. Permitted Use
We grant you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to access and use the Website for lawful personal or internal business purposes related to learning about the Practice. No ownership interest is transferred to you.
You may not:
copy, republish, distribute, sell, license, or commercially exploit substantial portions of the Website without written permission;
modify, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Website or related systems;
use scraping tools, robots, automated queries, or data-mining methods in a manner that burdens, disrupts, or extracts content from the Website;
interfere with Website security or operation, transmit malicious code, impersonate another person, or submit false or misleading information; or
use the Website for unlawful, infringing, harassing, defamatory, fraudulent, or abusive activity.
8. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise stated, the Website and its content—including text, design, graphics, images, logos, trademarks, and other materials—are owned by or licensed to North Star Medicine and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. All rights not expressly granted in these Terms of Use are reserved.
If you believe material on the Website infringes your rights, contact us using the information at the end of these Terms and identify the material, its location, your contact information, and the basis for your concern.
9. Third-Party Links and Services
The Website may link to third-party websites or services, such as scheduling, mapping, educational, patient portal, electronic health record, or communication platforms. Third parties operate those resources under their own terms and privacy practices. A link does not necessarily mean that we endorse all third-party content, and we are not responsible for a third party's availability, security, content, or practices.
10. Website Accuracy, Availability, and Changes
We try to keep Website information useful and current, but we do not guarantee that every description, date, fee example, service summary, or other item is complete, accurate, or current at all times. We may correct, update, remove, suspend, or discontinue Website content or functionality without notice. Confirm material membership or clinical information directly with the Practice and in the applicable written agreement before relying on it.
11. Website Disclaimer
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN 'AS IS' AND 'AS AVAILABLE' BASIS. NORTH STAR MEDICINE AND DR. TRAN DISCLAIM WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE WEBSITE, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AND AVAILABILITY.
This Website disclaimer applies only to the Website and its general content. It does not alter duties that the Practice or Dr. Tran owes to a patient under applicable law or an operative patient agreement.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NORTH STAR MEDICINE, DR. TRAN, AND THEIR EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS, AND WEBSITE SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THEIR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR A CLAIM ARISING SOLELY FROM USE OF THE WEBSITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). These limitations do not apply where prohibited by law and do not limit liability arising from professional health care services provided within an established physician-patient relationship.
13. Indemnification
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless North Star Medicine, Dr. Tran, and their employees and agents from third-party claims, liabilities, losses, and reasonable expenses arising from your unlawful misuse of the Website, your material violation of these Terms of Use, or your infringement of another person's rights. This provision does not apply to the extent a claim results from the negligence or unlawful conduct of a person seeking indemnification.
14. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any court proceeding arising solely from use of the Website must be brought in a state or federal court serving Franklin County, Ohio, unless applicable law requires otherwise. These Website terms do not replace any dispute-resolution provision in an operative patient or employer agreement.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may revise these Terms of Use from time to time. The revised version becomes effective when posted with an updated effective date, unless otherwise stated. Your continued use of the Website after the effective date means that the revised Terms apply to subsequent Website use.
16. General Provisions
Severability. If a provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
No waiver. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of that provision or any other provision.
Assignment. You may not assign rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a transfer or reorganization of the Practice or the Website.
Entire website agreement. These Terms and the Website privacy notices referenced here constitute the agreement governing use of the Website. They do not supersede or modify any patient, employer, privacy, consent, or other written agreement governing health care or DPC membership.
17. Contact Information
Questions about these Terms of Use may be directed to:
North Star Medicine, LLC
Attn: Ryan J. Tran, MD
Email: info@northstarmed.org
Website: northstarmed.org