How to choose a telehealth platform: 12 questions worth asking
The short answer
Feature lists converge; the things that differ are pricing shape, data portability and who owns the patient relationship. Ask what you pay at ten times your current volume, ask to see an export before you sign, and ask whether the patient belongs to you or to the platform. Most of the cost of a wrong choice shows up at the exit, not the entrance.
Pricing: what do you pay at ten times the volume?
Ask for the bill at your current volume and at ten times it. A flat plan gives you the same two numbers. A revenue share gives you two very different ones, and that difference is the real price.
Then ask what is not in the quote: setup, per-prescription fees, per-query fees, charges for extra seats, charges for a custom domain, charges per intake. A platform that cannot price itself in one sentence usually has a reason.
Data: can you leave, and can you prove it?
Ask to see an export of patients, orders and subscriptions, with the refill schedules, during the trial. Not a promise of one. An export that does not carry refill schedules is not portable: a patient mid-treatment cannot be migrated without a gap in their medication.
This is the question that costs the most to ask late, and the one almost nobody asks early.
Who owns the patient relationship?
Whose name is on the emails? Whose domain is the checkout on? If a patient wants to complain, who do they think they are complaining to?
Some platforms put themselves in the middle on purpose. That can be fine, but you should know, because it decides whether you are building a brand or renting traffic.
Compliance: what is actually covered?
Ask whether a signed BAA is included or an upgrade. Ask what happens to protected health information in logs, backups and analytics. Ask who is liable for the marketing copy on the pages you build.
Then ask the uncomfortable one: what has gone wrong for another customer, and what did you do? A platform that has never had an incident has either been lucky or is new.
The twelve, as a list
1. What is the bill at my volume, and at ten times it?
2. What is not in that number?
3. Is there a revenue share or a per-order fee?
4. Can I see a real data export during the trial?
5. Do exports include subscription refill schedules?
6. Whose domain is the checkout on?
7. Whose name is on patient emails?
8. Is a signed BAA included?
9. Which states are covered, and how is that enforced at checkout?
10. Can I bring my own prescribers or pharmacy?
11. What is the support commitment, in hours?
12. What is the notice period, and what happens to my patients if I leave?
Questions
What is the difference between white label and a hosted storefront?
White label means your own domain, no platform branding and patient emails from your domain. A hosted storefront runs on the platform's domain, usually with a small badge.
Should a new brand start on white label?
Usually not. Start on the cheapest plan that lets you find out whether anyone buys, then move when a customer asks why checkout is on another domain.
How long does migrating from another platform take?
The data move is usually a day. The work is mapping products, subscriptions and refill schedules so active patients do not miss a dose.
Does Dispense Flow charge for a custom domain?
No. Custom domains and SSL are included on White Label and Enterprise at no extra charge.