Telehealth Care & Informed Consent

Telehealth means live, two-way audio and video between you and your clinician using a HIPAA-compliant platform with encryption and business associate protections. It supports evaluation, medication management, brief therapy, and follow-up care. Illinois law requires that telehealth be held to the same standard of care as an in-person visit — and we hold ourselves to that standard.

You must be physically located in Illinois at the time of your visit, because our clinicians are licensed in Illinois. We verify your location and identity at the start of each visit, and we ask for the address where you are sitting so we can send help if an emergency happens during the session.

• Benefits: no travel, easier scheduling, continuity when you are ill or away from Oak Park, and care from a private space of your choosing.
• Limits: we cannot perform a physical exam, draw labs, or observe everything visible in person. Some situations — including certain diagnostic questions, safety concerns, or clinical instability — require an in-person visit or a higher level of care, and we will tell you when that is the case.
• Risks: technology can fail, and no electronic transmission is completely risk-free. If the connection drops, we will call the phone number on file to finish the visit or reschedule.

Some medications used in psychiatry — including stimulants for ADHD — are controlled substances subject to the federal Ryan Haight Act and DEA telemedicine rules, the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, and mandatory Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program review. Depending on the medication and current federal rules, an in-person evaluation may be required before we can prescribe. We will explain what applies to your situation and never promise a specific prescription in advance.

Please join from a private space with headphones if possible. We do not record visits, and you may not record a visit without our written permission. Anyone else present on your side of the call should be identified at the start. For patients ages 13–17, we typically begin and end with the guardian present and reserve part of the visit for the teen alone, consistent with Illinois confidentiality law.

• You may refuse telehealth and request an in-person appointment at any time, without affecting your care.
• You may withdraw consent to telehealth at any time in writing or verbally during a visit.
• Telehealth visits are documented in your medical record exactly as in-person visits are.
• Coverage for telehealth is required to be reimbursed comparably by most Illinois insurers under 215 ILCS 5/356z.22, but you remain responsible for applicable cost-sharing. We verify coverage before your visit.

Telehealth is not for emergencies. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department. See our crisis resources for Illinois-specific options.