Ask about the rules where you are
As of September 2026, telehealth prescribing rules differed by state.
A telehealth visit provides care at a distance through video, phone calls, or online messages.
As of September 2026, there was no doctor licence covering the whole US. Doctors could use a shared application to get licences from several states, but each state still issued its own licence.
Some states also let clinicians from another state register to provide telehealth, on terms set by the state offering registration.
A form does not have the same rule everywhere
As of September 2026, Idaho’s law did not allow a fixed online questionnaire to serve as the sole basis for treatment.
As of September 2026, California’s law allowed a questionnaire to count as the examination before treatment. The clinician did not have to speak with you live, but still had to meet the level of care your health concern required.
These examples do not cover every state.
Ask the clinician whether your answers give enough information, or whether you need more checks before treatment.
- Which permission lets this clinician treat me in this state?
- Can they ask me more questions after the form?
- How can I ask them a question?
- If I travel before the visit, whom do I tell?
Take the state board’s answer over a broad claim on a service page. If the service relies on a special registration, ask for the record.
Notes behind the answers
- HHS · state permission
The source for the patient-location check.
- Shared doctor-licence application · separate state licences
The organisation running the shared application explains why doctors still need separate state licences.
- HHS · cross-state registration
Some states offer registrations with their own conditions.
- Idaho · fixed online questionnaires
The state’s own text for the Idaho example.
- California · examination before treatment
Read the questionnaire rule here, including the requirement for proper care.