An online visit still needs a check of your health.

Find out how the form leads to a care decision

Care provided through video, phone calls, or online messages is called telehealth.

In California, the health check before a prescription may be done online, including by a form, if it meets the proper standard of care (as of September 26, 2026).

Filling in a form alone does not tell you whether your health has been checked well enough. Ask what the person prescribing has learned about you and what is still missing.

The menu advice is not itself a California law. California allows a form when the care is good enough; it does not give every form an automatic pass.

Know what agreeing to telehealth means

California requires the care professional to explain telehealth and obtain your spoken or written agreement. That consent must be recorded (as of September 28, 2026).

Consent means your agreement to that form of care.

You can still get care in person after agreeing to an online visit.

• Who will read the answers on my first form?
• How can I get an answer to a later question?
• What happens if the person treating me cannot learn enough about my health from a video call or messages?

Ask about care after the first exchange

Medical board guidance advises doctors to arrange needed tests or an office exam if an online visit cannot provide enough information to decide on care.

Ask whether follow-up is part of the visit fee or a continuing charge. Read the payment terms before agreeing to a membership.