18Virtual care
Telehealth visit standards
A telehealth visit is a clinical visit. The same standards for privacy, consent, and documentation apply — plus a few that are unique to being on camera.
Before the visit
- Confirm the patient consented to telehealth in the current state
- Test camera, mic, and bandwidth 10 minutes early
- Close all non-clinical apps and notifications
- Use the approved HIPAA video platform — never FaceTime or personal Zoom
- Confirm patient location (state and address) at the start of the visit
On camera
- Plain background, eye-level camera, even lighting on your face
- Headphones with a mic — no laptop speakers
- Business-casual top, name badge visible
- Door closed, sign posted, no one else in the room
- Look at the camera, not the screen, when speaking
Visit opening script
0/5After the visit
0/4No recording without explicit, written consent
Telehealth visits are never recorded unless the patient signs a recording consent and the recording is stored in the EHR. Personal screen recording, screenshots, or saving the video is a HIPAA violation — no exceptions.