What happens in an online assessment?

A live visit or an exchange over time

As of September 2026, Ohio permits a live call or messages reviewed later for a first visit. The care must meet the standards of a first visit in person. In a delayed exchange, the clinician reads the information after you have sent it.

Under Ohio’s rule, a phone call that only passes along information is not a medical visit. The call must include the health checks and plan described below. Ask how replies and follow-up questions will work.

A health questionnaire is only the start

A health questionnaire is a form asking about your medicines and health history. Ask how the person treating you will review it with you.

As of September 2026, Ohio requires the health professional to check your health through contact with you before prescribing. They must identify or confirm your health problem and make a treatment plan. They must write down why a prescription is needed and check for health conditions that could make it unsafe for you.

Ask for the explanation of your health problem and the plan in words you understand. Ask what happens next.

Some questions need more than a screen

As of September 2026, an Ohio clinician may ask for an in-person visit instead of offering telehealth. The group of state medical boards advises arranging required tests or an examination, or referring the patient for them.

Ask what would make an in-person visit necessary. If tests are proposed, ask which question each test will help answer and who will explain the results.

Know whom to contact after the visit

Ohio’s online-care rule requires follow-up care or a recommendation for it, as of September 2026. The rule also makes the visit record available to the patient on request.

Ask how to get the record. Ask whom to contact about the plan, and what to do if the next visit needs to be in person.