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Obtaining informed consent for telebehavioral health

Once your patient makes a telebehavioral health appointment, you may be required to get their informed consent. Depending on state laws, patients can give informed consent through signed paperwork, completed before the appointment and/or through verbal consent, taken at the beginning of each session.

Informed consent laws — and the minimum age for consent — vary by state, but these basic steps are always a good idea:

• Explain what the patient can expect from the telehealth visit — including potential risks — and what their rights are.
• Explain to minors what information may be shared with parents or guardians.
• Check in with the patient about their responsibilities during a telebehavioral health visit. This might mean specific steps like wearing headphones and finding a place to be alone during the visit to ensure privacy on their end.

Tip: Make sure to have your medical and intake forms reviewed by your legal team.

More about informed consent:

• Informed Consent   – from the National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
• Current State Laws & Reimbursement Policies   — from the National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
• 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