The rule follows your location during care.
Ask which rules apply at your location during the visit. An office elsewhere does not settle that question.
Facts checked as of September 26, 2026.
The office state versus the patient state
Where the office is
A website might show the doctor’s office address. Ask what permission allows that person to provide care where you will be during the visit.
Where you receive care
As of September 26, 2026, HHS guidance required a health professional to have a licence or other permission in the patient’s state during the visit. a
HHS is the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Which licence or other permission can be used depends on the state’s rules.
Examples of why one rule cannot cover every state
California allows forms with conditions
As of September 26, 2026, California allowed the health check before a prescription to use a questionnaire, if it still met the medical requirements for the patient’s care. b
The law does not give every form permission to replace a health assessment.
For your visit, ask who reviews your answers, whether they can ask more questions, and who arranges a test or an examination if needed.
Idaho’s fixed-form limit
As of September 26, 2026, Idaho said there was no legitimate medical purpose for treatment decided only from a fixed online questionnaire. c
A fixed form has a set of questions that stays the same. It does not let the person treating you ask a new question based on your answer.
Ask about the pharmacy’s shipping permission too
In most states as of September 26, 2026, a pharmacy located outside the state needed a licence or permit to send medicine to patients within it. d
Most does not mean every state. Check the board record for your own location.
Ask: “Which licence or registration covers my visit, and which pharmacy permit covers delivery here?”
If travel changes where you will be, ask the care service how that changes the arrangements before the visit.
Ask for the permission that matches your location, rather than a general claim of nationwide service.
Find the board records