Care at a distance
Telehealth changes where the conversation happens
In a few words
Telehealth moves a visit out of a shared room. The person treating you may use a screen, a phone or written messages.
The format is only the start
With an asynchronous visit, the exchange is not live. The person treating you reads the information after you send it.
The Federation of State Medical Boards published guidance, checked in September 2026, that rejects relying on a fixed questionnaire alone for treatment.
The guidance calls for enough detail about your health to decide on care. It also calls for a way to ask you further questions.
That guidance is not a single nationwide law; states set the enforceable rules.
Ask how the visit will cover your symptoms, health history and medicines. Ask how to add details after sending a form, and how to put your own questions to the person treating you.
Name the place where the visit happens
The US Department of Health and Human Services gives guidance on permission to practise across state lines.
As of September 2026, it tied that permission to where the patient is during the visit.
Before a visit away from home, give the service the state you will be sitting in during the call. Ask whether it can treat you there.
Read how to check a licence Prepare for the actual conversation