Taking Your Practice Online: Telemedicine, Custom Products, and Expanding Your Revenue
Healthcare providers no longer have to rely solely on in-person appointments to grow their practice. Building an online component can help providers reach more patients, offer virtual consultations, and create additional revenue opportunities through products and services.
For many practices, taking a healthcare practice online can involve a combination of telemedicine, online consultations, e-commerce, and custom products.
The right approach depends on the provider's specialty, licensing requirements, services, and whether the practice is involved with prescription medications.
How Can a Healthcare Practice Go Online?
A healthcare practice can build an online presence through several different services:
Telemedicine appointments
Virtual consultations
Online patient education
E-commerce and product sales
Customized cosmetic products
Membership or subscription programs
Follow-up consultations and virtual care
Not every practice needs to offer all of these services. Many providers can start with one online service and expand as demand grows.
What Is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine allows licensed healthcare professionals to provide certain healthcare services remotely using secure digital communication tools.
Depending on the provider's specialty and applicable laws, telemedicine may include:
Virtual consultations
Follow-up appointments
Treatment discussions
Patient education
Certain prescription-related services
Providers offering telemedicine should understand the licensing, privacy, informed consent, prescribing, and other requirements that apply to their specific practice and the locations where patients are treated.
Can Healthcare Providers Offer Online Consultations?
Yes, providers can incorporate online consultations into many types of practices when permitted by applicable laws and professional requirements.
An online consultation can be used as a standalone service or as part of a larger patient journey. For example, a provider may use a virtual consultation to understand a patient's goals, provide education, determine whether an in-person appointment is appropriate, or discuss products that complement an existing treatment plan.
The online experience should clearly explain what services are being offered, who provides them, where services are available, and what patients should expect.
Selling Custom Products Online
An online practice can also create opportunities to sell products directly to patients and customers.
For example, healthcare providers and aesthetic practices may develop custom cosmetic products that complement their existing services.
These may include:
Moisturizers
Cleansers
Serums
Body care products
Hair and scalp products
Post-procedure cosmetic products
Other customized topical products
Custom products can extend a practice's brand beyond the appointment and provide an additional retail revenue opportunity.
However, the product's intended use and marketing claims are important. A cosmetic product marketed with claims that it treats or prevents disease, or affects the structure or function of the body, may be regulated as a drug rather than a cosmetic.
Providers should work with qualified formulation, regulatory, and legal professionals to determine the appropriate requirements for their products and claims.
Where Does LegitScript Fit In?
For practices moving into telemedicine, online healthcare, or prescription-related services, compliance requirements can become more complex.
LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification is relevant to certain healthcare businesses, including telemedicine providers that facilitate prescribing. LegitScript states that certification can be important for meeting requirements associated with payment processing and advertising on major platforms.
Whether certification is necessary depends on the specific business model, services offered, products sold, payment processing, and advertising activities.
For example, a practice offering only non-prescription wellness services may not have the same certification requirements as a telemedicine business that facilitates prescription medications.
Healthcare providers should determine their specific requirements before launching online services or paid advertising.
How Can an Online Practice Create Additional Revenue?
Taking a practice online does not necessarily mean relying exclusively on telemedicine appointments.
A provider can build multiple complementary revenue streams, such as:
Virtual consultations: Offer appropriate services remotely when legally and clinically appropriate.
Custom products: Develop branded cosmetic products that complement the practice's services.
E-commerce: Sell appropriate products directly through the practice's website.
Memberships: Create recurring programs that provide ongoing education, consultations, or other permitted services.
Follow-up care: Use virtual appointments when appropriate to maintain relationships with existing patients.
The strongest online business models often connect these services rather than treating them as completely separate offerings.
Start With One Online Service
Healthcare providers do not need to build a complicated digital business overnight.
A practical starting point may be:
Build a professional website.
Add online consultation or appointment scheduling.
Determine whether telemedicine is appropriate for the practice.
Add an e-commerce component if products are appropriate.
Consider developing a custom product line.
Review applicable regulatory and payment requirements.
Expand services based on patient demand.
The goal is to create an online experience that supports the practice rather than simply adding more technology.
Build Your Online Practice With the Right Partners
Taking a healthcare practice online can open new opportunities to reach patients, provide convenient services, and develop additional sources of revenue.
For practices interested in developing branded cosmetic products, working with an experienced formulation and manufacturing partner can make it possible to take a product from concept to finished product while addressing formulation, testing, packaging, and manufacturing needs.
At Compounding Cosmetics, we help healthcare providers and businesses develop and manufacture custom cosmetic products designed around their brand and goals.
If you're exploring how to take your healthcare practice online or want to develop a custom cosmetic product to complement your services, let's chat about next steps!
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or regulatory advice. Healthcare providers should consult qualified legal, regulatory, and professional advisors regarding telemedicine, licensing, prescribing, product claims, payment processing, and other requirements applicable to their business.
