Digital consent forms are consent documents your clients read and sign online, in place of paper, before or during care. The client signs with an electronic signature, such as a typed name, a drawn signature, or a checked box, and the signed form goes into their record. Each form records one decision, such as agreeing to a service, to telehealth, or to the use of their photos.
The form documents a conversation. The American Medical Association describes informed consent as communication that ends in the patient's agreement to a specific intervention, and says the conversation and the decision should be documented in the record (AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.1). Federal law says a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)), and defines an electronic signature as one made with the intent to sign (15 U.S.C. § 7006).
This guide covers the consent forms a health and wellness practice uses with its own clients: therapy, telehealth, aesthetics, and functional medicine. Consent for research studies runs under separate rules and sits outside its scope.
This guide is not legal advice. Consent requirements change by state, by license, and by service, so have a health care attorney in your state review every form before a client signs it.
A practice needs one consent form for each decision a client makes about their care or their information. The table below lists the common ones, what each records, and where its rules come from.
| Form | What it records | Where the rules come from |
|---|---|---|
| Informed consent to treatment or services | The client understood what you will do, the risks, benefits, and alternatives, and agreed | Professional ethics codes and state law (AMA Opinion 2.1.1) |
| Notice of privacy practices acknowledgment | The client received your HIPAA privacy notice | HIPAA, for covered direct treatment providers (45 CFR § 164.520) |
| HIPAA authorization | Permission to use or share health information for a purpose HIPAA does not already allow, such as marketing | HIPAA (45 CFR § 164.508) |
| Telehealth consent | The client agreed to receive care by video or phone and understood how that differs from in-person care | State law (HHS telehealth guidance) |
| Communication consent | How the client agreed to be contacted, including unencrypted email | Your privacy practices (is email HIPAA compliant?) |
| Financial and cancellation policy | Fees, payment terms, card on file, and no-show rules | Your own policies |
| Photo consent | Permission to take clinical photos and, separately, to use them outside the record | HIPAA, where it applies, plus state law |
| Waiver or assumption of risk | The client accepted the risks of an activity (Practice Better template) | State law |
Two rows depend on whether HIPAA applies to your practice. If you are a covered entity that treats clients directly, you make a good-faith effort to get a written acknowledgment of your privacy notice, and any authorization must carry the elements HIPAA lists. If you are unsure whether HIPAA applies to you, settle that first, since it changes which forms you need. Practice Better's guide to understanding HIPAA compliance for health and wellness professionals covers who HIPAA applies to.
An informed consent form covers what the service is, why you recommend it, what could go wrong, what the client could do instead, and the client's decision. The AMA lists the information a physician should share: the diagnosis when known, the nature and purpose of the recommended intervention, and the burdens, risks, and expected benefits of every option, including forgoing treatment (AMA Opinion 2.1.1).
The same opinion asks the physician to check that the patient can understand the information and decide freely. Your note is where you show it: record that you discussed the form, that the client asked questions, and what they decided.
If your license comes with its own ethics code, that code sets the content for your discipline. The sections below show what that looks like for therapy, telehealth, aesthetics, and functional medicine.
A therapy consent form covers the nature of your services, your qualifications, fees, and the limits of confidentiality. The American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, standard A.2.b, lists what counselors explain to clients (ACA Code of Ethics):
Psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists follow their own ethics codes, which cover overlapping ground. Use the code that matches your license.
A telehealth consent form covers everything your in-person consent covers, plus the risks and logistics of care at a distance. HHS tells providers that a majority of states require informed consent before treatment by telehealth, and that the consent can be documented in writing or electronically before the appointment, or recorded verbally at the start of each session (HHS telehealth guidance). If a caregiver or another provider joins the call, HHS says that person must consent too.
The ACA Code of Ethics, standard H.2.a, lists what to add for distance counseling (ACA Code of Ethics):
The HHS page adds privacy steps worth putting in the form: ask the client to find a private, quiet place for the session, suggest headphones, and explain what information you do and do not have access to, such as the electronic medical record or your state's prescription drug monitoring program.
An aesthetics consent form covers the specific procedure and, as its own section, consent for photographs. The procedure section follows the same informed consent structure as any treatment: what the procedure is, why it is being done, its risks and expected benefits, and the alternatives, including not having it (AMA Opinion 2.1.1). Write one consent per procedure type so each one names its own risks.
