An in-person visit
You and the clinician meet in the same place. Ask what the visit will cover and how later questions will be handled.
Ask before you arrange it
Can we discuss the memory concern before deciding whether a medicine has a role?
A guide to care choices
Which care route fits the conversation?
Compare where the assessment happens, how questions are answered and what follows. Keep the memory concern at the centre.
What is the difference between the routes?
A remote visit
Telehealth uses video, phone or an online exchange. Ask which format is offered and whether you can ask questions as the discussion develops.
Ask before you arrange it
What happens if the assessment needs something we cannot do remotely?
A clinician I already see
Bring the product name and your questions to an existing care relationship. Ask whether this concern belongs in that visit or needs a separate assessment.
Ask before you arrange it
Can we review the proposed plan together, including any care arranged elsewhere?
Is online care held to a different standard?
For video, phone and message visits, the Federation of State Medical Boards recommends the same standards of care as for a visit in person.
A clinician should, under that advice, arrange any tests or examination a remote visit cannot cover, or direct you to someone who can provide that care.
Ask who arranges that extra care and explains the next step.
Can I compare them without picking a business?
Yes. Put the same questions beside each route:
- Can I explain the concern before discussing a product?
- How do I reach the clinician when another question comes up?
- Who explains any tests or referrals?
- What will I pay for the visit and any later care?
The useful comparison is the plan for your assessment. A long treatment menu does not answer those questions.
What is the reading behind this?
- Medical-board policy: what a remote visit needs
Explains what an assessment and follow-up need to cover. This advice helps state boards write rules; it is not itself a law that every service must follow.