What an online visit involves

Live or written: ask how it works

Telehealth means care by video, phone or written messages. A live visit is a conversation. In a written exchange, you send information and the health professional treating you replies later. Ask which format the service uses before signing up.

Medical-board guidance checked September 26, 2026 allows a first visit by live conversation or written messages, if it can provide proper care.

The later sections explain what that means: enough information to assess you, a way to ask more questions, and any needed tests or examination.

State rules differ, so this is not permission for every format in every state.

A fixed form has limits

The Federation of State Medical Boards’ guidance, checked September 26, 2026, rules out treatment based solely on a fixed questionnaire that cannot gather enough information.

When a form changes its questions based on your answers, the treating health professional must still be able to ask you more about your health.

More boxes on a website do not answer who reads your replies. Ask how that person can contact you with more questions.

This policy is advice that state medical boards may use when making their rules. It is not itself a law for every state. Ask which state rule applies to the visit.

Useful questions include: who reads my answers, how can they ask me more, and how can I ask them something?

A screen may not complete the assessment

Under medical-board guidance, the treating health professional must arrange any needed tests or in-person examination, or make a referral to someone who can arrange them.

It says care by phone, video or messages must be as thorough as an in-person visit.

Ask how a local examination would be arranged, who would receive the result, and what follow-up would cost. A clear answer can help you compare visit formats.