Know who is on the other end.

With telehealth, your health visit uses video, a phone call or an online form.

The state you are in at visit time must permit the telehealth doctor to practise, by licence or other permission, as of September 2026.

Give the service the state where you will be sitting, including when you are away from home.

A state medical board licenses doctors and publishes records of their licences and any penalties it has imposed on them.

Even if the record shows no penalty from the board, it does not prove that the doctor gives good care.

Ask for the pharmacy’s full name. If the medicine is made to order, ask who actually makes it as well.

The board of pharmacy is a separate state body that licenses pharmacies.

As of September 2026, most states make pharmacies based elsewhere obtain the receiving state’s permission before sending medicines into it.

Match the name the service gives you to the board’s own record. Ask how to reach a pharmacist with a question about the supplied medicine.

State medical boards are members of the Federation of State Medical Boards, an organization that publishes advice on doctors’ care.

As of September 2026, its advice says a doctor needs to check your health, rather than prescribe only because you picked a treatment from a menu.

The advice also says patients and their caregivers should be able to ask further questions.

The advice is aimed at state medical boards; rules are set separately by each state.

A form can help start a discussion. Ask how the clinician—the person assessing your health—reviews your answers, and how you can raise a question of your own.

Use the questions that match what you want to know. There is no need to sound technical.

• Which health concern would this treatment address?
• Why this medicine, and what other choices fit my situation?
• Has the FDA, the US Food and Drug Administration, approved this exact product?
• What need of mine would a made-to-order medicine meet that a ready-made product would not?
• Will I need testing or an exam in person?
• What unwanted effects can it cause, and how would I get help?
• How can I reach a clinician or pharmacist after delivery?

If useful, jot down your health concerns, current medicines and allergies before the visit. Add any pregnancy or breastfeeding questions you want to raise.