Getting care
What does getting care involve?
Bring the injury, the history, and the questions. A named treatment can wait until the visit has a clear purpose.
Can the visit happen online?
A screen can be part of care
With telehealth, you receive care over a video call, by phone, or in website messages instead of sharing a room.
Ask whether you will talk during a call, send messages, or fill in a form. Ask how to share the questions you want answered with the person treating you.
Controlled drugs have extra rules because of possible misuse.
Most peptides are not controlled drugs under federal law, as of September 2026.
For medicines that are not controlled drugs, federal law requires no in-person visit before prescribing, as of September 2026.
Your state’s rules and the need to examine your injury can still require you to meet in person.
Ask the person treating you: “For this medicine and my injury, do I need to be seen in person?”
Ask how the injury will be assessed
Tell the person treating you where it hurts, how it began, and what has changed. Mention past care and what you want to get back to doing.
Ask what they can learn through the screen. Then ask what needs a hands-on exam or a test.
Medical boards advise doctors to set up the tests you need or refer you to another person who can carry them out.
Make sure you can ask questions
As of September 2026, US medical boards say a website treatment menu cannot replace a doctor’s check of your health.
They also say patients need to be able to contact their treating person with questions after that first conversation.
Ask who reads your answers and how to reach that person with a question. If you fill in a form about your health, ask what happens next.
Know what comes after the visit
Before the visit ends, ask for the plan in plain words. What is being checked? What happens next? Who will talk through the results with you?