Florida's telehealth prescription rules, explained

Who can treat patients in Florida by telehealth?

A clinician who treats a patient located in Florida must either hold a Florida license or be registered with the Florida Department of Health as an out-of-state telehealth provider. Registration is for clinicians with an active, unrestricted license in another state. (Fla. Stat. §456.47)

What registration means for you

• Care is telehealth only. A registered provider may not open an office in Florida or see Florida patients in person.
• The provider must meet the same standard of care as a clinician seeing you in person, and document your care in a medical record.
• The provider's website must link to the state's public record of the registration, so you can check it.
• What counts is where you are during the visit. If you're physically in Florida, Florida rules apply, even if you live elsewhere.

Controlled substances

Florida law does not allow Schedule II controlled substances to be prescribed by telehealth except in narrow situations, such as psychiatric treatment and certain inpatient, hospice or nursing-home care. MedRefill Florida goes further: we do not prescribe any controlled substances.

Refills versus new treatment

A telehealth evaluation can be enough to diagnose and treat without an in-person exam when it meets the standard of care. For refills, that usually means confirming what you take, why, how it's working and whether anything has changed. If it isn't safe to continue without an exam or lab work, the right answer is in-person care, and we'll say so.

How to verify any telehealth provider in Florida

1. Open the Florida Department of Health license verification search.
2. Search the clinician's last name. Telehealth registrations show the profession with a "TLHT" label and a registration number.
3. Check that the status is clear and active.

Check eligibility — $39 review