Identity verification is Headway's version of the front-desk ID check every in-person practice already does for patients and providers. Each person takes a picture of a government-issued ID and then a brief live photo (moving their head side to side confirms a real person is completing it). It takes 2–3 minutes and is done once, valid until the ID expires.
Who in your practice is required to complete identity verification
Identity verification is rolling out in phases:
Patients of prescribers in your practice — starting June 24, existing adult patients of prescribers will see the option to verify voluntarily. Patients of talk therapists in your practice are not currently in scope.
- All providers in your practice — both prescribing and non-prescribing providers will be required to complete their own identity verification. You'll receive a separate notification when this phase begins for your group.
Why we do this
Telehealth practices are targets for real, documented fraud: stolen provider NPIs used to bill insurance, patients seeking controlled substances under borrowed identities, and AI tools that can impersonate a real person on a video call. For a group, one unverified provider or patient is a liability for the whole practice.
What this does for your practice: every verified provider and patient gives you documented, tamper-evident proof of identity, and your admin dashboard shows practice-wide status in one place. No single regulation requires this today, but the direction is clear, and building it now means your practice isn't scrambling under a deadline later.
What's stored: Verification runs through a HIPAA-compliant identity partner. ID and live photos are used only to verify identity. Headway keeps a limited, encrypted identity record with every access logged. You'll see verification status in your dashboard — not your providers' or patients' ID documents.
Your role as a group administrator
You're the primary point of contact for your practice during provider verification, and the person your team will ask "why are we doing this?" The short answer: it's the telehealth equivalent of the ID check at a front desk, it protects the practice's billing integrity, and it gives every provider an investigation- or audit-ready identity record. Here's what your role involves:
- For patient identity verification: Headway notifies patients directly. You don't need to initiate the process — but you can monitor completion across your practice and support providers in following up with patients who haven't verified.
- For provider identity verification: Your providers will not receive a separate notification from Headway. You will have a tool to send a link to the identity verification flow to providers in your practice with a verification requirement, as well as monitor their status.
What you'll see in your admin dashboard
Patient identity verification status
Patient verification status is managed on your 'Clients' tab. Just like missing paperwork or billing information, incomplete identity verification will trigger the "Attention needed" badge next to the client name on the Clients tab of your dashboard. Click on any client to see what issues require addressing.
Provider identity verification status
Once provider identity verification begins for your practice, you can see the status for providers in your practice from the 'Manage team' tab of your dashboard. If identity verification is incomplete for a provider, they will have one of the following badges next to their name:
- ID verification not sent: shows if the identity verification link hasn't been sent yet
- ID verification in progress: shows if identity verification request has been sent, but not completed
- ID verification past due: shows if identity verification hasn't been completed by due date
- ID verification failed: shows if identity verification failed; this may require technical troubleshooting with our support team
Communicating identity verification to your team
When provider identity verification begins, your admin dashboard will have a notice at the top of the 'Manage team' tab letting you know. From that tab, you can click the 'Send link to providers' button to go through a flow to confirm email addresses and send a bulk identity verification notice to your providers. The notice includes a link that providers can use to complete identity verification without ever logging into a Headway portal.
What happens if a patient doesn't complete identity verification
Patient enforcement depends on how the appointment was booked:
- If the patient booked the appointment: identity verification must be complete before the provider's cancellation window, or the appointment will be automatically canceled. The patient can rebook once verification is complete.
- If the provider or admin booked the appointment: identity verification must be complete for the provider to confirm the session. The provider can walk the patient through the verification process during the session if needed.
What happens if a provider doesn't complete identity verification
If a provider hasn't verified by their deadline, they may be unable to confirm sessions with patients on Headway until they do. Completing verification restores access immediately — it takes 2–3 minutes, and you can resend the link from the Manage team tab.
Troubleshooting common issues
For assistance resolving common identity verification errors for your providers or your clients, please see this article in our client Help center.
Still need help? Contact Headway support with a description of the issue you or your team is facing.