Seattle care · The checks that matter
Compare a visit in a room with a visit over a screen. Either way, get the person’s full name and the pharmacy’s name before committing.
A clinician is the health professional who examines you, decides what care you need, or treats you.
| Care setting | What to ask before a visit |
|---|---|
| In-person clinic | Who will examine me and decide on treatment? Who would give any injection? How can I contact the person giving my care after the visit? |
| Licensed telehealth | A telehealth visit uses a phone, video, or an online system. Which clinician will review my history? Will we both have a chance to ask follow-up questions? What happens if I need an exam in person? |
As of September 2026, Washington law treats a telehealth visit as taking place where the patient is located.
Myth to test
What holds up
As of September 2026, a clinician treating a new patient in Washington by telehealth needs Washington permission to practise.
If you are visiting Washington and want follow-up from a clinician who already treated you elsewhere, ask whether the visitor exception applies.
For a new course of care in Seattle, ask how the clinician is authorised to treat you in Washington.
Get their full name, licence type, and credential number. A credential is the state’s record of a health professional’s licence.
Washington’s free credential search accepts a name or credential number and shows licence status and public disciplinary records.
Discipline means action a board has taken over a professional’s conduct.
A record with no public action is not a promise of good care.
Check the Washington credential recordAsk which pharmacy will make or fill the medicine and which one will send it. Keep that answer beside the product name.
As of September 2026, a pharmacy mailing prescription medicines into Washington generally needs a Washington nonresident pharmacy licence.
Nonresident means the pharmacy is based outside Washington. The state may excuse a pharmacy from this licence rule if its prescription orders into Washington are occasional rather than regular business.
Do not assume that sending just your prescription qualifies. If the pharmacy says it has an exception, ask how you can confirm that with Washington’s health department.
An out-of-state pharmacy with a Washington licence must label the medicine with a free pharmacist phone line, as of September 2026.
That line must reach a pharmacist with access to your records during the pharmacy’s regular hours.
Bring a note of the problem, the medicines you take, and past test results you want to discuss.