The visit

A screen or a room.
The same questions.

Telehealth means care through a screen, phone call or online exchange. In-person care means meeting at a clinic. Ask how each would work for you.

What a visit needs to do

Doctor licensing boards belong to the Federation of State Medical Boards. This group’s guidance calls for online care to meet the same standard as care in person.

This advice helps state boards write their rules. Each state sets the rules that apply, as of September 2026.

You may be able to start care online without first meeting in person, as of September 2026. The visit still has to assess your health needs properly and meet your state’s rules.

That includes getting enough information about your health problem and arranging any needed tests.

Ask what questions, examinations or tests are needed before a medicine is chosen.

Compare the practical details

Choose the questions to keep in view.

In person

Ask about the visit itself.

Getting there: Where will the assessment take place? What can I bring?
Assessment: What will the person treating you ask or examine? Will tests be needed?
After the visit: How can I ask a new question? Is follow-up in person or remote?

Telehealth

Ask how you can talk and ask questions.

Getting connected: Is it live video, a call or a written exchange? How do I ask questions?
Assessment: How are tests or a physical examination arranged if I need them in person?
After the visit: Who can respond to a new concern? How is local care arranged?

A form is a start, not a whole answer

The board group’s September 2026 guidance rules out treatment based solely on answers to a fixed web form.

A fixed form cannot ask new questions about your answers. The board group distinguishes this from an online conversation where the person treating you can ask more.

State rules differ, so this is not a nationwide ban on online forms, as of September 2026.

Ask who arranges needed tests

Under the board group’s guidance, the treating professional must set up needed tests or direct you to someone who can set them up.

Ask who orders the test, who reads it and how you get the result. Get the route for follow-up in writing.