Expect an assessment, with room for questions.
Telehealth means care through video, a call, or an online exchange.
The Federation of State Medical Boards is a national organisation whose members are state medical boards. Its guidance sets out what a proper online assessment looks like. [a]
Under that guidance as of September 2026, a patient’s treatment-menu selection alone is an unacceptable basis for prescribing. [b]
Under that guidance, patients should be able to ask more questions once the visit has ended. [b]
This is board guidance; the enforceable rules come from each state. [a]
Compare how the visit will work.
Compare how each route will handle your location, questions, tests, and follow-up.
Both visit routes are shown.
Online visit
- Before
- How will the person treating me confirm my location and review my health history?
- During
- Can we ask each other new questions, beyond the first form?
- Tests
- Who will arrange an examination or test if the assessment needs one?
- After
- How can I contact my care provider, and where would I go for an in-person follow-up?
In-person visit
- Before
- Who will see me, and which records can I bring?
- During
- What health problem will be checked, and when can I ask about the proposed plan?
- Tests
- Which tests are being considered, why, and who reads the results?
- After
- How do I raise a new question, and what will the next review involve?
A form can start a conversation.
As of September 2026, board guidance allows a first visit where you send health information and the doctor reads it later, if the care meets the standard expected for your health problem. [a]
A fixed form alone is not enough under that guidance; the doctor must be able to gather needed details and ask more questions. [a]
Ask whether you will speak by phone or video, exchange messages, or use a form, and how you can ask a new question.
State rules differ, so this is not a promise that a visit through a form meets your state’s rules. [a]
Ask who arranges the next step.
Board guidance says your care provider should organise necessary tests or refer you to someone able to do so, and organise an in-person examination if needed. [a]
Bring your medicine and supplement list, relevant records, and the question you most want answered. Ask who will discuss the results with you.
Page notes
- [a]
- [b]
Information checked as of September 2026.