Service agreements in HOF: key items

A lot of HOF care begins with a good conversation and ends with a different memory on each side. The patient remembers one price, the practitioner another. The patient understood the touch-up was included, the practitioner understood it was not. A service agreement takes that doubt out of memory and puts it on paper.

This page describes, at a general guidance level, the items that usually make up an agreement in HOF. It is not a legal template and does not replace a lawyer's review: agreements depend on your state, your profession, your professional board's rules, and your type of practice. The frame of reference here is Brazil.

Service agreement and informed consent: what is the difference?

They are complementary documents with different functions.

The agreement does not replace informed consent, and the consent form does not settle commercial matters. Anyone using only one of the two leaves half the relationship unrecorded. See how to organize the consent form in consent form by procedure.

Why is the relationship with the patient a consumer relationship?

In general, providing an aesthetic health service falls under consumer law. This has practical consequences: the duty to inform clearly, protection against abusive clauses, and the possibility of reversing the burden of proof in certain situations. See the glossary entries on the Consumer Protection Code (Brazil's), the duty to inform, and the reversal of the burden of proof.

In practice, a clear agreement and patient record are your best defense: the better documented what was explained, agreed, and done, the less room for noise.

Which items usually make up the agreement?

The design varies, but some blocks appear in most templates. Use the list as a roadmap for the conversation with your lawyer.

Each item deserves care, and some require special attention.

How do you describe the service without promising results?

The description should say what will be done, not what will be achieved. Instead of "lift the cheekbone" or "rejuvenate", prefer describing the procedure and the area, the expected amount (as a range, where applicable), the number of planned sessions, and how follow-up works. For example: "assessment and performance of a procedure in an area defined in the patient record, according to the plan, with a follow-up assessment within the agreed period".

The agreement should make clear that results depend on individual factors and that the plan can be adjusted based on clinical assessment. This fits the approach described in aligning expectations in writing.

Follow-up, touch-ups, and cancellation: how to handle them?

These are the points that cause the most friction, and the agreement is where to settle them in advance.

• Follow-up: define whether an assessment visit is included, within what period it takes place, and how the patient should request it.
• Touch-up: explain whether there will be a charge, under what conditions, and with what deadline. See explaining what a touch-up is to the patient.
• Cancellation and no-shows: set proportionate and clear rules, with no disproportionate penalty. An abusive clause may be considered void.
• Refund: describe what happens if the procedure cannot be performed for a clinical reason (for example, a contraindication discovered at the assessment).

Handle the "procedure could not be done" point with care: clinical safety cannot be made conditional on a fine. Declining a procedure for a clinical reason is part of good practice, as in saying no to a patient with a contraindication.

Image and data: what should be included?

Image authorization should be separate from the main agreement or clearly highlighted, with a defined purpose (patient record, teaching, publication) and the possibility of revocation. A face photo is sensitive personal data, and the LGPD applies. See consent and LGPD for photos and image authorization for the patient record only.

If you use Harmy, consent to send the photo to a third-party AI is given inside the app, and the patient must be told that the projection is an illustrative simulation. Even so, record this in your agreement or consent form in a way that matches your policy.

How do you organize storage and copies of the agreement?

The agreement is part of the documentation of the relationship with the patient. Keep a signed copy with the patient record and give the patient a copy. The retention period follows the applicable law and your professional board's rules (see patient record retention and patient record and documentation in HOF).

Quick quiz

A good agreement is one the patient can read and understand in a few minutes, and the practitioner can honor without discomfort. The simpler and more honest it is, the more it protects both sides.