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Virtual Visits

Overview​

The CareLaunch Platform now supports virtual visits (telemedicine) through integrated video conferencing capabilities. This feature allows healthcare providers to conduct secure, HIPAA-compliant video consultations with patients directly through the platform.

Key Features​

  • On-Demand Scheduling: Schedule virtual visits as part of regular appointment booking
  • Automated Email Invitations: Patients receive professional email invitations with join links when invitation templates are configured
  • Calendar Integration: Downloadable calendar invites (.ics files) for easy scheduling
  • Secure Video Conferencing: Reliable, secure video calls with enterprise-grade infrastructure
  • Multi-Participant Support: Providers and patients can join from any supported device
  • Session Management: Automatic cleanup of expired sessions

Prerequisites​

Before using virtual visits, ensure:

  • Your organization has the enableCalling setting enabled
  • Email service is properly configured for patient notifications
  • Patients have valid email addresses in their profiles
  • Users have modern web browsers with camera/microphone access

Creating a Virtual Visit​

For Providers/Admins​

  1. Create an Appointment

    • Navigate to the patient's profile
    • Click "Add Appointment" or open the appointments section
    • Fill in appointment details as usual
    • Save the appointment

  2. Add Virtual Visit Capability

    • After saving the appointment, locate the "Add Video Call" button
    • Click the button to create a virtual visit session
    • Wait for the success message confirming virtual visit creation.
    • If an invitation template is configured, an email invitation is sent to the patient.
    • If no invitation template is configured, the visit is still created and email send is skipped safely.
    • The button will change to "Join" once the virtual visit is ready

  3. Email Notification

    • If an invitation template is configured, the patient receives an email invitation containing:
      • Appointment date and time
      • Provider information
      • Direct join link for the virtual visit
      • Technical requirements and instructions
      • Calendar invite attachment
    • If no invitation template is configured, email is skipped and staff should share join details through another channel.

For Patients​

  1. Receiving the Invitation

    • If your organization has an invitation template configured, check your email for the virtual visit invitation.
    • The email will contain all appointment details and a prominent "Join Virtual Visit" button.
    • If you do not receive an email, contact the care team for your join details.

  2. Joining the Visit

    • Click the join link in the email at the scheduled time
    • You can join starting 15 minutes before your appointment
    • The system will guide you through an optional device test to check your camera, microphone, speakers, and internet connection
    • After testing, you'll enter a waiting room until the provider joins

During the Virtual Visit​

Available Controls​

  • Camera Toggle: Turn your video on/off
  • Microphone Mute: Mute/unmute your audio
  • Device Selection: Switch between different cameras or microphones
  • Participant List: View who's in the meeting
  • End Call: Leave the virtual visit

Best Practices​

  • Join 5 minutes early to test your connection
  • Use a quiet, well-lit location
  • Ensure stable internet connection
  • Use headphones to reduce echo
  • Close unnecessary applications to improve performance

Technical Requirements​

Supported Browsers​

  • Google Chrome (recommended)
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari (macOS/iOS)
  • Microsoft Edge

Device Requirements​

  • Camera (built-in or external)
  • Microphone (built-in or external)
  • Speakers or headphones
  • Stable internet connection (minimum 1 Mbps)

Mobile Support​

  • iOS devices (iPhone/iPad) with Safari
  • Android devices with Chrome

Calendar Integration​

Virtual visits automatically generate calendar invites that include:

  • Appointment title and description
  • Start and end times
  • Virtual visit URL in the location field
  • 15-minute reminder before the appointment
  • Compatible with major calendar applications (Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar)

To download a calendar invite:

  1. Navigate to the appointment details
  2. Look for the calendar download option
  3. Save the .ics file and open with your calendar application

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

"Virtual visit session has expired"

  • This occurs when a meeting session is no longer valid
  • The provider can create a new virtual visit session
  • Previous join links will no longer work

Camera/Microphone Not Working

  • Check browser permissions (look for camera icon in address bar)
  • Ensure no other application is using the camera/microphone
  • Try refreshing the page
  • Test with a different browser

