Questions to work through
For a visit in person, ask what it includes.
Ask who will assess you, what time there is for questions and whether the visit can consider approaches beyond the advertised treatment.
For telehealth, say where you will be.
Your location during a remote visit sets the state whose license or other legal permission the clinician needs before treating you. Each state decides its rules; this health-department advice was checked on September 26, 2026.
Ask which license or other state permission covers the clinician’s care for you.
Ask how an examination would be arranged.
Medical-board advice, checked September 17, 2026, says the clinician must arrange care in person when you need an examination or test.
A menu is not the whole assessment
The group representing state medical boards adopted advice in May 2026: an online medicine menu, by itself, is no basis for a prescription.
It also said patients must be able to ask the clinician questions.
This is advice to help state boards write rules. Each state sets the rules the clinician must follow.
Compare the conversation you can have
Ask how questions are handled before and after the visit. Ask what happens if the clinician recommends a different approach, or no medicine at all.
Notes for this question
HHS: permission to practice
HHS is the US Department of Health and Human Services. Its page explains when a clinician needs a state license or other permission for a remote visit.
Medical boards: an adequate assessment
Advice for state medical boards on arranging an examination, tests or a visit with another clinician when needed. Each state sets its own rules.
Medical boards: treatment menus
The guidance discusses direct online prescribing and the ability to ask questions.