From Makeshift to Master Plan: Why Mature Healthcare Organizations Need a Purposeful Telehealth Policy

This Telehealth Tuesday article was written by Trevor Cunningham, a telehealth consultant on the Ingenium Team.

In just a few short years, telehealth has evolved from a pandemic-era necessity into an essential fixture of modern healthcare. What was once a workaround is now an expectation — not just from patients, but from payers, providers, and policymakers alike. Organizations across the country have stood up virtual care services with impressive speed and agility.

But a critical question now looms large for many leadership teams: Do we have a telehealth policy that truly supports long-term success?

Not a one-pager hastily drafted in 2020. Not a compliance checklist that sits untouched. What’s needed today is a sustainable, actionable telehealth policy — one that provides structure, accountability, and clarity across every part of the organization, from clinical protocols to scheduling workflows to billing and IT governance.

For healthcare leaders operating in a post-emergency landscape, this isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s the difference between telehealth as a service — and telehealth as a system.

Ad-Hoc Telehealth vs. Policy-Driven Telehealth

For many organizations, telehealth began as a patchwork solution. Providers adapted. Schedulers improvised. IT teams deployed whatever platforms were available. In the urgency of the moment, this ingenuity served its purpose. But stopgap measures aren’t designed for endurance.

Ad-hoc telehealth delivery, while functional in the short term, often falters under long-term pressure. Without clear internal policies, the consequences become clear:

– Clinical inconsistency: Providers differ in whether, when, and how they use telehealth.

– Workflow friction: Staff face recurring questions about scheduling, escalation, or tech support with no unified guidance.

– Compliance vulnerabilities: Documentation, consent, licensure, and privacy practices vary across locations and individuals — exposing the organization to avoidable risks.

In contrast, organizations that develop intentional telehealth policies report a markedly different experience. With the right structure in place, they gain consistency, clarity, and confidence — all of which lead to a better care experience, increased clinician satisfaction, stronger outcomes in virtual care, and smoother operations overall.

The Hidden Cost of Governance Gaps

When we work with healthcare leaders to build or refine their telehealth strategy, one of the most common refrains we hear is: “We just assumed everyone was doing it the same way.”

That assumption rarely holds up. Without defined policies and workflows, teams tend to drift into inconsistent, siloed practices:

– Hesitation: Providers are unsure which visit types are appropriate, so they revert to in-person by default.

– Inconsistency: Front-desk staff offer telehealth options sporadically — or not at all.

– Workflow chaos: Multiple platforms emerge, each with different reliability levels, processes, and support protocols.

Without alignment, telehealth becomes a guessing game. And guesswork is not a strategy for scaling virtual services or improving outcomes.

Policy as a Leadership Tool — Not Just a Document

Internal policy often carries the weight of bureaucracy. But in high-performing organizations, policy is reframed as a leadership asset — a tool for strategic clarity, not just regulatory compliance.

A focused telehealth policy creates a shared operational framework. It empowers teams to make confident decisions, encourages cross-departmental collaboration, and delivers consistent patient experiences regardless of provider, modality, or location.

When crafted intentionally, your telehealth policy can:

– Anchor onboarding: Provide a strong foundation for training new providers and staff.

– Clarify gray areas: Guide clinical decision-making when ambiguity arises

– Drive alignment: Ensure consistency across clinical, administrative, IT, and compliance teams.

– Offer insight: Equip leadership with measurable data on telehealth performance and opportunities for improvement.

In short: a strong policy doesn’t just minimize risk. It enables excellence in virtual care delivery.

What Should a Telehealth Policy Include?

An effective policy doesn’t need to be encyclopedic — but it does need to be intentional. At a minimum, mature organizations are codifying key elements such as:

– Defined use cases: What types of visits are clinically appropriate for telehealth?

– Technology standards: Which platforms are supported, and who is responsible for updates, security, and support?

– Professional conduct: What are the expectations for virtual etiquette, provider presentation, and escalation protocols?

– Documentation and compliance: How are privacy, consent, licensure, and reimbursement requirements being met?

We’ll take a deeper dive into each of these areas in the next article in this series.