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What virtual care software covers
"Telehealth software" covers several different kinds of products, and small practices often overbuy.
- Standalone video visit platforms. A secure link, a virtual waiting room, and sometimes screen sharing, payments and intake forms. Doxy.me is a widely used example; VSee and Zoom for Healthcare are common alternatives.
- Telehealth built into an EHR or practice management system. Many EHRs and practice platforms, such as SimplePractice for behavioral health, include video visits tied to the schedule, the chart and billing. If yours does, start there.
- Enterprise virtual care platforms. Amwell and Teladoc Health provide platforms, programs and clinician networks for health systems, payers and employers. They are rarely the right first purchase for an independent practice.
- Virtual care services. Companies such as TeleMed2U supply remote specialists to practices, clinics and hospitals. You are buying clinical capacity, not software.
- Add-ons. Tools such as Creyos for cognitive assessment, remote patient monitoring, and secure messaging apps like Spruce extend virtual care without replacing your visit platform.
A "virtual clinic" usually combines several of these: online scheduling and intake, video visits, e-prescribing, documentation, payments and follow-up messaging. Check how many of those pieces your EHR already handles before adding another login.
Doxy.me alternatives and when to switch
Practices usually start looking at Doxy.me alternatives for one of three reasons: they want video built into the EHR so staff stop managing two schedules, they need group or multi-party sessions, or they want messaging, intake and payments in the same tool. Before switching, compare total cost (including any EHR telehealth add-on fee), patient experience on phones, and whether the new tool creates the visit and documentation inside the chart. If your current tool works and your EHR does not offer anything better, switching rarely pays off.
What to evaluate
- Patient experience. No app download, works on any phone browser, clear instructions, and support for low bandwidth. Most visit problems are on the patient side.
- EHR and scheduling fit. Can visits be booked from your existing schedule with links sent automatically, and does documentation land in the chart?
- Front-desk workflow. Virtual waiting rooms, notifications when a patient arrives, and the ability for staff to check patients in or hand them off.
- Features you will actually use. Screen sharing, group visits, interpreters or family members joining, intake forms, copay collection, and audio-only fallback.
- BAA and security controls. A signed BAA on the plan you buy, encryption, and no recordings stored by default unless you choose to.
- Price structure. Per-provider monthly fees versus organization-wide licenses, and whether staff seats cost extra.
What it costs
As of 2026, standalone video platforms for small practices typically range from free tiers to roughly $30 to $50 per provider per month. Third-party listings, for example, show Doxy.me's Professional plan at about $35 per provider per month on monthly billing, with a higher Clinic tier for groups. Telehealth inside an EHR is often included or sold as a modest add-on. Enterprise platforms such as Amwell and Teladoc Health are quote-based and usually sold to organizations rather than individual practices.
HIPAA, BAAs and reimbursement
HHS ended its pandemic-era enforcement discretion for non-compliant video tools in 2023. Consumer apps like FaceTime or a standard Zoom account are no longer an acceptable default for patient visits. Use a platform whose vendor signs a BAA, and make sure the BAA covers the specific plan you are on; free tiers do not always include one.
On reimbursement, Congress extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities, including the patient's home as an originating site and audio-only visits, through December 31, 2027. Behavioral health telehealth has permanent relief from geographic restrictions. Commercial payers and state Medicaid programs set their own rules, so confirm coverage, place-of-service codes and modifiers with your billing team, and check the licensure rules of the state where each patient is located.
Implementation pitfalls
- No patient tech check. Send instructions and a test link with the appointment reminder.
- Two schedules. If telehealth lives outside your EHR, double bookings and missed links follow. Integrate or assign clear ownership.
- Unclear consent and documentation. Record that the visit was by video or audio, the patient location, and consent where your state or payer requires it.
- Bandwidth and hardware at the clinic. Shared internet connections and laptop microphones cause more dropped visits than the platform does.
- Forgetting the backup plan. Decide in advance when to switch to audio-only and how to bill it.
Specialty considerations
Behavioral health relies heavily on telehealth and benefits most from video built into the practice platform, plus group sessions and secure messaging. Primary care practices running Medicare annual wellness visits may add structured screening tools such as Creyos. Dermatology needs good photo upload and store-and-forward workflows. Rural practices without on-site specialists can use a service like TeleMed2U to keep referrals local. Practices adding remote patient monitoring should check device integration and billing support separately from video visits.
How we evaluate
We assess products in this category against published, checkable criteria: which part of virtual care they cover, patient access requirements, EHR and scheduling integration, BAA availability by plan, pricing transparency, and fit for practices with 1 to 20 providers. We rely on vendor documentation and our experience setting up and supporting telehealth for independent practices, and we update this page when pricing, plans or reimbursement rules change.