Online or in person
Can the visit happen online?
Ask which medicine is offered and how the person prescribing it will check your health. “Online care” does not answer either question by itself.
Minnesota rules as of October 1, 2026; federal guidance as of September 26, 2026.
An out-of-state doctor needs Minnesota permission
Minnesota lets some doctors licensed in another state register each year to give care here online, also called telehealth.
To use this registration, the doctor’s home-state license must have no restrictions, and the doctor cannot see patients in person in Minnesota.
Ask whether the doctor has a full Minnesota medical license or the special registration for online care. Check the answer in the board’s public search.
Some medicines require an exam in person
Minnesota generally requires an exam in person before prescribing certain controlled drugs, including the hormone medicines below.
Minnesota classifies both hCG and human growth hormone as controlled drugs, placing them on a government list with extra rules.
The full name of hCG is chorionic gonadotropin; it is a hormone medicine.
If someone offers you a “hormone shot,” ask for its exact drug name and what it would treat in your case.
GLP-1 medicines imitate a hormone with a role in both blood sugar and appetite.
This particular exam rule leaves out the usual GLP-1 injections for weight and diabetes.
Ask the person prescribing your medicine which exam rules apply to it.
Find out how your health will be checked
For a GLP-1 prescription, we cannot confirm whether filling in a form alone meets Minnesota’s rules.
National medical-board guidance says choosing a medicine from a website list is not enough: the person prescribing must check your health.
It also says a fixed online form alone is not an acceptable way to decide treatment.
Under that guidance, patients should have a way to reach their prescriber with follow-up questions.
This is guidance for boards; it is not itself a Minnesota law.
Ask how the person deciding on your medicine will learn about your health and how you can speak with them.
Ask when a screen is not enough
National medical-board guidance says to arrange testing or a visit in person if an online health check cannot cover what is needed.
Ask where an exam would happen, who would arrange it and how that changes the cost. Bring your list of medicines along with the questions you hope to resolve.
Start with your goal for care
To seek care, ask a medical practice about an in-person visit, or ask a telehealth service about care from a distance. Use the same name and license checks for either route.
Describe what you want help with before asking for a particular medicine. Ask which choices can be discussed, including care that does not involve a peptide.