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CHA Telehealth

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Note: You must be physically in Massachusetts at the time of your telehealth visit. If you are not, please call your clinic to reschedule.

Depending on your insurance plan, you may also have a co-pay or deductible for your telehealth visit. This is usually the same cost as an in-person visit. Please check with your insurance plan to learn more.

Video Visit Help Line: 617-394-7888 (Monday-Friday, 8 am - 5 pm). Please call at least 24 hours before your visit.

Telehealth allows you to connect with CHA by computer or phone.  

If you need a visit, please call your CHA Care Center directly. We can help decide if an audio, video or in-person visit is best for you. You can also schedule certain types of visits using MyCHArt. Just log in and click "Schedule an Appointment".

How to Use Telehealth:
  • Video Visits Using Mend

    Most telehealth visits at CHA now use Mend, a secure, easy-to-use video platform.

    Mend lets you join your visit from a computer, phone or other device. 

    Smartphone or tablet:

    • Look for a text from CHA 30 minutes before your visit.
    • Click the Mend link in the text when it is time for your appointment. Then enter your date of birth. 
    • When you join your visit you will enter our virtual Welcome Room. Your CHA provider will join you shortly.

    Desktop computer or laptop: 

    • Look for an email from CHA 30 minutes before your visit.
    • Click the “join visit” button when it is time for your appointment and then enter your date of birth. 
    • When you join your visit you will enter our virtual Welcome Room. Your CHA provider will join you shortly.

    How to use Mend for Video Visits:

    Device requirements - what you need to connect

    You can connect to your CHA video visit with a computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device with a camera, microphone and internet connection. To have the best experience, please read our minimum requirements below.

  • Having Connection Problems with Mend?
    Quick Tips to Troubleshoot Your Video Visit

    Mend Video Visits have a 99% successful connection rate, but we all run into connection issues sometimes. 

    If you're already in a visit and having issues, you may always press the "Need Help?" button on the Mend website or the "Tech Help" button in the Mend App to speak with our live support team. Or, please check out our quick tips below:

    The other person can't hear me

    If the other person in the video visit can't hear you, it's possible they have something wrong with their speakers, but in many cases, there is a microphone or internet connection issue on your side. 

    Note: There is a known issue with iPad and iPhone devices. When answering a phone call, opening a new tab or app, or connecting to a bluetooth device during a video visit your sound may cut out. If this is the case for the other person in the visit, they will need to refresh their browser to hear you. 

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.
    • If you are prompted to "Allow" or "Block" your microphone, make sure to press "Allow!" 

    Tip 2: Test your microphone

    Tip 3: Improve your internet connection

    • If you are using cellular data, switch to WiFi. If no WiFi is available, try positioning yourself near a window for stronger signal.
    • Close any additional windows, tabs, or applications you are not using. 
    • Pay special attention to closing any other video chat applications, such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger. These can cause issues, even if they're just running in the background.
    • If available, try plugging directly into your modem with an ethernet cable for a wired connection.
    • Enable "Resource Optimization Mode" within the video visit by clicking the cog "Settings" icon on the right side of the screen and toggling the Resource Optimization Mode button to the ON position. This will optimize your device's resource consumption for a successful video connection.  

    Tip 4: Full device restart

    • Has it been a while since you last restarted your device? Sometimes a full restart is all it takes. 

    Tip 5: Try a different device

    • Do you have another device equipped with a camera, microphone, and internet you can try? If you are on your computer, try switching to your mobile device or vice versa. 
    I can't hear the other person

    If you can't hear the other person, they may be having an issue with their microphone or internet connection. Or it's possible there is something wrong with the audio output on your device. 

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.

    Note: There is a known issue with iPad and iPhone devices where answering a phone call, opening a new tab or app, or connecting to a bluetooth device during a video visit can cause the sound to cut out. A refresh will resolve this.

    Tip 2: Test your audio

     Tip 3: Let us help

    • If you cannot see the other person but they can hear you, you may want to encourage them to click the "Need Help?" button on the Mend website or the "Tech Help" button in the Mend Telemedicine App so we can help them directly.  
    The other person can't see me

    If the other person in the video visit can't see you, it's possible there is something wrong with their video output, but in most cases, this indicates a camera or internet connection issue on your side. 

    Note: If your internet connection is not strong enough to support a full video visit, Mend will automatically switch you to "audio only" so you can continue the visit without being interrupted while we attempt to recover the video feed. You may also see this called "audio fallback." When this happens, you should also see a chat message from the Mend Bot within the visit with an explanation and tips to resolve.

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.
    • If you are prompted to "Allow" or "Block" your camera, make sure to press "Allow!" 
      • If you are using Safari and you are NOT prompted to allow your camera, please go to "Settings" in your device, search for "Safari," and manually set the camera setting to "Allow." 

