Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine Launches New Online Platform for Issuing and Validating Medical Certificates: Analysis of Possible Impacts for Companies

With the goal of countering fraud and irregularities in the issuing of medical certificates, the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) announced earlier this month the launch of the new CFM Certification (Atesta CFM) online platform, aimed at validating certificates nationwide.

Regulated by CFM Resolution No. 2.382/2024 of June 21, 2024 (the “Resolution”), and submitted to the Federal Official Gazette on September 5, the platform is now available for doctors, patients and companies. According to Article 1 of the Resolution, the platform serves as an official and mandatory system for issuing and managing medical certificates. The Resolution will come into force on March 5, 2025.

Through the new system, various types of certificates may be issued, including occupational health certificates, leave of absence certificates, follow-up certificates, and certificates approved by occupational medicine providers.

In an effort to make things more efficient and practical, this new platform allows employees the option to remotely deliver a medical certificate to their employers, thus eliminating the risk of losing the document. It will be sufficient for an employee to authorize a doctor to digitally send the certificate directly through the system. This complies with the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD), ensuring that a patient’s information will not be accessed by unauthorized persons by sending it securely through a protected system. If this authorization is not granted, the employee must present a physical copy of the issued certificate, in accordance with the requirements established by the Resolution. 

In addition to improving security, the system automates the process of sending and validating certificates, removing the need for physical documents and speeding up the workflow. This reduces expenses related to paper storage, and minimizes the undue payment of benefits to employees who are absent without valid justification.

The CFM Certification platform complies with the LGPD, ensuring that the entire process is carried out securely and compliant with the legislation. This automation allows human resources teams to focus on strategic activities, promoting greater operational efficiency.

Additional authors: Isabela Gonçavels and Lia Válio.