Visit checklist
A screen visit still needs a health check
Suppose you would rather talk from home in Cave Creek. A page says the whole process is online. Does that mean a room visit is never needed?
Ask the person providing care what can be done from home. Start with your goal, your health history and what you already take. Ask how they will get enough information to check your health.
Remote care can be a route
Fact
Telehealth is care from a distance. In-person care means meeting the person providing care in the same room.
Arizona law, as of October 3, 2026, does not demand an in-person visit for every prescription issued through remote care. The person prescribing still needs an examination that fits your health problem. They must also follow the rules for the particular medicine.
Arizona law places the decision about whether remote care fits your needs with the person providing that care, as of October 3, 2026.
Phone-only care can qualify as telehealth in Arizona if the person providing it finds video is not reasonably available, as of October 6, 2026. Reasons include a patient's physical or mental abilities, a lack of the needed device, or limited phone or internet service.
Tell the person arranging the visit if using video is difficult for you. Ask whether a phone call can work for your visit, and whether your medicine needs a visit in person.
A form starts a conversation
Fact
The boards that oversee doctors are brought together by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Its May 2026 guidance says choosing a treatment from a menu is not enough on its own for a prescription.
That guidance calls for a way to ask more questions after the visit. It is guidance for boards, rather than a national prescribing law.
A useful question is: who reads the form, and how can we talk about anything that needs a fuller answer?
Open the source notes
Consent means knowing what you agree to
Informed consent means understanding the care and agreeing to it.
Arizona generally requires agreement to remote care before it begins, as of October 3, 2026. If you agree out loud, that agreement must be noted in your care record. The law has limited exceptions, including certain emergencies.
Normal privacy rights still apply to that care.
Ask where the visit notes go and how to send a question afterwards. Ask what happens if the screen visit cannot answer the health problem you came about.
Open the source notes
Leave with a clear next step
- Do we need tests or a visit in person to finish checking my health?
- Who explains the results to me?
- Who handles questions between visits?
- How can I obtain a copy of my visit notes?