Obtaining informed consent

While specific informed consent laws vary by state, these common sense actions are always a good idea:

• When you meet with a patient, explain what they can expect from the telehealth visit and what their rights are.

• Check in with the patient about their responsibilities during online counseling or other telebehavioral health visits. This might mean specific steps like wearing headphones and finding a place to be alone during the visit to ensure privacy on their end.

• If there’s anyone observing the visit, tell the patient and get their consent at the start.

• Instruct patients to complete required forms ahead of time and bring them to their visit.

• Ensure the informed consent and other compliance documentation has been received and/or is documented during check-in, including verbal consent.

Make sure to have your medical/intake forms reviewed by your legal team. Obtaining informed consent with your patient is typically done before the first appointment.

For more about informed consent, see:

• Informed Consent – from the National Policy Center - Center for Connected Health Policy
• Current State Laws & Reimbursement Policies — from the National Policy Center - Center for Connected Health Policy
• How to obtain informed consent for telehealth — from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Easy-to-Understand Telehealth Consent Form — from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality