PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING: By scheduling a telehealth consultation through Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards, you confirm that you have read, understood, and voluntarily agreed to the terms of this Consent to Telehealth Services. If you do not agree, please do not proceed with booking.
What Is Telehealth?
Telehealth — also referred to as telemedicine — is the delivery of healthcare services using digital communications technology, where the physician and the patient are in two separate locations and interact in real time. Under Act 44 of 2021, which amended Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16 of 2016), registered Pennsylvania physicians are expressly authorized to conduct patient consultations and issue medical marijuana certifications via synchronous interaction — defined as a real-time, two-way exchange via audio or video conferencing.
Your telehealth evaluation with an independent licensed Pennsylvania physician will be conducted through the Heally telehealth platform via secure video or phone call. The consultation typically lasts between 10 and 20 minutes and follows the same clinical and legal standards as an in-person physician visit.
Who Conducts Your Telehealth Evaluation
Your medical marijuana evaluation will be conducted by an independent licensed Pennsylvania physician (Dr. Johnathon Chance Miller, MD or Dr. Anshi Thapliyal, MD) who is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana and has completed the mandatory 4-hour DOH-approved training required under 35 P.S. §§ 10231.401–405.
This physician is not an employee or agent of Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards. They are an independent medical professional who makes all clinical decisions solely based on their own professional judgment, their review of your medical history, and the qualifying criteria established by the Pennsylvania DOH. Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards has no authority to direct, influence, or override any physician’s determination.
You may verify that your physician is registered with the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program using the Find a Practitioner tool on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. Your physician’s Pennsylvania medical license number and National Provider Identifier (NPI) will be provided to you prior to your consultation.
What Your Telehealth Consultation Involves
During your telehealth evaluation, the physician will:
- Review the medical history and health information you provided in your intake form
- Ask questions about your qualifying medical condition, symptoms, and how they affect your daily life
- Review any medical records, prior treatment history, or documentation you have provided
- Discuss your previous and current medications and any relevant treatment history
- Explain how medical marijuana may or may not be appropriate for your condition
- Answer your questions about the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program
- If clinically appropriate, submit a physician certification directly to your account in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Registry
Please note: No physical examination is performed during a telehealth consultation. The physician’s evaluation is based on your reported medical history and supporting documentation. Having relevant medical records available — such as prior diagnoses, lab results, or specialist letters — is strongly recommended and may strengthen your evaluation, though records are not always mandatory.
The Heally Telehealth Platform
Your consultation will be conducted through Heally Inc. (getheally.com), a HIPAA-compliant telehealth technology platform. Heally provides the secure video and communication infrastructure that connects you with your physician. Heally is an independent company and operates under its own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards has an affiliate relationship with Heally. We receive compensation when a patient completes a booking through our referral, as disclosed in our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. This financial relationship does not affect the physician’s independent clinical judgment in any way.
We strongly encourage you to review Heally’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service before your consultation, as your use of the Heally platform is governed by those documents in addition to ours.
Technology Requirements
To participate in your telehealth consultation, you will need:
- A smartphone, tablet, or computer with a working camera and microphone (for video consultations)
- A reliable internet or cellular data connection
- A current web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge) or the Heally mobile app
- A quiet, private location where you can speak freely with the physician
- Your valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or state-issued ID for identity verification
Audio-only consultations (phone call without video) may be available in certain circumstances. Please contact us or check with Heally before your appointment if you do not have access to a camera or reliable video connection.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your technology is working properly before your appointment. Technical difficulties on your end that prevent the consultation from taking place may be treated as a no-show under our cancellation policy. If you experience technical difficulties, contact us as soon as possible at
Privacy, Security, and HIPAA
All telehealth consultations conducted through the Heally platform use end-to-end encryption and meet the security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Your physician is a covered healthcare provider who operates under full HIPAA compliance. All health information shared during your consultation is protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA.
Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards handles the personal information you provide in accordance with our Privacy Policy. We do not access, store, or transmit the clinical details of your physician consultation. That information is handled exclusively by the physician and the Heally platform under HIPAA-compliant practices.
Recording
Telehealth consultations are not recorded by Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards or the physician without your explicit prior written consent. If Heally’s platform offers a recording feature, you will be notified before any recording begins. You have the right to refuse recording without affecting your consultation or your eligibility for evaluation.
Confidentiality Limits
While all health information is treated as confidential, please be aware that there are limited circumstances in which confidentiality may be overridden by law, including valid court orders, subpoenas, mandatory reporting obligations, or law enforcement requests meeting legal requirements. Your physician will inform you of these limits as part of their own HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Risks and Limitations of Telehealth
Telehealth consultations offer significant convenience and accessibility but come with certain inherent limitations you should understand before consenting:
- The physician cannot perform a physical examination. Their evaluation is based entirely on the information you provide verbally and through your intake form and any documents you share.
- Telehealth consultations may be less suitable for patients with complex or ambiguous medical histories that would benefit from in-person examination or diagnostic testing.
- Technical issues — including poor internet connectivity, audio problems, or platform outages — could disrupt or delay your consultation.
- In rare circumstances, the physician may determine during the consultation that an in-person visit with your primary care physician or a specialist is necessary before a medical marijuana certification can be considered.
