Terms of Use

1. About Vocara

Vocara is an AI-assisted clinical documentation tool that helps registered New Zealand allied health practitioners generate ACC-compliant session notes. Vocara is operated by Lachlan Kennedy, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

By creating an account or using Vocara, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

2. Eligibility

Vocara is intended for use by registered allied health practitioners in New Zealand who are authorised to provide ACC-funded treatment. By using Vocara, you confirm that you:

• Are a registered health practitioner under a relevant New Zealand registration authority
• Hold a current ACC provider agreement or are employed by a provider that does
• Are using Vocara solely for legitimate clinical documentation purposes
• Are 18 years of age or older

3. Vocara is not a medical device

Vocara is a documentation assistance tool. It is not a medical device, clinical decision support system, or diagnostic tool. Vocara does not:

• Provide clinical advice or recommendations
• Replace the clinical judgement of the treating practitioner
• Guarantee that any generated note is accurate, complete, or suitable for ACC submission
• Submit anything to ACC or any other party on your behalf

4. Practitioner responsibility

You, as the treating practitioner, retain full clinical and legal responsibility for:

• Reviewing and editing all AI-generated notes before use
• Ensuring all clinical documentation is accurate and complete
• Compliance with your professional registration requirements
• Compliance with ACC provider obligations and the ACC Provider Agreement
• Compliance with the Health Information Privacy Code 2020
• Obtaining informed consent from patients before recording sessions
• Maintaining your own clinical records as required by your professional body

Vocara makes no guarantee of ACC audit compliance. The practitioner must review all output before submission.

5. Patient consent

Before recording any session using Vocara, you must obtain verbal informed consent from your patient. You must inform the patient:

• That the session will be recorded for clinical note generation purposes
• That audio is processed in real-time and is not stored after transcription
• That an AI tool is used to assist in generating their clinical notes
• That the treating practitioner reviews and signs all notes before use

We recommend documenting patient consent in the clinical record.

6. Acceptable use

You agree to use Vocara only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You must not:

• Use Vocara to generate fraudulent, misleading, or inflated clinical notes
• Submit AI-generated notes without reviewing and editing them
• Allow unauthorised persons to access your Vocara account
• Record sessions without patient consent
• Use Vocara for any purpose other than legitimate clinical documentation
• Attempt to reverse engineer, copy, or exploit any part of the Vocara service
• Use Vocara in any way that breaches NZ law or your professional obligations

7. Account security

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Vocara account. You must:

• Use a strong, unique password
• Not share your login credentials with any other person
• Log out of shared or clinical workstations after each session
• Notify us immediately at lachlan@vocara.co.nz if you suspect unauthorised access

8. Limitations of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law, Vocara and Lumora are not liable for:

• Any inaccuracies in AI-generated clinical notes
• Any ACC audit findings, declined claims, or compliance failures
• Any clinical harm arising from reliance on Vocara output
• Loss of data stored in your browser's local storage
• Any loss arising from service interruptions or technical failures

Nothing in these Terms limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986 where those protections cannot be excluded by contract.

9. Account termination

You may close your account at any time by contacting lachlan@vocara.co.nz.

We may suspend or terminate your account without notice if we reasonably believe you have:

• Breached any provision of these Terms
• Used Vocara for fraudulent or unlawful purposes
• Engaged in conduct that puts patients, third parties, or Vocara at risk

Upon termination, your access to the service will cease. We will handle your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email or in-app notice with at least 14 days' notice before taking effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of Vocara will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms:
lachlan@vocara.co.nz
Vocara · Lachlan Kennedy · University of Canterbury · Private Bag 4800 · Christchurch 8140 · New Zealand