IRVINE / GETTING CARE
Can the first visit happen online?
Sometimes. The important question is whether the assessment gets the information needed for your care.
UNPACK THE VISIT
Online can mean different things.
- Telehealth
- Care carried out through a remote exchange rather than a shared room.
- Replying later
- The person treating you receives your information, then reads it and answers later.
Ask whether the visit uses live video, a phone call, or information reviewed later. Ask how to send your own questions.
Your agreement comes first.
As of September 2026, California required an explanation of telehealth and documented verbal or written consent before it began.
Agreeing to remote care did not close the door to later in-person care.
Does a questionnaire count?
Under California’s September 2026 rule, a questionnaire could provide the health check needed before prescribing, if it gave enough information for proper care.
- Standard of care
- Online visits are held to the care standard required for in-person visits.
A questionnaire was not automatic permission to prescribe.
Ask the person treating you: is this form enough to decide, or do you need a conversation, tests or an examination?
What if a screen cannot answer it?
Under guidance checked in September 2026, a doctor needing more information had to set up the necessary tests or send you for an examination in person.
State medical boards make up the Federation of State Medical Boards, which issued this guidance. It is guidance, rather than a separate national law.
Ask what would lead to a visit in person and how you would get that appointment.
Get ready for the assessment