Telehealth process
A telehealth visit generally moves through six stages: registration, intake, clinician review, the visit itself, follow-up, and recordkeeping. The exact sequence and format vary by provider, but the underlying structure — a licensed clinician reviewing your information before deciding on care — stays consistent.
You create an account with the specific provider you have chosen and typically verify basic identifying information. This is also usually where you select the type of visit you need, such as a prescription consultation or an urgent care visit, and where payment or insurance information is collected.
You complete a structured questionnaire describing your symptoms or need, relevant medical history, current medications, and allergies. Some providers supplement this with a short written description in your own words. The quality of this intake matters: a thorough, accurate intake gives the clinician what they need to make a safe decision.
A licensed clinician reviews your intake before, or sometimes during, contact with you. At this stage the clinician may decide the visit can proceed as planned, may ask follow-up questions, or may determine your issue is not appropriate for telehealth and needs in-person or emergency evaluation instead.
Depending on the provider and your state's rules, the visit itself may happen by secure message, phone call, or live video. The clinician asks questions, may ask you to describe or show a symptom on camera, and works toward an assessment. This is the part of the process our companion page on virtual doctor visits walks through in more detail.
After the visit, the clinician documents their assessment and any plan, which might include a prescription sent to a pharmacy, self-care guidance, a recommendation to schedule in-person care, or a suggestion to follow up again if symptoms change. Take note of any instructions about when to seek further care.
The provider keeps a record of the encounter much like a clinic would after an in-person appointment. If a prescription is issued, it is transmitted electronically to a pharmacy you specify, subject to the rules that apply to the specific medication and your state. Controlled substances are subject to additional restrictions and are frequently not available through general telehealth visits.
These are the providers we currently list with verified referral paths.
Available option
Go MD USA is an online healthcare service offering prescription-related care, virtual urgent care, health plans, and business registration options.
Last reviewed
It depends on the provider and service type. A prescription-focused consultation may take minutes to complete once submitted, while an ongoing care relationship may involve multiple steps over days. Confirm expected timing with the specific provider.
Most providers require registration and an intake form before a clinician reviews your case. This is standard and is how the clinician gets the information needed to assess your situation.
No. Depending on the provider and the issue, a visit may be conducted by secure message, phone, or video. Which format applies is decided by the provider, sometimes based on your state's rules.
The provider retains a medical record of the encounter, similar to an in-person visit. We do not collect, receive, or store any health information ourselves, since the entire clinical process happens on the provider's own platform.