- The security of telehealth communications, while robust, cannot be guaranteed with absolute certainty against all possible technical vulnerabilities.
By proceeding with your telehealth consultation, you acknowledge these limitations and accept that the physician will use their professional judgment to determine whether a telehealth evaluation is sufficient to make a clinical determination in your case.
Your Rights During the Telehealth Consultation
You have the following rights at all times during your telehealth consultation:
- The right to ask questions about the telehealth process, the physician’s qualifications, or any aspect of the evaluation at any time
- The right to end the consultation at any time without penalty — though please note our cancellation and refund policies will apply
- The right to request an in-person evaluation instead of a telehealth consultation, though Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards currently facilitates telehealth evaluations only
- The right to receive a copy of your physician’s certification if one is issued, accessible through your account in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Registry
- The right to request your medical records from the certifying physician in accordance with HIPAA
- The right to withhold information, though doing so may affect the physician’s ability to make a clinical determination
- The right to seek a second opinion from another DOH-registered physician at any time
Your Responsibilities as a Patient
To ensure a productive and lawful telehealth consultation, you agree to the following:
- You will provide complete, accurate, and truthful information about your identity, medical history, current medications, and qualifying condition
- You will be a legal resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or state-issued ID
- You will be at least 18 years of age at the time of your consultation, or you will have a legally authorized caregiver present if you are a qualifying minor
- You will participate in your consultation from a location within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- You will not record the consultation without the express prior consent of the physician
- You will not allow any other person to impersonate you during the consultation
- You will not provide false or misleading information in order to obtain a physician certification — doing so may constitute fraud under Pennsylvania law
- You will notify us of any technical issues as soon as they arise so we can assist you
IMPORTANT: Providing false information to obtain a medical marijuana certification is a criminal offense. Under Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act, patients who misrepresent their condition or identity are subject to loss of their medical marijuana card, civil liability, and potential criminal prosecution.
No Guarantee of Certification
Completing a telehealth consultation through Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards does not guarantee that the physician will issue a medical marijuana certification. The physician will make an independent clinical determination based on your individual medical history and the qualifying Serious Medical Conditions recognized by the Pennsylvania DOH.
Even if a certification is issued, final approval of your Pennsylvania medical marijuana patient ID card rests with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards has no involvement in or influence over the DOH’s administrative review of your application.
If the physician does not certify you, our money-back guarantee applies to our consultation scheduling fee. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for full details on our refund policy.
What Happens After Your Consultation
1 If You Are Certified
If the physician issues a certification, they will submit it directly to your account in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Registry. You will receive an email from the state with instructions for paying the $50 annual patient ID card fee directly to the Pennsylvania DOH. Once payment is processed, your physical ID card will be printed and mailed to you — typically within 7 days of payment, with delivery within 14 days.
With your valid patient ID card, you may purchase medical marijuana from any of the 150+ licensed Pennsylvania dispensaries. You may purchase up to a 90-day supply of individual doses per visit, as permitted under Act 44 of 2021.
2 Annual Renewal
Your physician certification and patient ID card are each valid for one year from the date of issue. You will receive an email reminder from the Pennsylvania DOH approximately 60 days before your card expires. You must complete a new physician evaluation — which can also be done via telehealth — before your card can be renewed. You can schedule your renewal consultation through Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards when the time comes.
3 If You Are Not Certified
If the physician determines that you do not meet the qualifying criteria under Pennsylvania law, you will not receive a certification. In this case, our money-back guarantee covers a full refund of our consultation scheduling fee. Please email us at
[email protected] within 14 days of your appointment with the subject line “Refund Request” to initiate the process.
Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy
We understand that schedules change. If you need to cancel or reschedule your telehealth consultation, please contact us as early as possible. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
- 24+ hours’ notice: Full reschedule at no charge. Refunds available upon request if you choose not to reschedule.
- Less than 24 hours’ notice: A cancellation fee may apply and you may not be eligible for a full refund. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.
- No-show: If you do not attend your scheduled appointment and do not notify us in advance, you will not be eligible for a refund under our money-back guarantee.
To cancel or reschedule, contact us at [email protected] or call us at [YOUR PHONE NUMBER] as soon as possible.
Relationship to Our Other Legal Documents
This Consent to Telehealth Services is part of a set of legal documents that together govern your relationship with Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards. By using our services, you also agree to our:
- Terms and Conditions — governing your use of our website and services overall
- Privacy Policy — explaining how we collect and handle your personal information
- Medical Disclaimer — clarifying that our website content is educational only and not medical advice
In the event of any conflict between this Consent to Telehealth Services and any of the above documents, this Consent document governs matters specifically related to your telehealth consultation, and the Terms and Conditions govern all other matters.
Changes to This Consent
We may update this Consent to Telehealth Services as Pennsylvania telehealth laws evolve, as our platform partnerships change, or as best practices in telehealth patient consent develop. When we make updates, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Your continued use of our booking services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Consent.
Questions About This Consent
If you have any questions about this Consent to Telehealth Services, your upcoming consultation, or the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program, please contact us:
- Business: Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards
- Website: pennsylvaniamarijuanacards.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone:
- Response time: Within 1 business day for consultation-related queries
For official information about the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program and telehealth certifications, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana at 1-888-733-5595, available 8 AM–11 PM ET, seven days a week (excluding state holidays).