While getting a patient’s consent for telemedicine visits may not be a requirement in your state, it’s still a telemedicine best practice that we recommend putting in place. 

So what kinds of information should you include in your consent form? The ATA suggests you should: 

• Inform patients of their rights when receiving telemedicine, including the right to stop or refuse treatment 
• Tell patients their responsibilities when receiving telemedicine treatment 
• Have a formal complaint or grievance process to resolve any potential ethical concerns or issues that might come up as a result of telemedicine 
• Describe the potential benefits, constraints, and risks (like privacy and security) of telemedicine 
• Inform patients of what will happen in the case of technology or equipment failures during telemedicine sessions, and state a contingency plan 
• In addition, you may outline some of your basic telemedicine program policies around billing, scheduling, cancellation, etc.