How can I check the care?
Get the name of the clinician, the health professional who would assess you, and the pharmacy’s name. Then look up each name in the state’s licence records.
Where can I look for care?
Compare a licensed telehealth service with an in-person clinic. Ask each how the assessment works and what happens if you need care in a room.
Ask for the names of the people who would assess you and the pharmacy that would fill a prescription.
Where do I check a doctor’s licence?
State medical boards are the offices that license doctors. Their public records let you check a doctor’s licence and any action taken against the doctor by that board.
The Federation of State Medical Boards provides a directory you can use to find those boards.
Even a record with no action taken against a doctor cannot tell you how good the care is.
Search for the full name in the relevant state. Check that the name and type of licence match what the service told you.
Which state needs to allow the care?
Permission to practise must cover the state where you are when the online care takes place.
Ask which licence or other state permission lets the clinician care for you where you will be. If they name a licence from another state, ask what also allows care in your state.
Where do I check the pharmacy?
FDA is the short name for the Food and Drug Administration. This US agency reviews drugs.
FDA has a page that leads to each state’s pharmacy licence search.
If the online pharmacy’s name is missing from that same state licence search, FDA advises against using it.
Finding the pharmacy in that search confirms it has a licence. It cannot tell you whether every medicine is supplied correctly.
Use the pharmacy’s actual name, rather than the name on the care website. Ask who makes the drug and who sends it.
Can I trust a seal on the page?
Official-looking seals and money-back claims can be faked, warns the Federal Trade Commission.
Check the public record behind the claim. Ask what body issued the seal and what it actually checks.
What do I still need to ask?
Tick an item on paper when you have a clear answer. Use the space beside it for notes.
The people
- What is the clinician’s full name and licence type?
- Does their permission to practise cover the state I will be in when we have the visit?
- Which pharmacy would fill the prescription?
The decision
- What health issue are we trying to treat?
- What is the exact drug and product name?
- Why this option, and what other options can we discuss?
- If the medicine is made or mixed to order (compounded), what patient need is that change meant to meet?
The plan and the bill
- What tests or in-person care might be part of the plan?
- Who will answer my questions once the visit is over?
- What is included in the price, and what is charged separately?
- How do refills, follow-up fees and cancellation work?
Questions I want to return to
Visit questions from peptidevirtualvisit.com/question-cards/