Telehealth lets you conduct video consultations directly through Qliva — no downloads, no third-party apps, just a link that opens in the browser.
How it works
When an appointment type has the telehealth flag enabled, Qliva automatically generates a unique video call link when that appointment is created. Both the practitioner and the patient get their own join link — they click it at the scheduled time and the call opens in the browser.
The telehealth flag is configured per appointment type by your clinic admin. See Appointments (Admin) for setup instructions.
Joining a call
As a practitioner
- Open the appointment in your clinical calendar
- Click Start Call in the appointment detail panel
- Allow camera and microphone access when prompted
- You land in the Consultation view — a full-page, split-screen layout combining the live video call with the patient's profile and a note-taking panel side by side, so you can chart while you talk
Only the appointment's own practitioner, or a clinic admin, can start or join the call from the clinic side. Other staff see an error instead of the video room.
The Consultation view is also where the telehealth AI Scribe recording control lives — it uses the same live-streaming Deepgram scribe pipeline as the standalone note editor. See AI Scribe for the full breakdown.
As a patient
The patient always uses a single stable portal link for the appointment (/portal/appointments/{id}) — this link never changes, including across reschedules. They also receive it in their appointment confirmation email. No account login beyond their normal portal session is needed to join the call.
The patient's Join button is only active from 15 minutes before the scheduled time to 30 minutes after it. Outside that window, they'll see a message that the video call link will become available 15 minutes before the appointment. Let patients know about this window in advance so they don't try to join too early.
No software required
The video call runs entirely in the browser using WebRTC. Neither you nor your patient needs to download or install anything. Supported in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
The patient's portal link is stable per appointment and never changes, including across reschedules. Behind the scenes, rescheduling replaces the underlying video room: the old room is closed, a new one is created for the new time, and the reschedule confirmation email carries the new direct join link. A direct join link from an earlier email stops working after a reschedule; the portal link keeps working either way.
AI Scribe during telehealth
You can use the AI Scribe during a telehealth consultation from the Consultation view described above. It works exactly like the standalone note editor's scribe — audio streams live to Deepgram and a transcript appears as you speak. See AI Scribe for the full breakdown and how consent is captured.
Recording
Qliva does not record video calls. No video or audio is stored on Qliva's servers. If the AI Scribe is active, it streams audio from your microphone to Deepgram for live transcription — the transcript is stored as part of the consult note, but no video recording is made.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Camera/microphone not working | Check browser permissions — look for the camera icon in the address bar |
| Patient can't join | Confirm they're using a supported browser and the link hasn't expired |
| Poor call quality | Ask both sides to close other browser tabs and check their internet connection |
| Link not appearing | Confirm the appointment type has the telehealth flag enabled (admin setting) |