Telehealth Informed Consent

What telehealth is

Telehealth means receiving health care from a licensed provider who is not in the same room as you. Your care may be delivered by live video or audio, or reviewed asynchronously — you submit information, photographs and laboratory results, and a provider reviews them and responds later without a live visit. Both are telehealth and both are covered by this consent.

Where you must be

A provider may treat you only in a state where that provider is licensed. You must be physically located in California at the time of your visit. If you move or travel, tell us before your next visit. Care cannot be provided to you in a state where your provider is not licensed, even if you are an established patient.

Limitations you should understand

• There is no physical examination. Your provider relies on what you report, what you upload and what your laboratory results show. A condition that an in-person examination would find may be missed.
• Information you give shapes your care. Incomplete or inaccurate history can lead to an inappropriate recommendation. You are responsible for giving complete and accurate information.
• Not every condition can be treated this way. Your provider may determine that telehealth is not appropriate for you and refer you for in-person care.
• A visit does not guarantee a prescription. A prescription is issued only if a provider determines it is medically appropriate. Your consultation fee pays for the provider’s clinical evaluation and time, and is owed whether or not a medication is prescribed.

Risks

Technology can fail, and a connection may drop or delay your care. Information transmitted may be insufficient or of poor quality — for example, a photograph that does not show what a provider needs to see. In rare cases, delays in evaluation could occur. Despite the safeguards we use, electronic transmission of health information carries a security risk that cannot be entirely eliminated.

Benefits and alternatives

Telehealth can give you access to care without travel and often sooner than an in-person appointment. The alternative is in-person care, which you may choose at any time instead of, or in addition to, telehealth. Choosing in-person care does not affect your right to treatment.

Emergencies

Telehealth is not for emergencies. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not use the portal, messaging or email to report an emergency; those are not monitored continuously.

Medications

If a medication is prescribed, it may be a compounded medication. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality before marketing. They are not generic versions of, and are not therapeutically equivalent to, any FDA-approved drug. Medications are dispensed by licensed pharmacies in our fulfillment network, not by us — see our Provider & Pharmacy Disclosure.

You agree to report side effects promptly, to attend scheduled follow-up and check-ins, and to complete laboratory testing your provider orders. Continued prescribing may depend on it.

Your records and your privacy

Your telehealth visit is documented in your medical record on the same terms as an in-person visit, and is protected by HIPAA and California law. See our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Video of your visit is not recorded or retained. Audio from a live visit is captured in order to produce a written transcript, and that transcript becomes part of your medical record. California law requires the consent of every participant before a confidential communication is recorded, and by agreeing to this consent you agree to the capture and transcription described here. You will also be told at the start of any live visit that it is being transcribed, and you may ask that transcription stop.

Your right to withdraw

You may withdraw this consent at any time, in writing, without affecting your right to future care. Withdrawal does not apply retroactively to care already provided.

Your acknowledgement

By agreeing, you confirm that you have read this consent, that you have had the opportunity to ask questions, that your questions were answered to your satisfaction, and that you consent to receive care by telehealth.