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Second Opinions, Without Borders

Governance and safety are not an afterthought.

Med Mend is an independent global digital platform that connects patients, carers and referrers with credentialled specialist doctors worldwide for the purpose of obtaining a second medical opinion.

Med Mend is not a clinic, a healthcare provider or an employer or contracting party of the specialists on its platform. The platform facilitates the connection between patients and independent specialist doctors who remain solely responsible for their own clinical acts and professional conduct. 

Section 01: Purpose and Scope

1.1 Purpose

This framework serves to: 

  • Establish clear platform governance responsibilities and accountability structures for the safe operation of Med Mend as a specialist connection platform. 
  • Define the quality assurance processes through which platform performance and specialist standards are measured, monitored and improved. 
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable Australian legislation, registration standards and professional codes of conduct. 
  • Protect patient safety by setting minimum platform access standards for specialist verification, documentation requirements and incident management. 
  • Provide a transparent governance structure that builds trust with patients, referrers and the independent specialist doctors who access the platform. 

 

1.2 Scope 

This framework applies to: the operation of the Med Mend platform and all services it facilitates, including the matching of patients with independent specialists for written second opinion reports and teleconsultations; all independent specialist doctors listed on or accessing the Med Mend platform, to the extent of their compliance with platform access standards; all Med Mend staff including clinical operations staff, case coordinators and administrative personnel involved in platform workflows; all patients and carers accessing the platform regardless of geographic location; and the technology systems and data management processes that support platform operations. 

Med Mend operates within a defined legislative and regulatory environment. As a platform facilitating connections between patients and independent specialist doctors, Med Mend must comply with the following instruments in its own operations. Independent specialists listed on the platform are separately responsible for compliance with their own professional and registration obligations. 

Med Mend adopts a platform governance structure aligned with the ACSQHC National Model Clinical Governance Framework, adapted for a digital-first platform that connects patients with independent specialist doctors globally. This governance structure applies to the platform and its operations — it does not create an employer-employee or principal-agent relationship between Med Mend and the independent specialists who access the platform. 

All independent specialist doctors seeking to list on the Med Mend platform must meet and maintain the platform access standards set out in this section. Med Mend verifies these standards before listing a specialist and on an ongoing basis. Verification by Med Mend does not make Med Mend responsible for a specialist’s clinical acts — each specialist remains solely responsible for their own professional conduct and clinical opinions. No specialist may be listed on or access the Med Mend platform prior to completing the full verification process. 

The Med Mend Quality Assurance (QA) Framework defines the systematic processes through which platform quality and specialist standards are measured, monitored, reviewed and continuously improved. The framework aligns with NSQHS Standard 1 (Clinical Governance) and draws on continuous quality improvement principles, adapted for a platform that connects patients with independent specialist doctors rather than providing direct clinical services. 

All independent specialists listed on the Med Mend platform are required, as a condition of platform access, to produce case reports that meet the documentation standards set out in this section. These standards reflect the Medical Board of Australia Good Medical Practice guidelines and NSQHS Standards principles. Documentation obligations remain the personal professional responsibility of each specialist. 

Where an independent specialist using the platform identifies information in a case suggesting the patient may be at immediate clinical risk — such as a missed critical diagnosis or an imminent safety concern — the following platform escalation protocol applies. This protocol supplements (and does not replace) the specialist’s own professional obligations to take appropriate action under their registration: 

  1. The specialist notifies the Med Mend platform on-call contact immediately upon identification of the concern. 
  2. The Quality and Safety Manager and, where available, a Consulting Medical Officer in an advisory capacity, review the concern and support the escalation pathway within 4 hours, notifying the CEO. 
  3. The patient and/or their nominated treating clinician or emergency contact is notified, with clear guidance to seek immediate medical attention. 
  4. The case is documented as an urgent escalation and entered into the incident register. 
  5. The CGC is notified at the next scheduled meeting or sooner if the situation warrants. 

 

Med Mend is a connection platform only. It does not provide emergency clinical care, ongoing treatment or prescriptions of any kind. All patient-facing platform communications make clear that: Med Mend facilitates access to independent second medical opinions from independent specialist doctors; it is not a clinic and does not manage clinical care; all advice facilitated through the platform must be discussed with the treating doctor before any clinical action is taken; and patients must call 000 or attend an emergency department in any medical emergency. 

The Med Mend Platform Risk Register identifies, assesses and tracks risks to platform quality and patient safety. It is maintained by the Quality and Safety Manager, reviewed quarterly by the CGC and updated whenever a new risk is identified. Risks are assessed using a standard likelihood-consequence matrix and prioritised for treatment accordingly. 

All platform incidents, near misses and adverse events must be reported through the Med Mend Platform Incident Management System. Reporting is mandatory for all Med Mend staff. Specialists listed on the platform are required, as a condition of platform access, to notify Med Mend of any incident, adverse event or complaint arising from a case facilitated through the platform. This requirement does not limit or replace the specialist’s own professional reporting obligations under AHPRA or applicable legislation. 

Health information is among the most sensitive categories of personal information under Australian law. Med Mend is committed to the highest standards of privacy and data governance across all platform operations. 

Consistent with NSQHS Standard 2 (Partnering with Consumers), Med Mend is committed to genuine partnership with patients and carers in the design, delivery and evaluation of the platform and its access standards. 

All Med Mend platform staff with access to clinical information or involvement in platform workflows must complete and maintain the following training requirements. Independent specialists listed on the platform must complete the platform orientation module as a condition of access. Non-completion of mandatory training by Med Mend staff within defined timeframes will result in suspension of system access until the requirement is met. Non-completion by listed specialists will result in suspension from the platform. 

The Quality and Safety Manager prepares: a Monthly KPI Dashboard circulated to the CEO and Consulting Medical Officers; a Quarterly Clinical Governance Report presented to the CGC covering KPI performance, audit findings, incident summary, complaints trends, credentialling status and improvement activities; and an Annual Clinical Governance Summary presented to the Board incorporating year-in-review performance, significant incidents and priorities for the following year.