Poor Video/Audio Quality

  • Check internet connection stability
  • Close unnecessary applications and browser tabs
  • Move closer to your WiFi router
  • Consider using ethernet connection if available

Cannot Join Meeting

  • Verify you're using a supported browser
  • Clear browser cache and cookies
  • Disable browser extensions that might interfere
  • Check if popup blockers are preventing the window from opening

Invitation Email Not Received

  • Confirm the patient has a valid email on file
  • Confirm an invitation/notification template is configured for the organization
  • Check invitation error metadata on the appointment (for example: "No email template configured")
  • Review notification logs for skipped-send warnings

Getting Help​

If you experience issues:

  1. Check the technical requirements above
  2. Try the troubleshooting steps
  3. Contact your healthcare provider's support team
  4. Include details about your device, browser, and the specific error

Security and Privacy​

Virtual visits on the CareLaunch Platform are:

  • HIPAA Compliant: All video sessions are encrypted and secure
  • Private: Only authorized participants can join
  • Not Recorded: Sessions are not recorded by default
  • Secure Links: Meeting URLs are unique and time-limited

Automatic Virtual Visits​

Administrators can configure the platform to automatically add virtual visit capabilities to all scheduled appointments. When enabled, every appointment created through the platform will automatically have a virtual visit session created. If invitation templates are configured, patients also receive email invitations with join links.

Enabling Automatic Virtual Visits​

  1. Navigate to Settings > Scheduling in the admin portal
  2. In the Video Calling section:
    • First, ensure "Enable video calling for virtual visits" is toggled ON
    • Then, toggle "Automatically add virtual visits to all scheduled appointments" to ON
  3. Click Save to apply the changes

How It Works​

When automatic virtual visits are enabled:

  1. During Appointment Creation: Any appointment created through the platform (including during patient registration) will automatically be marked as a virtual visit with a video session created immediately.

  2. Email Notifications: If a template is configured, patients automatically receive an email invitation containing appointment details, a direct link to join the virtual visit, technical requirements, and a downloadable calendar invite (.ics file). If no template is configured, the send is skipped and invitation error metadata is recorded for troubleshooting.

  3. Patient Experience: Patients can join the virtual visit directly from their email with no downloads or installations required.

Benefits​

  • Streamlined Workflow: Eliminates the need for staff to manually create virtual visits for each appointment
  • Consistency: Ensures all appointments have virtual visit capabilities
  • Patient Convenience: Patients receive all information immediately upon appointment booking
  • Time Savings: Reduces administrative overhead for healthcare providers

Important Considerations​

  • When enabled, ALL appointments will have virtual visits created, regardless of appointment type
  • Patients must have valid email addresses and an invitation template must be configured to receive virtual visit invitations
  • Each virtual visit session may incur usage charges depending on your subscription plan
  • Both providers and patients need stable internet connections for video calls

Disabling Automatic Virtual Visits​

To disable automatic virtual visits:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Scheduling
  2. Toggle "Automatically add virtual visits to all scheduled appointments" to OFF
  3. Click Save

Note: Disabling this feature will not affect existing appointments that already have virtual visits created.

Patient Arrived Notifications​

When a patient joins a virtual visit, assigned providers are automatically notified through multiple channels based on their notification preferences.

How It Works​

  1. Patient Joins: When a patient clicks to join the virtual visit, the system detects their arrival
  2. Status Update: The appointment status is automatically updated to "arrived"
  3. Provider Notification: All providers assigned to the appointment receive notifications

Notification Channels​

Providers can receive patient arrival notifications through:

  • In-App Notifications: Displayed in the notification bell within the platform
  • Email Notifications: Sent via email with patient name and appointment details
  • SMS Notifications: Text message with patient name and appointment time
  • Push Notifications: Real-time browser/device notifications

Managing Notification Preferences​

Providers can manage their notification preferences:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Notifications
  2. Find "Patient Arrived" in the notification list
  3. Enable or disable for each channel (email, SMS, in-app, push)

Note: For admin users with no notification preferences configured, "Patient Arrived" notifications are enabled by default.