Photos carry their own rules. Under HIPAA, full face photographic images and any comparable images count as identifiers (45 CFR § 164.514(b)(2)), and using health information for marketing requires the client's written authorization (45 CFR § 164.508(a)(3)). If HIPAA applies to your practice, a before-and-after photo on your website or social media needs that authorization. Keep photo consent in two parts, one for clinical photos in the record and one for any use outside it, so a client can agree to the first without agreeing to the second.
A HIPAA authorization has required parts. It must describe the information, name who discloses it and who receives it, state each purpose, carry an expiration date or event, and include the client's signature and date. It must also tell the client they can revoke it in writing, whether you condition treatment on it, and that a recipient could share the information again (45 CFR § 164.508(c)).
A functional medicine consent form covers your approach, any testing you order, the products or protocols you recommend, and how payment works. Practice Better's guide to switching to a cash-based functional medicine practice tells practitioners to confirm the legal requirements that apply to them, get express written consent from clients where needed, and consult a licensed attorney because requirements vary by location and credentials (switching to a cash-based functional medicine practice).
The same guide notes that keeping a client's credit card on file requires their consent to store it. In a cash-based practice, that makes the financial policy and card authorization part of the consent packet.
For the treatment consent itself, use the AMA structure above. Name the testing and protocols you use as interventions, with their purpose, risks, expected benefits, and alternatives, so the client agrees to each one with the information in front of them.
Yes, with limits. Federal law and the state version of the same rule both say a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, and HHS applies that to HIPAA authorizations.
Here is what each source says:
Three practical points follow. Get the client's agreement to sign electronically at the start of the packet. Have each client sign from their own login, so the signature traces back to them. Keep the signed record where you can produce it later.
An e-signature on a digital consent form works in four steps: the client signs in, reads the form, takes a deliberate signing action, and the signed form is saved to their record with a copy for them. Each step maps to a legal point above.
Copy this structure and replace every bracketed field. Keep one template per service type, and have an attorney review the finished wording before you use it.
1. Practice details. [Practice name], [practitioner name and credentials], [license number and state, if licensed], [address or "telehealth only"], [phone and secure message contact].
2. Agreement to sign electronically. "I agree to receive and sign these documents electronically. I can ask for a paper copy at any time by contacting [contact]."
3. The service. [Name of service or procedure]. [What it involves, in plain language]. [How many sessions or visits, and how long each one runs].
4. Purpose and expected benefits. [Why you recommend it and what the client can expect from it].
5. Risks and discomforts. [Each known risk, in plain language].
6. Alternatives. [Other options, including choosing no treatment].
7. Confidentiality and its limits. [Who sees the record], [when you are required to share information], [how supervisors or team members are involved].
8. Telehealth terms, if you offer video or phone sessions. [Platform], [what happens if the connection drops], [emergency plan], [response time for messages].
9. Financial terms. [Fees], [payment timing], [card on file], [cancellation and no-show policy].
10. Communication preferences. [Channels the client agrees to, including whether they accept unencrypted email].
11. The client's rights. "I can ask questions at any time. I can refuse or stop the service at any time and will be told what that means for my care."
12. Signature. [Client name], [signature], [date]. [Parent, guardian, or representative name, relationship, signature, and date, where one applies]. [Practitioner signature and date, if you countersign].
Photo consent and any HIPAA authorization go on separate forms, because each needs its own elements and its own signature.
You set up digital consent forms in seven steps, from listing what each service needs to keeping the signed copy.
For the intake questions that sit alongside these forms, see client intake forms: what to include and how to build one.
In Practice Better, you collect consent with a disclaimer or a form attached to your bookings page, so clients consent before their first session or before they are formally entered in your system (collecting consent ahead of sessions). Disclaimers attach to services, packages, and programs, and clients check a box to accept them before they can complete a booking. Forms and waivers can require the client's signature, and once signed, you have a copy on file and the client has a copy too.
The form builder includes a client signature block, and you can pre-sign an agreement before sending it to your client for their electronic signature (legal basics for health coaches and holistic practitioners). You can require forms before a client books a service or program, or send them after a booking is confirmed. Client service agreements can be signed digitally by both you and your client from the Practice Better portal or the Better smartphone app (legal considerations for your online program).
