Updated 8/01/2023
The Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) announced that the two-year COVID-19 holiday is over for telehealth providers. The flexibilities allowed by the Act 30 of 2022 will be terminated on October 31, 2022 April 1, 2023 January 1, 2024.
Reinstated telehealth documentation regulations are as follows:
- The first key requirement is for the telehealth consent to be documented in the EHR. This means that verbal consent to treat, previously allowed, will no longer be an acceptable practice, and a permanent record of the consent must be stored for audit.
- The second key requirement is that the medical record must store the timestamp, duration, and proof of all telehealth visits.
The remaining 49 US states will follow Pennsylvania in implementing similar pre-pandemic telehealth policies. Health providers should be cautious about waiting till the last minute of these compliance deadlines. We highly recommend avoiding any delays in going live prior to January 1, 2024 so as not disrupt your telehealth billable services.
Even the Best Behavioral Health EHRs May Not Be Compliant for Telehealth Documentation
Credible EHR by Qualifacts is the leading behavioral health EHRs. It’s popular due to its flexibility and user-friendly interface. It was also recognized with the 2022 Best in KLAS Award for Software and Services. Credible offers several options for integrating telehealth, including Zoom, Mend, and its own native telehealth product. Unfortunately, each of these platforms are currently missing capabilities to automate the new documentation requirements to meet the Pennsylvania OMHSAS rules.
For example, its Zoom integration does not offer the ability to
automatically collect client identifiers and consent data that are now required for compliance,
or else it requires adding a third party signature licensing, which adds another step to completing the telehealth service process flow.
VSee telehealth has completed the Credible webservice interface for the telehealth consent, TX plan review, parent/guardian forms and electronic signature since April 1, 2023.
VSee is able to immediately start your telehealth integration project implementation and go live in less than 30 days unlike other telehealth platforms which are back logged for 6 months. Its per license cost and implementation fees are less than OnCall or Credible’s other telehealth solutions. In addition, it’s 1-click connect is easier to use for client end users.
Please contact VSee today for your free demo and join many other Credible partners in the VSee-Credible user group for ongoing VSee development.
VSee’s Credible eSign Solution for Chestnut Ridge Counseling
The VSee / Credible interface process consists of a single button in VSee Clinic for each form to be signed. 
The patient will see an orange “Form” button on the screen, when the provider sends the telehealth consent form to be signed. The patient clicks on the orange button to open and submit the form. The form will be documented in the Credible with the appropriate time and date for the event.
VSee, in partnership with Chestnut Ridge Counseling Services (CRCSI) has successfully developed an integrated telehealth consent signature interface for CRCSI and other Credible partners. This VSee integration with Credible is fully compliant with Pennsylvania telehealth regulations
Not only does VSee allow CRCSI to meet the compliance requirements, it also allows them to streamline their copayment and signature/consent collection with an integrated e-signature telehealth consent interface. This functionality eliminates the need for third-party apps and minimizes the risk of losing electronic signature during a live telehealth session.
In addition to the e-signature functionality, VSee platform provides tagging with auto-alert features for efficient queue management and call routing so CRSCI can easily balance workloads. Their providers and patients have been very happy with the improved workflow.
CRCSI IT Director, George Dukic commented, “I don’t see many of the EHRs out there being able to build a full-fledged [telehealth] product,” He added, “We’re very please with VSee’s superior telehealth features; it has everything we need to provide a seamless and compliant telehealth system.”
What Makes VSee Different?
VSee’s focus on user experience has allowed us to build a comprehensive low code, no code platform that can easily scale. It offers configurable building blocks to quickly fit any specific workflow or state requirement.
To learn more about VSee’s integration with Credible and other EHR platforms:
