Using Headway Telehealth

Updated

Upgraded Headway Telehealth, powered by Zoom

We're upgrading Headway Telehealth's video platform, powered by Zoom. You'll move to the new experience in stages — no action needed on your part.

How to tell if you have the upgraded experience

Check your session for these two signs:

  • A waiting room where you click Allow to admit your client
  • A new call screen with a three-dot menu for background blur

Rolling out in stages, not all at once. You don't need to do anything to get the upgraded experience — it'll appear on your account automatically as your stage comes up.

Headway Telehealth is our free, HIPAA and BAA-compliant video platform for virtual sessions — no client logins, downloads, or setup. Below, you'll find how to join, what you can do in a session, and how to fix the most common issues

What's new: Headway Telehealth powered by Zoom

Headway Telehealth now runs on Zoom's video technology. You'll notice a more intuitive design, sharper video, clearer audio, and steadier connections, especially on slower networks. Headway Telehealth is still fully integrated within the EHR.

  • Nothing to install, buy, or set up for you or your clients. You will automatically see a new look when you join your next telehealth session
  • Same calendar, same Join session button, still free
  • Booking, billing, notes, and Scribe work exactly as they did

Your client may hold two different session links for about a day when your practice switches over. Sessions more than about 30 hours away get a new link right away. Anything sooner keeps the link your client already has. Both links work, so your client can use whichever reminder they have — there's no need to resend anything.

Please note: this article covers features that we are in the process of rolling out to our providers. If you don't see these features just yet, you should soon! In the meantime, you can follow our existing telehealth guidance.

 

Before your session

For the best experience, you'll want:

  • A computer, tablet, or smartphone running the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — on a phone or tablet, Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS work best
    • Some browsers are incompatible with Zoom: DuckDuckGo, Opera and Samsung Internet
  • A stable, secure internet connection
  • A working webcam and microphone

Testing your setup (providers)

  1. Navigate to Settings and select Telehealth and offices
  2. Allow browser permissions for camera and microphone when prompted
  3. Check that your device volume is turned up
  4. Test with the same device and location you plan to use for your session

 

Joining your session

As a provider

From your calendar

  1. In Sigmund, go to your Calendar
  2. Click into the session you'd like to join
  3. 15 minutes before the scheduled time, a Join session button appears
  4. Click it to launch the session
  5. A waiting room is on for every Headway Telehealth session. When you're ready, click Allow to admit your client.

From email

  1. Open your daily reminder email listing your scheduled sessions
  2. Click the link for the session you want to join

You'll be prompted to log into your Headway account if you haven't logged in within the last 7 days.

 

As a client

From your email

  1. Find your most recent session reminder — email 1 to 3 days before your session, or text 1 hour before
  2. Click Join session
  3. The session opens in your browser

From the Appointments page

  1. Log in to your Headway account
  2. Go to the Appointments tab
  3. Find your upcoming session at the top of the page
  4. Click Join session, available 15 minutes before your appointment

 

What you can do in a session

Managing entry and audio

Waiting room. Every Headway Telehealth session has a waiting room, and it works like a door knock: your client waits outside until you let them in, so nobody drops into a session already in progress. When you're ready, click Allow to admit them. You admit each person individually.

Join and leave sounds. Headway Telehealth doesn't play a chime when someone joins or leaves. You'll see your client arrive in the waiting room instead, and the session timer starts when you admit them.

Camera and microphone

  • Click the camera icon to turn your video on or off
  • Click the microphone icon to mute or unmute
  • You can turn on noise suppression by: 
    • Click your profile picture and click Settings
      • Select the Audio tab
      • Under Microphone modes, select “Noise removal (default)”

Screen sharing

  1. Click Share screen
  2. Choose the screen, window, or tab you want to show
  3. Click Share
  4. When you're finished, click Stop sharing at the bottom of the screen

Background blur

  1. Join your session
  2. Click the three-dots menu
  3. Choose Blur or pick a virtual background

Session timer

Once your client has joined, look for the clock pill in the video window — top-left on desktop, bottom-right on mobile. Click it to see how long you've been in session, counting up from when your client joined.

Three things work differently on a phone or tablet

You can't send a shared screen, use a blurred or virtual background, or send 1080p video from a mobile device. Receiving a shared screen works normally. If you need to share your screen, join from a computer.

 

Getting AI-assisted notes from your session

Scribe, Headway's AI note assistant, can listen to your one-on-one Headway Telehealth session and draft your progress note for you to review, edit, and sign. It's included at no extra cost, and your client is asked for consent before transcription starts.

Using the Session Prep Sidebar

The Session Prep Sidebar gives you a snapshot of your next client before you walk into a session, so you're not digging through a long last-session note or relying on memory between back-to-back appointments. It opens automatically when you join a Headway Telehealth session.

For what it shows and how to use it, see using the Session Prep Sidebar.

