To choose a telehealth platform, decide first whether you want standalone video or video built into your practice software, then confirm the vendor will sign a business associate agreement on the plan you can afford. After that, test the patient experience on a weak connection, check group and multi-provider needs, and price it per provider or per user. Those decisions narrow the field quickly.
The rest of this guide covers each decision, plus the licensing, billing, and consent rules that shape how you run virtual visits.
Choose standalone video or an all-in-one system
Telehealth platforms fall into two groups, and picking the right group matters more than picking the right brand.
Standalone video
Standalone tools do the video visit well and leave scheduling, notes, and billing to your other software. Doxy.me is the clearest example: patients click your room link and wait in a virtual waiting room, with no app or account to create, and the free plan includes one-to-one video and a business associate agreement. VSee Clinic works the same way, with a free solo plan and low-cost paid tiers. These tools make sense if you already have an EHR you like and just need a reliable, easy video room.
All-in-one practice platforms
All-in-one tools put video next to the calendar, the chart, and the payment screen. SimplePractice, for example, is practice software for therapists and other solo or small-group clinicians, with video visits in the same system that holds notes and payments. You save clicks and avoid copying appointment links between systems. The tradeoff is that your telehealth is tied to that vendor, so switching later means moving your whole practice.
Communication-first tools
A third option suits clinics that run on the phone. Spruce Health puts a business phone line, secure messaging, texting, fax, and video visits in one shared inbox. It is not an EHR, so you still document elsewhere, but it can replace a phone system and a video tool at once.
Get HIPAA terms in writing
Any platform that carries patient video, chat, or files is handling protected health information, so you need a signed business associate agreement before the first visit. Do not assume every tier includes one. Some vendors include a BAA on free plans, and others reserve it for paid tiers or require you to request it. General meeting tools can also require a paid plan and a signed agreement before they are set up for patient visits.
Beyond the BAA, ask these questions:
- Is video encrypted in transit, and are any recordings stored? If so, where and for how long?
- Can you lock the room, admit patients one at a time, and remove someone from a call?
- Are chat messages and shared files kept, and can you delete them?
- Does the platform log who accessed which visit and when?
- Can staff sign in with multi-factor authentication?
A practice that treats substance use disorder or works with minors should also ask how the platform handles consent and confidentiality rules that go beyond HIPAA.
Test the patient experience first
The best telehealth platform is the one your patients can actually join. Every extra step, such as downloading an app, creating an account, or typing a code, costs you some visits, especially with older patients and anyone on a weak connection.
- Join a test visit from an older phone on cellular data, not office Wi-Fi.
- Try it from a laptop browser without installing anything.
- Have someone unfamiliar with the platform join from your invitation alone.
- Check what happens when the connection drops and the patient rejoins.
- Test a three-way call with an interpreter or family member if you need one.
Browser-based tools that open from a link are the easiest path for most patients. Doxy.me and VSee Clinic both work this way. A familiar interface helps too, since patients who already know a tool are less likely to get stuck. Also check accessibility: captions, screen reader support, and clear audio controls matter for patients with hearing or vision loss.
Plan for group visits and staff
One-to-one video is usually included at the lowest tier. Group sessions are often not. If you run group therapy, classes, or family visits, check where group video sits in the pricing. Doxy.me puts group calls of up to 25 participants on Premium, VSee Clinic adds group calls on Plus, and SimplePractice lists group telehealth with its Plus plan.
Then count your users. Most platforms price per provider, per user, or per practitioner, and the definitions differ. Spruce Health charges per staff user, not per patient. VSee Clinic charges per provider. Ask whether front desk staff, care coordinators, and interpreters need their own paid seats, and whether each provider gets a personal room link.
Check how it fits your other systems
A standalone video tool still has to live alongside your scheduling, charting, and billing. If it does not connect, someone on your staff ends up copying links and visit details by hand. Before you choose, list the systems that touch a virtual visit and ask how each one connects:
- Scheduling: does the visit link go out automatically with the appointment reminder, or does staff paste it in?
- Charting: can the provider open the chart beside the video window, or is it a second screen?
