Clinical protocol
A clinical protocol is the written, clinician-approved set of rules a telehealth program follows for a treatment — who is eligible, what must be screened, how the medication is started and adjusted, when follow-up happens, and what triggers escalation — so that care is consistent across every clinician and every patient.
- Clinician-approved rules for one treatment
- Eligibility, screening, titration, follow-up, escalation
- The floor for care, not a substitute for judgment
- Encodable as intake schemas and eligibility checks
What a protocol contains
Protocols turn a medical group’s judgment into something a platform can enforce and a clinician can apply quickly.
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria, including contraindications and interacting medications
- Required intake elements and any labs or vitals needed before starting
- Starting dose, titration schedule, and the check-in required before each step
- Follow-up cadence and re-evaluation intervals, including state-specific ones
- Red flags that escalate immediately, and to whom
Protocols versus clinician judgment
A protocol is the floor, not the ceiling. It guarantees the minimum that must be checked and the standard path; the clinician still evaluates the individual patient and may deviate with documented reasons. Programs that treat protocols as scripts for rubber-stamping are the ones boards act on; programs that treat them as shared standards are the ones that scale safely.
Protocols in software
Much of a protocol can be encoded: intake schemas that collect the required elements, validation that rejects incomplete cases, eligibility checks that route ineligible requests to a live visit or decline, and titration rules that require a check-in before a dose step. The clinician sees a case that has already been checked against the protocol and spends their time on the decision.
Compliance handled, so you can build
Lithos runs the clinicians, pharmacies, and 50-state rules behind your care program — one API.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes clinical protocols for a telehealth program?
The medical group’s clinical leadership — typically a medical director with specialty input — reviewed against current guidelines and state rules. Brands do not write protocols; they choose which protocol-backed treatments to offer.
How often should protocols be updated?
On a schedule (annually is common) and whenever a rule, label, or guideline changes. Each version should be dated so any encounter can be read against the protocol in force at the time.
What is the difference between a protocol and a treatment catalog?
The protocol is the clinical rulebook for a treatment; the catalog is the list of requestable treatments, each pointing at its protocol. The catalog is what products and agents see; the protocol is what clinicians apply.