Telemedicine in Colombia: how it works and what documents you get

A video call consultation can be an actual medical care, but not every online health conversation is telemedicine. In Colombia the difference matters: it determines who can care for, what responsibilities they assume, what should be left in the clinical history and under what conditions a prescription may be issued.

That guide summarizes the official framework applicable as at 2 August 2026. Do not replace individual valuation and convert a chat, commercial call or form monitoring into a medical consultation.

Telesalud and telemedicine are not the same

Act 1419 of 2010 established guidelines for developing tele-health care in Colombia. Resolution 2654 of 2019 specified two concepts that are often confused: tele-health is an extensive area of information and communication technologies-supported activity and telemedicine is a modality for remote health care.

• Telecomtification: offers information, advice or advice within the skills of health care personnel. The scope should be explained and, if requested by the user, copies or copies of the communication are submitted.
• Interactive Telemedicine: links a health care provider and a user to provide a health care service in real time with video call.
• Non interactive Telemedicine: uses asynchronous communication for a service that doesn't require an immediate response.
• Telexpertiva: allows remote interaction between professionals, or between a remote and health care professional accompanying the user, as established by the norm.
• Telemonitoreum: transmit remote clinical data for monitoring and monitoring by the provider.

What should occur before and during a consultation

Resolution 2654 requires information about how care, its scope, risks, benefits, responsibilities, privacy, data management, technological challenges, emergency procedures and prescription conditions works. When applying an informed consent, information should be obtained and recorded in his or her medical history.

1. 1Identification: The user should be able to identify health care personnel and the service should apply good practice to identify the patient.
2. 2Consent and information: before continuing, explain the scope and its boundaries.
3. 3Evaluation: The doctor collects background, symptoms, medicines, allergies and information relevant to the reason for consultation.
4. 4Clinical decision: The professional determines whether he or she has sufficient information, whether he or she requires additional support or whether care should be put into face care.
5. 5Record and plan: The activity of telemedicine is registered in the clinical history and information about its findings, recommendations and alarm signs.

Do a virtual consultation always end up in prescription?

No. Resolution 2654 authorized the prescription of medicines by telemedicine only in interactive and synthetic telemedicine. Even in these categories, the professional retains his or her autonomy and may refrain from prescribing. The Statutory Act 1751 of 2015 protects this autonomy so that decisions are made with ethics, rationality and scientific evidence.

Medical history, privacy and recordings

Telemedicine activity should be recorded in the clinical history. Act 23 of 1981 defines it as a compulsory, private and confidential registration and Act 1751 recognizes the patient's right to have free consultation and copies. That did not mean that they should be sent to any third party: patient's authorization or a legal exception was necessary to raise their reservation.

A video call should not be recorded by default. If the provider decides to record them, Resolution 2654 requires permission from both the user and the professional, and the recording becomes an electronic record of his or her medical history and remains subject to maintenance and confidentiality. Platforms should also protect authenticity, integrity, availability and privacy of data.

How to check who care for you

• Consultation with ReTHUS's professional, an official register that allows us to check whether they have been eligible to conduct a health profession.
• Consultation with the provider and authorized service at REPS, including the reported modality as appropriate.
• He wants to know who's responsible for care and who keeps his medical history.
• Unsure if they offer a prescription or a certificate prior to the evaluation, if they avoid identifying the professional or if they do not explain the processing of the data.

What documents can come from care

Depending on what effectively happens, there may be a medical history, recommendations, orders, medical prescription or a true and dedicated medical certificate. They are not equivalent and they do not all come from each consultation. An administrative record of assistance, for instance, does not replace a prescription or prove treatment itself.

The role of CAMED

CAMED is a technological platform that coordinates access to independent professionals and does not replace the provider and care provider. Evaluation, diagnosis, clinical registration and any care document have been performed by those who care about them and their competent and applicable rules.