- Intake: can patients complete forms and consent in the waiting room before the visit starts?
- Payments: can you collect a copay or self-pay fee before or after the call?
All-in-one platforms answer most of these by design. With a standalone tool, the answers decide how much manual work each visit creates.
Check licensure, billing, and consent rules
Software does not solve the regulatory side of telehealth, but your platform choice should support it.
Licensure
Clinicians generally must be licensed in the state where the patient is located at the time of the visit, not where the clinician sits. Interstate compacts help in some professions, such as the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact for physicians and PSYPACT for psychologists. Look for a platform or intake form that records the patient’s location at each visit.
Billing and coding
If you bill insurance for virtual visits, you will need the right place of service code, such as 02 or 10 for Medicare telehealth, and modifiers that vary by payer. Medicare’s telehealth rules have changed several times since 2020, and some flexibilities have depended on temporary extensions, so check current CMS and payer guidance before you bill. An all-in-one platform that handles claims can apply these codes for you; a standalone video tool leaves that to your billing system.
Consent and prescribing
Many states require documented patient consent for telehealth. Make sure your intake process captures it. If you prescribe controlled substances after virtual visits, check current DEA telemedicine rules, which have relied on temporary extensions in recent years.
Compare the real cost
Telehealth pricing looks simple until you add seats and features. Here is how the main options price today:
- Free solo plans: Doxy.me and VSee Clinic both offer free plans with a business associate agreement for one-to-one video.
- Low-cost paid video: VSee Clinic Plus costs $29 per provider per month, and Premium costs $49 per provider per month plus a $200 setup fee. Doxy.me Premium is billed per user per month on an annual contract, with pricing by quote.
- All-in-one platforms: SimplePractice costs $49, $79, or $99 a month by plan, with extra practitioners on Plus at $74 a month. Add-ons such as AI note tools and e-prescribing cost extra.
- Communication platforms: Spruce Health costs $24 or $49 per user per month, plus telecom taxes and a one-time $19.50 SMS registration fee.
Run the numbers for your actual team size and the features you need, especially group visits. A free plan that works for a solo clinician can become a per-provider bill fast once you add a second clinician or group sessions. For a ranked view of six options with pricing and best-fit picks, see our ranked list of the best telehealth platforms.
Finally, run a real trial. Most of these vendors offer a free plan or a free trial, so book a week of real visits on your top two choices, ask a few patients for feedback, and pick the one that caused the fewest problems.
Questions to ask in every demo
- Will you sign a business associate agreement on the plan we are buying?
- Can patients join from a browser link with no app or account?
- Which plan includes group video, and how many participants?
- Do front desk staff and interpreters need paid seats?
- Are any visits, chats, or files recorded or stored, and where?
- Does the platform capture patient location and telehealth consent?
- Is the contract annual or month to month?
See the full ranking
Best Telehealth Platforms in 2026
We compare six telehealth platforms on video quality, workflow, and price, and name the right pick for solo clinicians, therapists, and growing clinics.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a separate telehealth platform if your EHR has video?
Usually not. If your EHR includes video visits that patients can join easily, using it keeps scheduling, notes, and billing in one place. A separate platform makes sense when the built-in video is hard for patients to join, lacks group sessions, or costs more than a standalone tool such as Doxy.me or VSee Clinic.
Can you see patients in other states over telehealth?
Only where you hold a license or a valid compact privilege. Clinicians generally must be licensed in the state where the patient is located at the time of the visit. Compacts such as the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and PSYPACT make multi-state licensing easier. Record each patient’s location at every visit to stay on the right side of the rules.
Do you need patient consent for telehealth visits?
In many states, yes. Requirements vary on whether consent must be written or verbal and how often it must be renewed. Build telehealth consent into your intake forms, document it in the chart, and check your state board’s rules. Payers may also have their own documentation requirements for virtual visits.
Should you record telehealth sessions?
Most practices do not, and you should only do it with a clear clinical or legal reason. Recordings are protected health information that must be stored securely, retained under your records policy, and disclosed properly. If you record, get explicit patient consent, confirm where the platform stores files, and make sure your business associate agreement covers that storage.