The short answer
States set different rules for the format of an initial remote visit, as of September 2026.
Start with identity and location
Federal health guidance, checked in September 2026, requires the clinician to hold a licence or other permission covering the patient’s location during the visit.
Say where you will be sitting, including when travelling. Ask the service to confirm that it can assess you there.
A form is part of an exchange
Fixed online answers alone cannot support treatment: the Federation of State Medical Boards rejects that basis for care.
Its guidance allows an adaptive form, which can change with your answers, when a clinician can ask more questions and the assessment meets the required standard.
This is guidance from a group of state boards; the binding requirements come from the state’s own rules.
Leave space for the next step
Before the visit ends, ask the clinician to explain the assessment in plain words. Ask what remains unclear and how it will be resolved. If another visit is proposed, ask who arranges it.
- Who is reviewing my answers?
- How will we exchange any further questions?
- What happens if this needs an examination?
- How will I receive the plan after the visit?
Carry this forward
Look for a real exchange that can lead to more questions or another kind of visit.