How to choose a trustworthy online clinic

Start with the clinical review

A real online clinic should explain how a licensed healthcare professional evaluates your information before treatment decisions are made. The clinic should also make it possible to ask clinical questions through a reasonable support path. If a site treats the visit like a product checkout, slow down and look for more information.

FDA's GLP-1 telehealth red flags include a company that does not require screening and a prescription by a licensed doctor before providing medicine, or does not have a licensed doctor available to answer questions after you receive the medication. Ask how licensed clinical review works before proceeding.

Confirm the clinic can provide care where you are

Telehealth rules depend in part on where the patient is located. Telehealth.HHS.gov says health professionals generally must meet licensure requirements where they are located and be licensed or legally permitted to practice where the patient is located.

Ask whether the clinic can serve your state, who will provide the clinical evaluation, and what happens if your location changes before an appointment. State rules can affect consent, visit type, prescribing, pharmacy options, and records.

Review the pharmacy path

If medication may be prescribed, the clinic should explain the steps after prescribing. A prescription decision is separate from pharmacy review, medication availability, payment, fulfillment, and shipment. FDA's online pharmacy guidance says safer online pharmacies require a prescription, have a U.S. address and phone number, have a licensed pharmacist available, and are licensed with a state board of pharmacy.

• Ask which pharmacy may fill the prescription.
• Ask how to verify pharmacy licensure.
• Ask what costs are included and what costs may be separate.
• Ask how medication questions or side effects are handled.

Look at privacy and follow-up

Privacy copy should be specific enough to understand how health information is collected, used, stored, and shared. Telehealth.HHS.gov explains that telehealth appointments, messages, health information, and billing information can be protected by HIPAA, and that state privacy laws may also apply.

Follow-up matters too. Before enrolling, ask how you receive visit instructions, where records or after-visit summaries appear, what to do if you miss an appointment, and how to reach the care team after a decision.

Common questions