    Tip 2: Test your camera

    Tip 3: Improve your internet connection

    • If you are using cellular data, switch to WiFi. If no WiFi is available, try positioning yourself near a window for stronger signal.
    • Close any additional windows, tabs, or applications you are not using. 
    • Pay special attention to closing any other video chat applications, such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger. These can cause issues, even if they're just running in the background.
    • If available, try plugging directly into your modem with an ethernet cable for a wired connection.
    • Enable "Resource Optimization Mode" within the video visit by clicking the cog "Settings" icon on the right side of the screen and toggling the Resource Optimization Mode button to the ON position. This will optimize your device's resource consumption for a successful video connection.  

    Tip 4: Full device restart

    • Has it been a while since you last restarted your device? Sometimes a full restart is all it takes. 

    Tip 5: Try a different device

    • Do you have another device equipped with a camera, microphone, and internet you can try? If you are on your computer, try switching to your mobile device or vice versa. 
    I can't see the other person

    If you can't see the other person, it's possible they may be having an issue with their camera, or they may have a poor internet connection. 

    You should always see the other user in your visit if they are successfully connected to the visit. But you may sometimes see the following instead:

    • Red "Exit" Symbol: The user is still connected, but they have navigated to another screen on their device.
    • Green Audio Symbol: When five or more users are connected to a group video visit, their video feed will be suspended for in mobile view to conserve bandwidth.
      • If Active Speaker is OFF, you can select a user's initials to bring their complete video feed to the center of your screen.
      • If Active Speaker is ON, this will happen automatically when each user begins speaking.
    • Red Crossed-Out Camera: The user has intentionally disabled their camera.
    • Black Screen: The user's internet quality is poor or fluctuating, so Mend has dropped their feed to "audio only" while we attempt to recover their video feed. This is called "audio fallback," and it is an intentional feature to allow you to continue the session while we attempt to recover the video feed. When this happens, you should also see a chat message from the Mend Bot with an explanation and tips to resolve.

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.

     Tip 2: Let us help

    • If the other person can hear you, you may want to encourage them to click the "Need Help?" button on the Mend website or the "Tech Help" button in the Mend Telemedicine App so we can help them directly.  
    I hear an echo or feedback

    Echo can be caused by internet connection strength or by the interaction between your microphone and audio output.

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.

    Tip 2: Check your audio

    • An echo can occur when if microphone is picking up sound from your speakers. Try turning down the volume or connecting headphones to your device to see if this is causing the issue. 

    Tip 3: Improve your internet connection

    • If you are using cellular data, switch to WiFi. If no WiFi is available, try positioning yourself near a window for stronger signal.
    • Close any additional windows, tabs, or applications you are not using. 
    • Pay special attention to closing any other video chat applications, such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger. These can cause issues, even if they're just running in the background.
    • If available, try plugging directly into your modem with an ethernet cable for a wired connection.
    The video is lagging or freezing

    Video lag or freezing is caused by poor or fluctuating internet connection on one or both sides of the visit. Mend accommodates for this in most cases by switching to "audio only" when internet connection is poor, however you may still occasionally have some video-related issues as we attempt to recover the video feed. 

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.

    Tip 2: Improve your internet connection

    • If you are using cellular data, switch to WiFi. If no WiFi is available, try positioning yourself near a window for stronger signal.
    • Close any additional windows, tabs, or applications you are not using. 
    • Pay special attention to closing any other video chat applications, such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger. These can cause issues, even if they're just running in the background.
    • If available, try plugging directly into your modem with an ethernet cable for a wired connection.
    I got disconnected

    That's okay! Unless the appointment is checked out by the provider, the secure link and/or access code for your appointment that you used to join the first time is still active. You may re-join the same way you entered the visit. 

    Tip 1: Try a refresh

    • Refresh (sometimes called reload) your web browser by clicking the circular arrow next to the address bar. Additional ways to refresh your web browser include:
      • On a Windows computer, press the "F5" key on your keyboard.
      • On a Mac computer, press and briefly hold the "⌘ Cmd" and "R" keys on your keyboard.
      • On most mobile web browsers, touch near the top of the screen and "pull down." 
    • If you are using the Mend Telemedicine App on a mobile device, close the app and re-open it, then join your visit again.

    Tip 2: Improve your internet connection

    • If you are using cellular data, switch to WiFi. If no WiFi is available, try positioning yourself near a window for stronger signal.
    • Close any additional windows, tabs, or applications you are not using. 
    • Pay special attention to closing any other video chat applications, such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger. These can cause issues, even if they're just running in the background.
    • If available, try plugging directly into your modem with an ethernet cable for a wired connection.
  • Group Telehealth Visits

    CHA group visits are led by a group leader on video. Patients can join these visits using a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a camera and microphone.

    Consent Forms

    All group members are asked to complete a consent form before joining the group - english, spanish, creole, portuguese

    Group Visits by Department
  • Tele-Dermatology Guide

    Our Tele-Dermatology service lets you send a picture of your skin to our Dermatologists through MyChart.

    Please review our patient guide (PDF) to get the most from Tele-Dermatology.

    Remember to get a referral from your primary care team before asking for a Tele-Derm consult.

  • Using eCheck-in Before Your Visit

    If you have a MyCHArt account, you can now use eCheck-in to review and update your information before you come for an in-person visit.

    Your visit will be safer, and you can save time at the registration window when you arrive!

    eCheck-in User Guide: English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

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