Updated October 9, 2026
Who to contact
This website presents the SCAARS practice of Dr. Ricardo Vega-Croker, orthopedic surgeon in Panama City, Panama. For questions about this website or information you have sent to the practice, email vegacrokermd@panamasurgery.com.
Browsing the website
The site does not include advertising trackers or visitor analytics, and it does not set cookies. Images, styles and scripts are served with the website. The hosting service may process technical information needed to deliver and protect the site, such as IP addresses, requested pages, browser information and request times.
The SCAARS AI assistant
The optional assistant helps organize inquiries about the practice. It cannot diagnose, confirm clinical eligibility or replace the doctor's assessment. When you send a message, its text, recent conversation and a running summary are processed using OpenAI to generate a response. OpenAI is a separate service with its own data-handling practices. The integration asks OpenAI not to store responses for later retrieval. This does not establish that OpenAI retains no data.
The practice's assistant service keeps conversation history and its summary temporarily in server memory. They expire after one hour of inactivity; restarting the service clears them. The service does not maintain a conversation database or log message bodies. Temporary request-rate information and request references are also kept in memory to operate the service and prevent duplicate requests. A cleared request may leave a reference without its message content for up to one hour, to prevent that request from recreating a cleared conversation.
This browser tab temporarily saves the conversation reference, displayed messages, draft and any proposed summary. It also saves a request reference while a response is pending, so changing pages or retrieving the reply can use the same request rather than create a duplicate conversation turn. This lets you continue across pages in the same tab. Use Clear conversation to remove the tab's copy and request removal of the server session. If a response is already underway, it is ignored on screen and the server reset is requested when it finishes. If the server cannot be reached, remaining server history expires after inactivity. Tab storage normally lasts for the tab's browsing session; browser session-restoration behavior can vary. Clearing the conversation is the direct way to remove its saved tab state.
Please avoid names, identification numbers, passport information, financial details or other identifying data in the assistant. It does not accept file uploads, imaging, payments or identity documents. Ask the practice about an appropriate channel for records needed for a consultation.
Reviewing and sharing a summary
The assistant may propose a summary for you to review. Nothing is sent to the doctor automatically. Only if you choose to open WhatsApp and send it does the summary become a message to the practice. You can use the practice's contact links independently of the assistant's inquiry category.
Email, WhatsApp and consultations
Contact links open your email application or WhatsApp. Information you choose to send, including your contact details and message, is handled through the service you use and received by the practice to respond to your inquiry. There is no separate automatic email submission or notification from this website.
If a video consultation is arranged, it uses a service agreed with you, which has its own privacy practices. Information discussed for clinical care is part of your relationship with the practice, separate from the website's temporary assistant history. Clinical records, their retention and applicable requirements can be discussed directly with the practice.
External services and links
See OpenAI's privacy policy and the WhatsApp privacy policy. Email providers, video-call services and linked educational websites have their own privacy practices.
Questions about your information
Panama’s Law 81 of 2019 recognizes rights of access, rectification, cancellation, objection and portability, subject to the conditions and exceptions established by law. To ask about information you have provided to the practice or exercise these rights, contact vegacrokermd@panamasurgery.com.
If you believe your data-protection rights have been violated, you may contact ANTAI, Panama’s data-protection authority. Do not include personal health information in website addresses or links.
Medical information
Website and assistant content provide general information. They do not establish a diagnosis or an individual treatment recommendation. For an urgent medical concern, seek immediate local care; do not wait for an assistant, email or WhatsApp response.