To start a form, use a template or the AI Form Builder. Every Practice Better pricing plan includes full access to the form and note template library, which includes an Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability template, and added templates appear under My Practice in "Forms & Waivers" (Practice Better templates). The AI Form Builder drafts a form or waiver from a short description, is included on all paid plans, and Practice Better asks you to review the output for accuracy and compliance with your local regulatory body before publishing (Practice Better AI). You can add your brand to forms and waivers (branding).
For telehealth, you can set up pre-session intake forms that clients complete before the call (telehealth). You sign your business associate agreement directly from your practitioner portal (top features of a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform).
{{intake-questionnaire}}
An e-consent form is a consent form a client reads and signs electronically, on a phone, tablet, or computer. The content matches a paper form. The signature is an electronic one: a typed name, a drawn signature, or a click, made with the intent to sign (15 U.S.C. § 7006).
Start from a template for the service, fill in the purpose, what the service involves, its risks, benefits, and alternatives, your confidentiality limits, and your policies, then add a signature and date block. Have a health care attorney in your state review it before clients sign it.
Yes, with limits. A signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)), and HHS accepts electronic HIPAA authorizations when the e-signature is valid under applicable law (HHS HIPAA FAQ). The conditions are in the e-signature section of this guide. Confirm your state's rules with an attorney.
HHS telehealth guidance says informed consent can be documented in writing or electronically before the appointment, or recorded verbally at the start of each session (HHS telehealth guidance). Check your state's rules for how long a signed telehealth consent stays valid.
A consent form records that the client understood a service, including its risks, benefits, and alternatives, and agreed to it. A waiver shifts responsibility for certain risks to the client, who agrees to accept them (legal considerations for your online program). Which one fits a given service is a legal question for your state.
They should. HIPAA requires a covered entity to give the client a copy of any signed authorization it asks for (45 CFR § 164.508(c)(4)), and giving a copy of every signed consent keeps you and your client working from the same document.
Pick the forms each service needs from the table above, build them from the template, and have your attorney review the wording. Then attach them to booking so every client arrives with consent already on file.
Start a free trial of Practice Better to build consent forms with signature blocks and attach them to your bookings page.
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
Digital consent forms are consent documents your clients read and sign online, in place of paper, before or during care. The client signs with an electronic signature, such as a typed name, a drawn signature, or a checked box, and the signed form goes into their record. Each form records one decision, such as agreeing to a service, to telehealth, or to the use of their photos.
The form documents a conversation. The American Medical Association describes informed consent as communication that ends in the patient's agreement to a specific intervention, and says the conversation and the decision should be documented in the record (AMA Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 2.1.1). Federal law says a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)), and defines an electronic signature as one made with the intent to sign (15 U.S.C. § 7006).
This guide covers the consent forms a health and wellness practice uses with its own clients: therapy, telehealth, aesthetics, and functional medicine. Consent for research studies runs under separate rules and sits outside its scope.
This guide is not legal advice. Consent requirements change by state, by license, and by service, so have a health care attorney in your state review every form before a client signs it.
A practice needs one consent form for each decision a client makes about their care or their information. The table below lists the common ones, what each records, and where its rules come from.
| Form | What it records | Where the rules come from |
|---|---|---|
| Informed consent to treatment or services | The client understood what you will do, the risks, benefits, and alternatives, and agreed | Professional ethics codes and state law (AMA Opinion 2.1.1) |
| Notice of privacy practices acknowledgment | The client received your HIPAA privacy notice | HIPAA, for covered direct treatment providers (45 CFR § 164.520) |
| HIPAA authorization | Permission to use or share health information for a purpose HIPAA does not already allow, such as marketing | HIPAA (45 CFR § 164.508) |
| Telehealth consent | The client agreed to receive care by video or phone and understood how that differs from in-person care | State law (HHS telehealth guidance) |
| Communication consent | How the client agreed to be contacted, including unencrypted email | Your privacy practices (is email HIPAA compliant?) |
| Financial and cancellation policy | Fees, payment terms, card on file, and no-show rules | Your own policies |
| Photo consent | Permission to take clinical photos and, separately, to use them outside the record | HIPAA, where it applies, plus state law |
| Waiver or assumption of risk | The client accepted the risks of an activity (Practice Better template) | State law |
Two rows depend on whether HIPAA applies to your practice. If you are a covered entity that treats clients directly, you make a good-faith effort to get a written acknowledgment of your privacy notice, and any authorization must carry the elements HIPAA lists. If you are unsure whether HIPAA applies to you, settle that first, since it changes which forms you need. Practice Better's guide to understanding HIPAA compliance for health and wellness professionals covers who HIPAA applies to.
