The visit chapter
Can a first visit happen online?
Telehealth is care through technology rather than in the same room.
Ask what the visit can cover, and what happens if more information is needed.
The state rule
Virginia allows remote assessments with conditions.
As of September 2026, Virginia allows some first assessments by live video or by sending health information for later review.
The person writing the prescription needs your current health history and a diagnosis: a finding about the health problem.
They need an active Virginia licence and permission to prescribe. Their care must meet the standard required for an in-person visit.
The visit must include any needed tests or physical exam. If diagnosis requires an exam in person, an online visit cannot replace it. The prescriber must provide your records promptly when you ask, and follow federal prescribing rules too.
If you have health insurance, the law also sets conditions about the prescriber’s approval by your plan and payment for the visit. How those conditions apply when you pay for the visit yourself is unclear.
Before paying, ask how the service meets these conditions for your visit, including any insurance conditions.
Source notes
Virginia’s remote-prescribing conditionsWhat the visit needs
An online questionnaire is not the whole visit.
As of September 2026, Virginia’s medical board guidance rejects a prescription based solely on an online questionnaire.
That is board guidance, rather than a separate law.
An online questionnaire can help collect your history. Leave room to ask your own questions.
National medical-board guidance, as of September 2026, calls for tests or an in-person visit when needed.
A useful question is: what happens if this visit is not enough?
Before the visit
Bring the details that help the conversation.
Write down the reason you are seeking care. Keep the names of medicines and supplements nearby.
Make a note of allergies, past reactions, and questions about pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Use those notes during the visit.
After the visit
Ask about care after the screen closes.
For an in-person clinic, ask how later questions and reviews are handled.
For an online visit, ask where an exam or tests would happen if the health professional needs them.
Ask who can explain the plan afterward, and what is charged if no medicine is prescribed.
Source notes
Keep questions for the visit