Pennsylvania participates in 4 interstate compacts. If you hold a qualifying license in another member state, you can start practicing in Pennsylvania via compact privilege — often faster and cheaper than full state licensure.
Fee: Compact privilege fee ~$75 per state · Timeline: Typically 1-3 business days
Requirements: Must hold an active, unencumbered PT or PTA license in a member state.
3 Consent
What the patient must agree to before a telehealth visit.
⚖️ Reference information — not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your compliance officer, state licensing board, or a telehealth attorney before relying on this for clinical or business decisions.
Pennsylvania requires informed consent prior to telehealth services. Pennsylvania is a two-party consent state for recording. Audio-only acceptance varies by payer and clinical context.
What providers can and cannot prescribe via telehealth, including DEA-restricted substances.
⚖️ Reference information — not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your compliance officer, state licensing board, or a telehealth attorney before relying on this for clinical or business decisions.
Pennsylvania generally requires in-person evaluation before prescribing Schedule II controlled substances via telehealth. Schedules III-V follow DEA rules with state board oversight.
State-board-specific standard-of-care, recordkeeping, and technology requirements per credential.
⚖️ Reference information — not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your compliance officer, state licensing board, or a telehealth attorney before relying on this for clinical or business decisions.
MD / DO
Pennsylvania Medical Board enforces in-person standard of care for telehealth. Provider-patient relationship can be established via telehealth in most contexts; controlled substance prescribing has additional limits.
Recordkeeping
7 years
Technology requirements
HIPAA-compliant platform with BAA required. Encrypted communications.
Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology applies in-person standard of care to telepsychology. Informed consent specific to remote practice and emergency procedures required.
Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors enforces telehealth standard equivalent to in-person.
HIPAA, BAA, audio-only acceptance, and session-recording rules.
⚖️ Reference information — not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with your compliance officer, state licensing board, or a telehealth attorney before relying on this for clinical or business decisions.
Federal baseline: HIPAA-compliant platform with a signed Business Associate Agreement is required for telehealth. As of February 2026, CMS requires providers to re-verify patient location at every visit. Audio-only telehealth is broadly accepted under federal rules but some states impose stricter requirements (see Consent section for Pennsylvania-specific rules).
What Happens If You Practice Without Authorization
Licensing board action
Treating a patient in Pennsylvania without proper authorization can result in a complaint to your licensing board — in your home state, Pennsylvania, or both. Outcomes range from a warning letter to license suspension.
Insurance claim denial
Payers may deny or claw back reimbursement for sessions where the provider lacked authorization in the patient’s state at the time of service. A signed compliance record gives you a clear answer if a claim is reviewed.
Malpractice coverage gap
Your malpractice policy may exclude coverage for care delivered in a state where you weren’t authorized to practice. If something goes wrong in that session, you could be uninsured.
Know exactly when you can treat a Pennsylvania patient — in real time, every session.
Your license covers where you are. It doesn't cover where your patient is. TeleVerify verifies your provider-to-patient state match before every telehealth session and produces a cryptographically signed compliance record you can show an auditor, insurer, or state board.
✓ Works with Zoom, Doxy.me, SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Jane App — or any other telehealth platform (video or phone)
✓ Tracks all interstate compacts and state-specific registration pathways — auto-updates when rules change
✓ Signed, tamper-evident compliance record for every visit
Frequently asked: telehealth compliance in Pennsylvania
Can I practice telehealth in Pennsylvania without a Pennsylvania license?
In Pennsylvania, providers must hold a valid license in the state where the patient is physically located during the session. Holding a license in another state does not authorize you to treat patients located in Pennsylvania unless you qualify under an interstate compact or a state-specific telehealth registration pathway.
What interstate compacts does Pennsylvania participate in?
Pennsylvania is a member of the following interstate compacts: IMLC, PSYPACT, NLC, PT_COMPACT. Providers with valid privileges under these compacts can practice in Pennsylvania without obtaining a separate Pennsylvania license, subject to active enrollment and good standing.
What are the patient consent requirements for telehealth in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania requires informed consent prior to telehealth services. Pennsylvania is a two-party consent state for recording. Audio-only acceptance varies by payer and clinical context.
Can I prescribe controlled substances via telehealth in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania generally requires in-person evaluation before prescribing Schedule II controlled substances via telehealth. Schedules III-V follow DEA rules with state board oversight.
What are the professional board standards for telehealth in Pennsylvania?
For MD/DO: Pennsylvania Medical Board enforces in-person standard of care for telehealth. Provider-patient relationship can be established via telehealth in most contexts; controlled substance prescribing has additional limits. For PsyD/PhD: Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology applies in-person standard of care to telepsychology. Informed consent specific to remote practice and emergency procedures required. For LCSW/LMFT/LPCC: Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors enforces telehealth standard equivalent to in-person.
What technology and privacy requirements apply to telehealth sessions in Pennsylvania?
Telehealth sessions in Pennsylvania must use HIPAA-compliant video or audio platforms with a signed Business Associate Agreement. Patient location must be verified at the time of each session, since licensure compliance depends on it. Session recording and audio-only acceptability follow state-specific rules (Pennsylvania recording rule: two party consent).