Before the visit
A visit starts with your concern.
With telehealth, a visit takes place over video or phone, or through an online form. A clinician is the doctor or other trained health professional providing your care. Think of the visit as a conversation about your health.
Check the visit before filling in the form
Know who reads your form before the visit
Medical-board guidance checked for this guide in September 2026 says a service needs to identify who provides care and what that person is trained to do. [A]
A state medical board gives doctors their licences. Its public records let you check whether the doctor’s licence is current, along with any action for breaches of professional rules. [C]
Ask what kind of clinician will see you: a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant. A nurse practitioner is a nurse trained to assess and treat patients. A physician assistant is another health professional trained to assess and treat patients. Ask for their full name and kind of licence. Check a doctor through the state medical board. For another type of clinician, ask for the state board responsible for their licence, then check that board’s own record.
Your location matters
As of September 2026, US guidance bases a doctor’s permission to practise on the patient’s state at the time of the appointment. [B]
That permission can come from a licence or another form of permission the state allows.
Tell the service where you will be sitting for the visit, including if you are travelling. Ask which state record confirms the doctor’s permission.
Bring the concern in your own words
Write a short account of what is happening. Include when it began, what makes it harder and what you want to be able to do again.
Have your medicine names, past care and any relevant records nearby. You do not need to turn your notes into a diagnosis.
Keep room for a fuller assessment
A form needs room for a conversation
In guidance checked in September 2026, fixed online forms alone are inadequate if they cannot gather enough information for proper care. [A]
The same guidance calls for the clinician to be able to ask further questions.
State rules differ; a form is not automatically an improper visit.
Ask how to add something the form did not cover, and how to ask your own questions.
Leave space for an in-person assessment
Medical-board guidance says the clinician must arrange tests or refer for an examination whenever the assessment needs them. [A]
You can ask an online service or an in-person clinic to assess your concern. Ask whether your problem needs an examination in the same room.
Before committing, ask what happens if the online visit cannot answer the question.
Page notes
[A] Medical-board guidance on assessment and further questions