Information carried forward
An old home address and a support person who lives nearby that home do not establish where help would go today.
← Texas psychology route
Behavioral health · Before the remote visit
Plan local support before a remote visit.
Knowing which state a patient is in helps you research authorization. An emergency plan also needs the patient’s current address, nearby contacts and an agreed response if the connection fails.
HHS recommends documenting five kinds of information before the first telebehavioral health visit. Use the checks below to organize your practice’s preparation and read the full official guidance. CompactRoute does not collect patient records or provide emergency response.
Five checks, with a local destination for help
Keep this information in your practice’s appropriate patient record, following the privacy guidance HHS specifies. This page is a reading aid, not a place to enter names, addresses or health information.
Check 1 of 5
Visit location
Confirm the address where the patient is physically located at the time of the visit.
Why it matters
A home address in the chart may be different from today’s location.
Check 2 of 5
Local emergency services
Document police, fire, mobile crisis and the nearest urgent care or emergency room contacts near that location.
Why it matters
HHS warns that dialing 911 from a different location does not connect you as if you were beside the patient. Plan the local route before the visit.
Check 3 of 5
Nearby support person
Identify a nearby family member, friend or neighbor and obtain the patient’s authorization to release information if needed.
Why it matters
A contact listed in another city may not be able to help locally.
Check 4 of 5
Other care professionals
Record other provider contacts and clarify contact with permission or in an emergency.
Why it matters
Keep the care-team contact separate from the nearby support person.
Check 5 of 5
Connection failure
Discuss what to do if the audio or video disconnects during an emergency.
Why it matters
Do not leave the reconnection plan until after the connection fails.
Hypothetical planning example
Same state, different local support
A patient usually attends from one Texas city but joins the next session from another. The state on the licensure checklist may be unchanged; the address, nearby services and support person still need to match today’s visit.
Questions to resolve before connecting
What is the current address? Which contacts are local to it? Does the agreed connection-failure plan still work? Confirm these through the practice’s workflow.
The example illustrates preparation, not an individual clinical decision or permission to practice. Research professional authorization separately on the Texas psychology route.
Source, date and scope
HHS: Creating an emergency plan for telebehavioral health →U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / HRSA, Telehealth.HHS.gov. Guidance last updated September 18, 2024; consulted November 2, 2026. The consultation date does not mean the guidance changed today.
Scope: U.S. provider preparation, with contacts verified near the patient. Five planning categories are not five services, a directory of verified local numbers, or a complete clinical protocol. This guide does not determine licensure, consent requirements or treatment decisions.