Before 2020, telehealth was a niche offering. Today, it is a baseline expectation. McKinsey's research shows that telehealth utilization stabilized at 38x its pre-pandemic levels, and 76% of patients report interest in using telehealth going forward. If your website does not clearly communicate that you offer virtual visits, you are losing patients to practices that do.
What Patients Expect
Patients who have used telehealth expect three things from your website:
- Clear communication that telehealth is available
- Easy scheduling — the ability to book a virtual visit should be as simple as booking an in-person one
- Understanding of what qualifies — which visit types can be done virtually?
If any of these are missing, patients either assume you do not offer telehealth, or they call your office to ask — adding volume to your phone lines that a well-designed website would handle.
Where Telehealth Belongs on Your Website
Homepage mention
Include telehealth in your hero text, services section, or a dedicated callout: "Now offering in-person and virtual visits." Do not bury it on a sub-page. Patients should know within 5 seconds of landing on your homepage that telehealth is an option.
Dedicated telehealth page
Create a standalone page that covers:
- What telehealth is: A brief explanation for patients who have not used it
- Eligible visit types: Follow-ups, medication management, acute illness, mental health, chronic disease check-ins
- What you need: Device with camera, internet connection, quiet space
- How to schedule: Direct link to your scheduling system
- Insurance coverage: "Most insurance plans cover telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits" (verify with your billing team)
- Privacy and security: "All visits are conducted on HIPAA-compliant platforms"
Service page integration
On individual service pages, indicate which services can be provided via telehealth. A simple badge or line: "Available in-person or via telehealth" tells patients what they need to know.
Scheduling Integration
The ideal telehealth scheduling flow:
- Patient clicks "Book Appointment" on your website
- They select "Virtual Visit" (clearly distinguished from "In-Person")
- They choose a provider and time slot
- They receive a confirmation email with the video link
- Reminder sent 24 hours and 1 hour before the visit
Most practice management systems now support this workflow: athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, DrChrono, SimplePractice, and others. The key is that your website's scheduling button connects directly to this system — no phone tag required.
Platform Options
Your telehealth platform must be HIPAA-compliant. Standard Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Meet are not compliant for regular clinical use (the HHS pandemic flexibility has ended). HIPAA-compliant options include:
- Doxy.me: Free tier available, browser-based (no app required), popular with small practices
- Zoom for Healthcare: HIPAA-compliant version with BAA, integrates with many EHR systems
- Integrated EHR platforms: athenahealth Telehealth, eClinicalWorks Healow, DrChrono — built into your existing system
- SimplePractice: Popular for mental health and therapy practices
Common Website Mistakes
- Not mentioning telehealth at all: Patients will not call to ask. They will go to a competitor who lists it
- Burying it in a PDF or FAQ: Telehealth availability should be front and center, not hidden
- No clear scheduling path: "Call our office to schedule a telehealth visit" defeats the convenience that telehealth offers
- Missing eligible visit types: Patients do not know if their issue qualifies unless you tell them
The Website as the Front Door
For telehealth patients, your website is not just a marketing tool — it is the entire pre-visit experience. There is no physical office to walk into, no front desk to greet them. The website IS the front door. It needs to be welcoming, clear, and frictionless.
Need to add telehealth information to your practice website? Contact us and we will help you integrate it seamlessly.