An informed consent form covers what the service is, why you recommend it, what could go wrong, what the client could do instead, and the client's decision. The AMA lists the information a physician should share: the diagnosis when known, the nature and purpose of the recommended intervention, and the burdens, risks, and expected benefits of every option, including forgoing treatment (AMA Opinion 2.1.1).
The same opinion asks the physician to check that the patient can understand the information and decide freely. Your note is where you show it: record that you discussed the form, that the client asked questions, and what they decided.
If your license comes with its own ethics code, that code sets the content for your discipline. The sections below show what that looks like for therapy, telehealth, aesthetics, and functional medicine.
A therapy consent form covers the nature of your services, your qualifications, fees, and the limits of confidentiality. The American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, standard A.2.b, lists what counselors explain to clients (ACA Code of Ethics):
Psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists follow their own ethics codes, which cover overlapping ground. Use the code that matches your license.
A telehealth consent form covers everything your in-person consent covers, plus the risks and logistics of care at a distance. HHS tells providers that a majority of states require informed consent before treatment by telehealth, and that the consent can be documented in writing or electronically before the appointment, or recorded verbally at the start of each session (HHS telehealth guidance). If a caregiver or another provider joins the call, HHS says that person must consent too.
The ACA Code of Ethics, standard H.2.a, lists what to add for distance counseling (ACA Code of Ethics):
The HHS page adds privacy steps worth putting in the form: ask the client to find a private, quiet place for the session, suggest headphones, and explain what information you do and do not have access to, such as the electronic medical record or your state's prescription drug monitoring program.
An aesthetics consent form covers the specific procedure and, as its own section, consent for photographs. The procedure section follows the same informed consent structure as any treatment: what the procedure is, why it is being done, its risks and expected benefits, and the alternatives, including not having it (AMA Opinion 2.1.1). Write one consent per procedure type so each one names its own risks.
Photos carry their own rules. Under HIPAA, full face photographic images and any comparable images count as identifiers (45 CFR § 164.514(b)(2)), and using health information for marketing requires the client's written authorization (45 CFR § 164.508(a)(3)). If HIPAA applies to your practice, a before-and-after photo on your website or social media needs that authorization. Keep photo consent in two parts, one for clinical photos in the record and one for any use outside it, so a client can agree to the first without agreeing to the second.
A HIPAA authorization has required parts. It must describe the information, name who discloses it and who receives it, state each purpose, carry an expiration date or event, and include the client's signature and date. It must also tell the client they can revoke it in writing, whether you condition treatment on it, and that a recipient could share the information again (45 CFR § 164.508(c)).
A functional medicine consent form covers your approach, any testing you order, the products or protocols you recommend, and how payment works. Practice Better's guide to switching to a cash-based functional medicine practice tells practitioners to confirm the legal requirements that apply to them, get express written consent from clients where needed, and consult a licensed attorney because requirements vary by location and credentials (switching to a cash-based functional medicine practice).
The same guide notes that keeping a client's credit card on file requires their consent to store it. In a cash-based practice, that makes the financial policy and card authorization part of the consent packet.
For the treatment consent itself, use the AMA structure above. Name the testing and protocols you use as interventions, with their purpose, risks, expected benefits, and alternatives, so the client agrees to each one with the information in front of them.
Yes, with limits. Federal law and the state version of the same rule both say a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic, and HHS applies that to HIPAA authorizations.
Here is what each source says:
Three practical points follow. Get the client's agreement to sign electronically at the start of the packet. Have each client sign from their own login, so the signature traces back to them. Keep the signed record where you can produce it later.
An e-signature on a digital consent form works in four steps: the client signs in, reads the form, takes a deliberate signing action, and the signed form is saved to their record with a copy for them. Each step maps to a legal point above.
Copy this structure and replace every bracketed field. Keep one template per service type, and have an attorney review the finished wording before you use it.
1. Practice details. [Practice name], [practitioner name and credentials], [license number and state, if licensed], [address or "telehealth only"], [phone and secure message contact].
