Wiki Prescribing Meds w/o seeing patient

[erickalm]

Are providers allowed to prescribe prescription medication to a patient without initially seeing a patient for a new problem?

Patient called her doctors office to make an appointment after experiencing flu like symptoms (which also seemed to be going around at the time). The doctor instead called patient back, asked a few questions and sent a prescription to a nearby pharmacy w/o the patient even stepping in the office.

So are they allowed to prescribe a medication without having seen the patient first?
Don’t they need the patient to be present to properly diagnose them & prescribe the correct medication and select correct treatment plan?
Do they charge a visit for this?
And if so how?

 

[ajs]

Are providers allowed to prescribe prescription medication to a patient without initially seeing a patient for a new problem?

Patient called her doctors office to make an appointment after experiencing flu like symptoms (which also seemed to be going around at the time). The doctor instead called patient back, asked a few questions and sent a prescription to a nearby pharmacy w/o the patient even stepping in the office.

So are they allowed to prescribe a medication without having seen the patient first?
Don't they need the patient to be present to properly diagnose them & prescribe the correct medication and select correct treatment plan?
Do they charge a visit for this?
And if so how?

Asked and answered in another forum....