Frequently Asked Questions

Telehealth is the use of technology to provide health care virtually. All Hazel visits are "virtual visits," through a tablet, desktop, or other smart device.

If you are a legal guardian, patient, or a third party / authorized representative and would like to obtain a copy of medical records, please follow these steps:

• 1. Obtain the ROI Form. Please download our Hazel Health Third Party Release of Information form.
• 2. Complete the form. To ensure a timely response, please sign and complete all fields indicated within the form.
• 3. Submit via Email. Send your fully completed and signed form to our Medical Records Department at medicalrecords@hazel.co.

Hazel clinicians maintain manageable caseloads and receive ongoing supervision and clinical support. This ensures students receive attentive, consistent, and high-quality care.

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Learn more about our mental health program here: https://www.hazel.co/programs/mental-health

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No. Hazel is not a replacement for school social workers, counselors, or community therapists. Hazel is meant to serve as an additional layer of support so students don’t face long waitlists or go without care when schools and communities are stretched thin.

We also strongly support continued investment in in-person mental health resources so that all young people can access the full range of care they deserve.

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Therapy sessions at Hazel are private medical visits and may be recorded with patient or guardian consent in accordance with HIPAA and applicable state laws. All sessions remain confidential. As part of HIPAA consent, patients (or guardians) may authorize the use of session information to help improve clinical care, support operational and clinical quality initiatives, and enhance the patient experience.

Mental health services are available 7am-7pm local time, Monday through Friday. Online medical care is available 8am-5pm EST and 7am-5pm local time in all other time zones, Monday through Friday. Crisis consultations are only available at school, during school hours.

Hazel is not a replacement for the emergency room or crisis services. If a child needs immediate medical attention, call 911. For urgent mental health support, you can also contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or your local crisis line.

Hazel protocols and guidelines are evidence-based and grounded in the American Telemedicine Association and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. For anything outside of our scope, we will call the legal guardian to recommend next steps.

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See common issues we treat in our mental health and physical health programs.

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No. According to laws governing telehealth, students must be physically present in the same state as where their telehealth provider is licensed. This means if they are out of state, they will not be able to join the visit.

Create an account at www.my.hazel.co/patient/signup. In the enrollment process, you'll need to provide your consent (each child needs one consent form completed).

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Hazel Health supports all K-12 students for physical health and mental health needs. In some cases, we can see children as young as 3 years old, but mental health referrals are generally for children ages 6 and older.

Services are available in select US school districts. See what services are available in your school district by visiting https://www.hazel.co/get-started

Hazel will work to develop relationships with community providers and can assist in identifying available primary care providers.

Physical health visits are available within minutes. Mental health therapy sessions are scheduled in advance. Parents can schedule the first appointment themselves (provided the child is not already in treatment elsewhere).

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Schedule your appointment by creating an account.

Hazel is not a replacement for your child’s regular doctor. If your child has an established primary care provider (PCP), you should maintain that relationship and follow the Well-Child Visit schedule (one visit every year for school-age children 5 to 18). Hazel is committed to communicating with the student’s PCP. Hazel can coordinate with students’ PCPs when clinically appropriate to ensure continuity of care. Communication to external providers can only occur if the legal guardian has given written consent, obtained during Hazel sign up.

Physical health providers are state Licensed Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates. Mental health providers are licensed Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

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All Hazel clinicians receive ongoing supervision, training, and quality oversight to ensure students receive consistent, compassionate, and clinically sound support.

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Learn more about our care team: hazel.co/company/care-team.

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Yes, ~40% of Hazel's providers are bilingual, speaking 30+ languages collectively, including English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Gujarati, Armenian, Croatian, Korean, Tagalog, Lokano dialect, Hawaiian Pidgin, Samoan, Sign Language, and more.

The number of sessions is based on each student's individual care needs. During the initial assessment and throughout treatment, the provider regularly evaluates the student's symptoms, progress, and overall needs to ensure they are receiving clinically appropriate care. As needs change, the treatment plan may be adjusted to support the student's continued progress. If higher level of care or specialized services are needed, Hazel will work with families to help connect their student to appropriate resources and providers in their community.

School staff, legal guardians, and Hazel physical health providers can refer students to therapy. If you are looking to refer your child to Hazel therapy and your child is actively enrolled in a Hazel partner school, please start by creating an account: https://my.hazel.co/patient/signup

Not sure if your school is partnered with Hazel? Search for your district here: https://www.hazel.co/get-started

Our clinical team will use their discretion to determine whether a student can re-enroll in mental health services, factoring in time since discharge and previous session attendance and program outcomes. If a new clinical concern has arisen, or at least sixty days have passed since the student was discharged and thorough follow-up with the long-term resources Hazel previously provided (if applicable) has been attempted, Hazel may be able to support re-enrollment.

There is no limit on the number of visits.

Hazel Health will not evaluate or treat symptoms related to sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy, nor prescribe or recommend contraception.

Hazel providers will communicate with your child’s primary care provider when a referral to a specialist is needed. Most insurance companies (including Medicaid) require that referrals to specialists are made directly by the primary care provider.

No, Hazel does not offer immunizations.

Hazel services are provided at no cost to families. Hazel partners with your school district and bills insurance for services; anything insurance doesn't cover is covered by the district. Your family will never receive a bill from Hazel, and you'll never owe a co-pay, deductible, or other out-of-pocket amount for Hazel services.

