- Tell the service your physical location for the visit.
- Ask the clinician’s name and how to ask follow-up questions.
- Ask what happens if the screen visit leaves something unresolved.
Assumption to check
Does remote care always mean a video call?
What the facts say
As of October 6, 2026, Arizona’s telehealth definition includes live video and sending information for later review.
A phone call without video can count as telehealth. The clinician must find that video is not reasonably available to the patient. Reasons can include difficulty using video because of physical or mental abilities, missing equipment, or limited phone or internet service.
Tell the service about any difficulty using video. Ask which visit format will let the clinician assess your concern.
Consent comes before care
As of October 3, 2026, your agreement is generally required under Arizona rules before care at a distance. When you give spoken agreement, it must be recorded in your medical notes. Your usual privacy rights still apply.
Informed consent is your agreement to care once you have heard an explanation of it. Ask what you are agreeing to and what record of the visit you can receive.
A form needs a proper assessment behind it
MD means medical doctor.
As of October 3, 2026, an Arizona MD generally needs an examination suited to your health problem before writing a prescription. The law also allows an already established doctor-patient relationship to meet this rule.
Do not assume that one earlier visit settles it. Ask the doctor how they know your health situation well enough to make this decision.
The law has listed exceptions and allows an appropriate examination by telehealth.
Advice for state medical boards, checked September 26, 2026, says a fixed question-and-answer form alone cannot provide the basis for treatment.
A form that changes its questions as you answer can be used. The clinician needs the ability to gather enough information for proper care, including asking further questions.
The national organization representing state medical boards provides this advice. Each state decides how to use it; the advice itself is not a nationwide law.
Find out how to put your questions to the clinician before any decision is made.
When a visit in a room is needed
As of October 3, 2026, Arizona requires clinicians to consider whether remote care is suitable for the patient’s situation.
- If a physical examination is needed, who arranges it?
- If tests are needed, where do the results go?
- Who stays responsible for discussing the plan?
Open the source notes
Ask which rule governs the visit and what assessment you will receive before a treatment decision.