A plain-language guide Telehealth

Telehealth

A care conversation over a screen or phone.

Telehealth means getting care at a distance. You and the clinician are not in the same room.

The health professional who assesses and treats health problems is called a clinician.

Start by describing your problem

The concern behind your search can be discussed at an in-person visit or through a licensed telehealth service.

Describe what you want help with, what you have already tried, and what you hope will change.

The Federation of State Medical Boards says proper care needs a real health assessment before choosing medicine from an online list.

An assessment means looking at your symptoms and health, with any needed tests or examination.

State medical boards make up this federation. The advice it gives those boards is guidance, rather than state law.

Location matters

The federation’s guidance says doctors need permission to treat patients in the state where those patients are located during the visit.

The state’s own rules determine the permission that applies.

Make space for questions and an assessment

The board federation’s guidance says patients need the chance to ask follow-up questions.

When assessment requires tests or an in-person exam, the guidance says these need to be arranged.

Ask how the service handles that before the visit.

Check the clinician and pharmacy

Notes for this chapter