Check the care plan
Check what happens after the visit
Care needs a next conversation.
Ask about follow-up before accepting an offer. Write down how to send a question, who answers and what happens when the plan needs another look.
The care check
NAME.CHECK.Bring the open question.Find out who answers a question
Ask whether a health question reaches the person treating you, another health professional or only the office staff. Ask how to send a question to the pharmacist.
FDA’s telehealth checklist flags a service that has no licensed doctor available for questions after the medicine arrives.
- Where do I send a medicine question?
- When can I expect a reply?
- Is a follow-up visit included in the fee?
Agree what gets reviewed
Ask when the plan will be discussed again, what information to bring and who will read any test results.
The Federation of State Medical Boards calls for an in-person referral when the issue needs an exam or test that cannot be done remotely.
These are the federation’s suggestions for state boards; each state sets the rules the service must follow.
- Where would the referral go?
- Who keeps the results and care notes?
- What will change if I travel or leave the service?
Know the medicine-reporting route
Patients can report medicine problems through MedWatch, FDA’s reporting program.
A problem report alone cannot establish that the medicine was the cause.
Keep the product information and care notes available when discussing a problem. Use the agreed care route for questions about your own treatment.
Read the record
- Open the FDA reporting program
MedWatch explains the patient reporting route.