Virtual Visits | Frequently Asked Questions

Boston Children’s virtual visit service connects you directly to your child’s clinician through a secure, live-interactive video system. This service allows your child to receive the care he or she needs right from home — or another convenient location. Virtual visits are similar to face-to-face visits — the clinician will review your child’s symptoms, answer questions and discuss next steps.

Virtual visits make it easy to get specialized care. A virtual visit allows you to access care from the comfort of your own home, or any other convenient location, using a mobile device or computer. This helps save you time and travel costs. You can also invite other family members to join virtual visits from another location, making the service especially convenient for busy families.

Virtual visits are billed and paid the same way as regular office visits — either through your insurance or by self-pay. You will still need to pay any applicable copayments for an office visit. If your child needs any testing or labs after the virtual visit, these will be billed separately.

For medication refills, please allow up to three business days for your refill to be processed. If your child’s medication requires a prior authorization, additional time may be needed. To prevent delay, we recommend requesting a prior authorization request two weeks before the expiration.

If you are interested in verifying your insurance coverage, call your insurer and ask the following questions:

1. Do I have a telehealth benefit as part of my member plan?
2. Can telehealth services included in my benefit be provided by my Boston Children’s provider? (NOTE: Some insurers have their own telehealth platform. If you would like to have a telehealth appointment with your Boston Children’s provider, it must be through the hospital’s platform.)
3. Are the following CPT codes that are covered under my plan? Are there any exclusions?

• Medical office return visit: 99211, 99212, 99213, 99214, 99215
• Behavioral health visits: 90791, 90792, 90832, 90833, 90834, 90836, 90837, 90838, 90846, 90847

4. Is there a co-pay associated with my telehealth visit?

A virtual visit is very similar to a regular face-to-face office visit. To begin your visit, you will access a secure video link provided to you. Once in the virtual waiting room, your clinician will be notified and will connect with you through the video system. You’ll be able to interact in real time, share diagrams, review any labs or medications, and communicate just as you normally would in a face-to-face visit. Please note: the patient must be present at the time of the visit unless otherwise noted by your provider.

You can have a virtual visit on any mobile smartphone or tablet such as an iPhone, Android or iPad. If you prefer, you can also use a laptop or PC that has an internet connection and a built-in or attached camera and a speaker/microphone.

After your virtual visit is scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email with a secure link to access your virtual visit. Just follow the instructions in the email to download the software in advance and plan to join your virtual visit 15 minutes before your appointment begins.

Please call your clinician’s office to inquire further about virtual visits or if you need to cancel or reschedule your virtual visit. For technical issues, please call 617-919-4390.

Virtual visits are offered in a majority of clinics at Boston Children's, including primary care appointments. Check out the participating programs list below to see where virtual visits are currently being offered and ask your provider if virtual follow up care might be right for you.

Yes! Boston Children’s Interpreter Services allow for virtual visits in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Armenian, Cambodian, Farsi, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Sign Language, and more!