Compare the routes

Which care route fits your day?

Compare the exchange, the time it asks of you and the plan for later questions. Start with the conversation you need and the time you can set aside.

Compare how the conversation works

Each route has a tradeoff. Start with the kind of conversation you need.

Showing all care routes.

Online

A live video visit

Talk it through in real time.

The exchange: You speak and hear the answer in the same sitting.
The practical tradeoff: Set aside time, a quiet spot and a working connection.
Ask before paying: Who handles the next question once the call ends?

Look at video visits

Online

Care by messages

Write first. Read the reply later.

The exchange: The clinician reads your history and can come back with questions.
The practical tradeoff: Ask how replies work and whether a live conversation is available.
Ask before paying: Can I ask my own questions before a decision is made?

Look at the assessment

In a room

An in-person visit

Speak with someone in a room.

The exchange: Talk face to face and discuss any examination.
The practical tradeoff: Plan for the trip as well as the appointment.
Ask before paying: How will later questions and records be handled?

Look at follow-up

What matters across the routes

The Federation of State Medical Boards advises state boards. It says that care delivered online must meet the medical requirements that apply to in-person care.

The clinician needs enough health details to decide on treatment, and a way to arrange any needed tests or examination.

These are recommendations, not law. As of September 2026, the rules a clinic must obey depend on the state.

Ask how the clinician will review your health history.
Ask who can answer a medicine question later.
Ask how the service shares records with an existing clinician.