If your insurance company sends you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), don't worry — an EOB is not a bill. It's simply your insurer's record that a visit took place. No action is needed, and Hazel will not charge you any amount your insurer lists as "patient responsibility."

Don't have insurance? Your child can still use every Hazel service at no cost to your family.

If an insurance card is unavailable, the parent/guardian should complete as much information as possible on the consent form. The parent/guardian can call Hazel Health anytime with additional details if available.

Over-the-counter medication administered during a Hazel Health visit at school is provided at no cost. If a Hazel provider recommends a prescription from a pharmacy or a referral to an outside provider, the family is responsible for any out-of-pocket cost. 

Hazel submits claims to insurance to help cover the cost of each visit. Depending on the child’s insurance plan, families may be responsible for co-pays, co-insurance, or other cost-sharing amounts. After a visit, families may receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail. An EOB is not a bill—it’s a record showing the visit was billed to insurance. No further action is required unless the health plan indicates a cost-sharing responsibility.

Billing insurance is what makes it sustainable for Hazel to provide care at no cost to families. Sharing your insurance information when you have it helps keep that model working — and it never affects whether your child can be seen.

Hazel Health is a licensed healthcare provider and maintains policies and procedures designed to comply with HIPAA, FERPA, SOPPA, and applicable federal and state privacy laws, as appropriate to its services and data handling practices.

Yes, under Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), medical records can be shared with the appropriate credentialed administrators (ie. principals) under FERPA. Therapy session content is private medical information and is not shared with schools.

No.

Hazel protects all student information using HIPAA- and FERPA-compliant systems, with full encryption and secure access controls.  With the appropriate written consent, Hazel Health shares patient information such as date of birth, name, gender, allergies, summary info about medications, and other information (e.g. what’s on the consent form) with the school and for insurance verification and billing.

Information is solely used for care coordination, insurance billing, or as outlined in Hazel’s Notice of Privacy Practices within our Privacy Policy. Hazel does not sell data, does not use information for advertising or product development, and does not share data with any government entity unless required by law.

You can contact Hazel directly at 1-800-76-HAZEL or visit this page for more information.

In alignment with mental health industry standards, we cannot duplicate counseling services that are already being provided by another therapist. Please let your therapist know if you are receiving any other mental health services during your intake visit so that they can determine whether it is clinically appropriate to pursue Hazel’s program.

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If the parent/guardian has consented to Hazel Health’s services, then the parent/guardian has consented for Hazel Health to bill insurance for services rendered.

When filling out insurance information on the consent form, the parent/guardian should look at the insurance card for the student, or an online portal from the insurance organization, to find the correct information. In many cases, each student will have insurance and be the policyholder. If the student’s insurance card is available, the parent/guardian should send us a photo of the front and back via the link text from the Hazel Health system.

At this time, the consent will be processed as usual. Additional outreach to the family will be conducted if needed during a mental health referral or physical health visit.

Hazel Health visits may count toward a child’s insurance deductible. Families should contact their health plan directly to understand their coverage.

Providing a diagnosis is the standard of care for healthcare services and occurs regardless of billing when clinically appropriate.  As part of our physical health services and mental health intake process, our providers use their clinical judgment to provide a diagnosis, which can help determine the best treatment methods and modalities for the child. 

To bill a visit, a diagnosis is required for both mental health and physical health visits, but as outlined above, a diagnosis is a fundamental aspect of our care delivery.

All student health and insurance information shared with Hazel Health is confidential and in compliance with HIPAA, Hazel’s Notice of Privacy Practices and Consent, and state privacy laws. Student information is stored on Hazel Health’s highly secure, fully encrypted digital records platform.

Hazel never sells or licenses student information, and it is never shared with any third parties outside of what is necessary for continuity of care and additional coordination efforts. In these cases, Hazel Health may share insurance information with other healthcare entities (e.g., pharmacies, health plans, or community-based organizations for continuing care) as outlined in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Consent.

Hazel and Hazel Health’s employees may view insurance information for consent review, insurance review, and billing. Hazel partners with third parties for specific insurance and billing-related functions, with whom data is shared in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Hazel and Hazel Health will never sell the information to a third party.

Hazel maintains the confidentiality of all care and does not share information with law enforcement or immigration authorities, except when disclosure is legally required. Protections include HIPAA, FERPA, SOPPA, and other applicable privacy laws.

Yes. Citizenship status is not required for students to use Hazel Health services. Immigration or citizenship status is never collected and is never required to receive care. Hazel is committed to providing a safe, supportive space for every student.

Some states do allow minor consent. Two things must be true in order for students to consent for themselves: (1) they are of the right age based on state’s laws and (2) the district where their school is located has opted in for minor self-consent through Hazel. All documentation related to these visits is only accessible to the student. No information about these visits is released to the schools or districts.

Hazel protects all student health information using secure, encrypted systems that comply with HIPAA, FERPA, SOPPA, and all applicable state privacy laws. We use information only as necessary to directly deliver care, coordinate services, or complete standard medical billing. Hazel does not sell student data and does not share information with law enforcement or immigration authorities except as required by law. Therapy sessions remain private medical visits and may be recorded with patient or guardian consent. With consent, session information may be used to support clinical care, quality improvement, and operational or clinical insights. Our commitment remains to safe, confidential, family-centered care.