2. Agreement to sign electronically. "I agree to receive and sign these documents electronically. I can ask for a paper copy at any time by contacting [contact]."
3. The service. [Name of service or procedure]. [What it involves, in plain language]. [How many sessions or visits, and how long each one runs].
4. Purpose and expected benefits. [Why you recommend it and what the client can expect from it].
5. Risks and discomforts. [Each known risk, in plain language].
6. Alternatives. [Other options, including choosing no treatment].
7. Confidentiality and its limits. [Who sees the record], [when you are required to share information], [how supervisors or team members are involved].
8. Telehealth terms, if you offer video or phone sessions. [Platform], [what happens if the connection drops], [emergency plan], [response time for messages].
9. Financial terms. [Fees], [payment timing], [card on file], [cancellation and no-show policy].
10. Communication preferences. [Channels the client agrees to, including whether they accept unencrypted email].
11. The client's rights. "I can ask questions at any time. I can refuse or stop the service at any time and will be told what that means for my care."
12. Signature. [Client name], [signature], [date]. [Parent, guardian, or representative name, relationship, signature, and date, where one applies]. [Practitioner signature and date, if you countersign].
Photo consent and any HIPAA authorization go on separate forms, because each needs its own elements and its own signature.
You set up digital consent forms in seven steps, from listing what each service needs to keeping the signed copy.
For the intake questions that sit alongside these forms, see client intake forms: what to include and how to build one.
In Practice Better, you collect consent with a disclaimer or a form attached to your bookings page, so clients consent before their first session or before they are formally entered in your system (collecting consent ahead of sessions). Disclaimers attach to services, packages, and programs, and clients check a box to accept them before they can complete a booking. Forms and waivers can require the client's signature, and once signed, you have a copy on file and the client has a copy too.
The form builder includes a client signature block, and you can pre-sign an agreement before sending it to your client for their electronic signature (legal basics for health coaches and holistic practitioners). You can require forms before a client books a service or program, or send them after a booking is confirmed. Client service agreements can be signed digitally by both you and your client from the Practice Better portal or the Better smartphone app (legal considerations for your online program).
To start a form, use a template or the AI Form Builder. Every Practice Better pricing plan includes full access to the form and note template library, which includes an Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability template, and added templates appear under My Practice in "Forms & Waivers" (Practice Better templates). The AI Form Builder drafts a form or waiver from a short description, is included on all paid plans, and Practice Better asks you to review the output for accuracy and compliance with your local regulatory body before publishing (Practice Better AI). You can add your brand to forms and waivers (branding).
For telehealth, you can set up pre-session intake forms that clients complete before the call (telehealth). You sign your business associate agreement directly from your practitioner portal (top features of a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform).
{{intake-questionnaire}}
An e-consent form is a consent form a client reads and signs electronically, on a phone, tablet, or computer. The content matches a paper form. The signature is an electronic one: a typed name, a drawn signature, or a click, made with the intent to sign (15 U.S.C. § 7006).
Start from a template for the service, fill in the purpose, what the service involves, its risks, benefits, and alternatives, your confidentiality limits, and your policies, then add a signature and date block. Have a health care attorney in your state review it before clients sign it.
Yes, with limits. A signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)), and HHS accepts electronic HIPAA authorizations when the e-signature is valid under applicable law (HHS HIPAA FAQ). The conditions are in the e-signature section of this guide. Confirm your state's rules with an attorney.
HHS telehealth guidance says informed consent can be documented in writing or electronically before the appointment, or recorded verbally at the start of each session (HHS telehealth guidance). Check your state's rules for how long a signed telehealth consent stays valid.
A consent form records that the client understood a service, including its risks, benefits, and alternatives, and agreed to it. A waiver shifts responsibility for certain risks to the client, who agrees to accept them (legal considerations for your online program). Which one fits a given service is a legal question for your state.
They should. HIPAA requires a covered entity to give the client a copy of any signed authorization it asks for (45 CFR § 164.508(c)(4)), and giving a copy of every signed consent keeps you and your client working from the same document.
Pick the forms each service needs from the table above, build them from the template, and have your attorney review the wording. Then attach them to booking so every client arrives with consent already on file.
Start a free trial of Practice Better to build consent forms with signature blocks and attach them to your bookings page.
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