What Headway Telehealth doesn't do

Here's the rundown of the things providers ask for most, and what to do today:

What you might want Where things stand
One permanent link your clients can bookmark [Coming soon] Each session has its own link, and it reaches your client automatically in their reminders and on their Appointments page. If you ever need to send it yourself, there's a Copy link button — see the questions at the end of this page.
A second person joining from another location — couples, family, or group sessions Headway Telehealth supports one-on-one sessions. For sessions with more than one participant, use your own telehealth platform.
A whiteboard or drawing tools Not part of Headway Telehealth. Share your screen to show a document or work through something together.
In-session chat Not part of Headway Telehealth.
A video or audio recording you can download and keep Headway Telehealth doesn't give you a recording to keep. If you use Scribe, it drafts your note from the session and no audio or video recording is retained.
Your own video platform instead Supported — see provider telehealth settings below.

 

Fixing common issues

Your video isn't working

Try these in order, and retry your video after each one:

  1. Toggle your camera off and back on with the camera icon
  2. Close other applications that may be using your camera, like FaceTime, Teams, or another Zoom call
  3. Confirm your browser permissions are set to allow camera and microphone
  4. Try a different browser — if Chrome isn't working, try Safari, Firefox, or Edge
  5. Fully close and reopen your browser
  6. Restart your device

Your connection is unstable

  1. Move closer to your WiFi router
  2. Close bandwidth-heavy applications like video streaming or large downloads
  3. Switch to a wired Ethernet connection if you can, or to mobile data if WiFi is unstable
  4. Restart your router

Your browser says camera or microphone access is denied

  • Chrome: click the lock icon in the address bar → Site settings → allow camera and microphone
  • Firefox: click the shield icon in the address bar → allow camera and microphone
  • Safari on Mac: Safari → Preferences → Websites → Camera and Microphone → set to allow for headway-co.zoom.us
  • iPhone or iPad: Settings → Safari → Camera → Allow, and Microphone → Allow
  • Android: Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → set Camera and Microphone to Allow

Then close any other application using your camera, and restart your browser or try a different one.

You can't hear each other

  1. Check whether you're muted — the microphone icon will have a line through it
  2. Click the gear icon → Audio settings → choose the right microphone and speaker
  3. Adjust your device volume
  4. Use headphones to stop echo
  5. Rejoin the session

A duplicate video tile clears on its own

If your client leaves and rejoins, you may briefly see two tiles for them. The extra one disappears within two to three minutes — there's nothing you need to do.

 

Provider telehealth settings

Switching all your sessions to Headway Telehealth

  1. Navigate to Settings and select Telehealth and offices
  2. Next to Telehealth location options, click Update all telehealth sessions

Sessions booked through your Headway booking link, or by clients searching on Headway, use your telehealth default automatically.

Using your own telehealth platform

  1. Navigate to Settings and select Locations
  2. Select My own telehealth URL
  3. Enter your telehealth URL

As a note, use this setting only if you have one link you use for every session. Your platform needs to be HIPAA compliant and offer a private or waiting room — see telehealth, teletherapy, and virtual sessions for the full requirements.

 

FAQ

Do I need to do anything to switch?

No, and neither do your clients. Session links move to the new experience for you, starting with sessions more than about 30 hours away — see the note at the top of this page for what that means for a client who already has a reminder.

Is there anything I can share with my clients ahead of time?

If you'd prefer to give your clients a heads-up, copy one of these into an email, a portal message, or a text.

Email or portal message

Hi [client first name],

A quick heads-up before our next session: Headway has upgraded its telehealth platform, so our virtual sessions will now be powered by Zoom for more reliable audio and video.

Nothing changes on your end:
— Join from your most recent reminder email or text, as usual
— No Zoom account or download needed; the session opens right in your browser
— Sessions remain private and HIPAA compliant

If your browser asks for permission to use your camera or microphone when you join, just tap Allow.

See you at our next session!

Text message

Quick heads-up: Headway upgraded its video platform, so our next session will be powered by Zoom. Just use your most recent reminder to join — nothing to download, still private and secure. If you're asked for camera or mic access, just tap Allow.

How can my client find their session link?

The same way they do today — it arrives in their email and SMS reminders. To send it yourself:

  1. Open the session from your calendar
  2. Click Copy link in the session details
  3. Send the link to your client by email or text

There's also a Copy link button inside the live session, so you can resend it while you're waiting.

Will my clients get reminders?

Yes. Clients get an email reminder with their telehealth link 1 to 3 days before the appointment, and an SMS reminder 1 hour before the session starts.

Can I use Headway Telehealth on a phone or tablet?

Yes, on smartphones and tablets as well as computers. Chrome on Android and Safari on iOS work best. Three things do work differently on mobile — see what you can do in a session, above.

Is Headway Telehealth HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Headway Telehealth is secure, HIPAA compliant, and designed to protect client privacy.

 

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Disclaimer: This document is for educational purposes only and is not intended as professional or legal advice. It may contain errors or missing information, and recent changes in policies, regulations, or payer requirements may not be reflected. Because requirements vary by organization and jurisdiction, please consult legal counsel, the appropriate regulatory or licensing authority or your designated Headway contact for guidance specific to your situation.

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