Template library with versioning
Every template has a version, a publish date, and a diff against the previous version. You always know which one a given patient signed.
Consents
Digital consents, fully audit-ready.
Version-controlled consent templates, required checkboxes, and timestamped digital signatures — so compliance stops being a filing-cabinet problem.
- Versioned templates
- Timestamped signatures
- Per-visit + evergreen
- Immutable audit trail
Consent is the one workflow where “we'll get to it” has the worst downside. A missing signature turns a routine visit into a legal problem, and auditors don't grade on effort.
Ona treats consent as a first-class object: versioned templates, required acknowledgements, timestamped signatures, and an audit trail that survives staff turnover, software migrations, and nosy lawyers.
01 · Why it matters
A signature in a filing cabinet is a lawsuit waiting to be filed.
Paper consents don't scale to a real practice. Digital ones, done properly, are replayable years later.
Paper consents are fine, right until somebody asks for a specific one. Then it's twenty minutes of drawer-diving, and if the patient signed before your last template update you're now reading a document nobody remembers approving.
A digital, versioned consent is replayable. You can see exactly what this patient read, on this date, with these acknowledgements ticked — and produce the PDF in seconds when someone asks for it.
02 · What you get
Consents that stand up in a deposition.
Required checkboxes, enforced
Critical acknowledgements can't be skipped. Patients can't sign until they've ticked every required box. No more “I didn't see that part.”
Real signatures, real proof
Typed, drawn, or tap-to-sign. Each signature carries a timestamp, the signer, and the exact template version — so you can show precisely what the patient saw and agreed to.
Per-visit and evergreen
HIPAA privacy notice once a year, telehealth consent every telehealth visit, release-of-records on demand. Each template carries its own expiry rule.
Immutable and exportable
Once signed, the record cannot be altered — only superseded by a new version. Every consent is exportable as a self-contained audit PDF.
Linked to the visit
Consents live next to the chart note, the billing record, and the signed orders. When a patient asks “what did I consent to?” — one click.
03 · How a consent moves
Sign, store, retrieve.
Template built and published
Legal or compliance drafts in Ona, requests review, and publishes. Prior version is preserved forever; new patients from the publish date onward see the new one.Sent in the right moment
Attached to the service, the visit, or the intake form. Patients sign from their phone before the visit — not while the clinician is waiting.Signed with proof
Every required box is ticked, identity is verified, signature is captured. Ona generates an audit record the moment the signature is applied.Stored, searchable, retrievable
The signed PDF lives in the chart. Search by patient, template, version, or date range. Produce a full audit bundle for an auditor in one click.
“I used to dread audit prep. Now it's three filter clicks and a PDF export. The first audit we did with Ona finished two hours early.”
04 · In practice
Where consent shows up.
Telehealth-first therapy
A telehealth consent every visit, painlessly.
The consent auto-attaches to the telehealth service. Patients sign before they can join the video call — no clinician chasing signatures mid-session.
IV therapy clinic
Procedure-specific risk acknowledgements.
A Myers' cocktail consent reads different from a chelation consent. Each procedure carries its own template and required acknowledgements, versioned independently.
Pediatric group
Guardian signatures without the legal mess.
Guardians sign for minors with identity verification. Custody arrangements are recorded on the consent itself.
Multi-state practice
State-specific templates, kept separate.
Build a template per state and map it to the right service. Telehealth across state lines stops being a compliance headache because each state's version lives where you expect it.
FAQ
Common compliance questions.
Is a digital signature legally binding in healthcare?
Yes, under ESIGN (US) and UETA — and comparable laws internationally. Ona's signatures include a timestamp, the signer, and the exact template version, which is more than enough to hold up in a typical audit or deposition.
What happens if we need to update a consent template?
You publish a new version. Patients from that date forward see the new one. Old signatures remain tied to the version they signed — you can always reconstruct what any patient saw and signed.
Can patients revoke consent later?
Yes — they can revoke by request through the portal or during a visit. The revocation is timestamped and kept with the record; the original signature is not deleted but superseded.
How do you handle consents for minors?
Guardians sign on behalf of a minor and the relationship is captured on the consent record. When a patient transitions to adulthood, you can reassign consents to them in their own name.
Can I send an updated consent to existing patients?
Yes — assign a template to a cohort of patients and they'll be prompted to sign the next time they open their portal or come in for a visit.
Ready when you are
Make audits boring again.
Bring your current consent PDFs to a 15-minute demo — we'll show you the moment they become searchable.