Telemedicine and Telehealth Software in India

What telemedicine software includes

• Video, audio and chat consultations that work on low bandwidth
• Online booking with prepaid consultation fees via UPI or cards
• Patient identity and consent capture before the consult
• Teleconsultation notes saved to an EMR or patient record
• Digital prescriptions with doctor name, qualification and registration number
• File sharing for reports, images and previous prescriptions
• Follow-up scheduling and reminders over SMS or WhatsApp
• Payouts, invoices and revenue reports per doctor

Telemedicine Practice Guidelines: what the software should support

The 2020 guidelines apply to registered medical practitioners and set rules on how a teleconsultation is conducted. Software should help the doctor verify patient identity, record that the patient consented, document the consultation, and issue a prescription that carries the practitioner's registration details. The guidelines classify medicines into lists that can be prescribed in different situations, such as a first consultation versus a follow-up, and exclude certain drugs, including narcotic and psychotropic substances, from teleprescription. Ask vendors how their prescription module enforces these lists instead of relying on memory. Read the official guidelines on the MoHFW website before you start.

Marketplace vs. your own branded platform

Consumer apps bring patients to doctors and take a fee or commission, but the patient relationship largely belongs to the platform. A white-label or practice-based telemedicine platform runs under your clinic or hospital brand, uses your existing patient base and keeps data in your records. Many practices use both: a marketplace for discovery and their own EMR-linked teleconsult module for follow-ups. Compare who owns the patient data, who sets the fee, and whether consult records sync into your main system.

India-specific integrations

• ABDM: ABHA linking so records can be shared with patient consent
• Health Professional Registry and Health Facility Registry details
• UPI and payment gateway collection with GST-compliant invoices
• Pharmacy and lab links so prescriptions and test orders can be fulfilled
• Regional-language interface and WhatsApp consult links
• Hospital information system integration for outpatient billing and referrals

How to compare telemedicine platforms

• Call quality on 4G and patchy connections, and fallback to audio
• Prescription templates that follow the guidelines' medicine lists
• Where consult recordings and records are stored and for how long
• Whether the doctor can see the patient's past history during the call
• Branded app or web link vs. third-party app for patients
• Pricing model: per doctor subscription, per consult fee or commission

Implementation tips

Decide which consults suit telemedicine, such as follow-ups, report reviews and chronic-disease checks, and set separate slots and fees for them. Configure the prescription template with registration details and test it end to end, including patient download and pharmacy use. Train doctors on consent capture and on when to ask a patient to come in person. Finally, publish the teleconsult link on your website, Google Business Profile and WhatsApp so existing patients can find it.