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Walgreens virtual healthcare: online doctor & prescriptions.

Online doctor visits, on demand

See a doctor or nurse practitioner online, get a diagnosis and fill prescriptions, if needed, from the comfort of home.

Walk-ins welcome

How it works

Quickly connect with a clinician using our efficient intake process.

What condition can we help with?

Get high-quality care from U.S.-licensed doctors and nurse practitioners for nonemergency conditions.

Illness & infection

Women’s health

Allergy & asthma

Heart health

Sexual health.

Skin & hair

Urgent care

Type of visit: Video visit

Required for treatment: N/A

Live urgent care visits offer personalized discussions with a healthcare provider for a variety of conditions.

We recommend you see an in-person provider for your care if:

• You are experiencing chest pain or palpitations, difficulty speaking or slurred speech, facial droop or numbness, difficulty breathing, difficulty moving or feeling arms or legs, problems with your eyes (other than pink eye), or recently have fainted.
• You are seeking care for ear pain or dental pain.
• You are seeking care for a UTI and your sex assigned at birth is male
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding
• You are seeking controlled substances or durable medical equipment
• You are seeking a physical exam, lab work, or imaging orders
• You are seeking medications for pain, sleep, ADHD or anxiety
• If you are seeking care for strep throat, please note that based on recent clinical guidelines, in-person strep testing is required in many, but not all cases. We do not offer in-person strep testing; however, we can provide guidance on whether it would be appropriate based on your symptoms.

Commonly prescribed medications:

Varies based on patient symptoms. Recommended treatments may include online prescriptions, over-the-counter treatment recommendations, and/or self-care strategies.

Cough, Cold, Sinus Infection

You may be a good candidate for virtual care if:

• You are currently experiencing symptoms consistent with sinusitis, such as runny nose, stuffy nose or congestion
• You have had 3 or more sinus infections within the past year
• Your symptoms have been ongoing for more than 1 month or your symptoms have returned after having recently been treated for sinusitis with antibiotics
• You are having difficulty breathing that is unrelated to nasal congestion, you have pain or stiffness in your neck, changes in vision or a fever greater than 101°F

Depending on your symptoms, our providers may recommend prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, home remedies or seeking in-person care. Prescriptions may include antibiotics (such as Amoxicillin or Augmentin) for sinus infection, Benzonatate (Tessalon Perles) for cough or other symptomatic treatments for colds.

Type of visit: Chat

Required for treatment: Photo of left and/or right eye

• You are experiencing symptoms consistent with pink eye, such as redness, itchiness and crusting of the eye(s)
• You wear contact lenses
• You have a recent history of trauma to the eye or concern about something in your eye
• You have had eye surgery within the past 2 months
• You are experiencing blurred, impaired, or changes in vision, sensitivity to light, flashing lights or floaters, headache with nausea, inability to open eye or keep it open, redness beyond the eye, pain or tenderness in or around the eye

Commonly prescribed medications: Antibiotic eye drops, such as Erythromycin, trimethoprim-polymyxin B and ofloxacin

Required for treatment: Photo of lips

If you are also experiencing an outbreak of genital herpes, please start a genital herpes visit where we can address both oral and genital herpes.

• You have a current oral cold sore outbreak
• You have had 3 or more cold sore outbreaks within the last year
• Your last outbreak was within the past 2 weeks
• You are seeking cold sore suppression/prevention treatment or refills

Commonly prescribed medications: Valacyclovir, Acyclovir, Famiclovir

Type of visit: Chat (ages 18–64); Video Visit (ages 18+)

Required for treatment: Photo of a positive COVID test result from within 5 days of first symptom (such as an at-home test, a test result from Walgreens or another healthcare provider)

• You are interested in a COVID treatment plan that may include Paxlovid
• You are able to upload a photo of your positive COVID test result and you are within 5 days of your first symptoms
• You are experiencing a fever of 103°F or greater, dizziness or lightheadedness, chest tightness, chest pain or wheezing, difficulty urinating, lower leg, ankle, or foot swelling, problems with memory and/or confusion, or problems eating/keeping down food or liquids
• You have hepatitis, cirrhosis, elevated liver enzymes or severe renal impairment

Commonly prescribed medications: Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir)

Typical number of refills if prescribed: 1 pack, 0 refills

Required for treatment: Photo of a positive flu test result. If you don’t have a positive flu test, you can schedule a Flu & COVID test at Walgreens.

If you were exposed to someone who tested positive for flu, such as a household member, and you have not been tested for flu, please select Video Visit and you can discuss treatment options with the provider.

• You are able to upload a photo of your positive flu test result with your name, date of birth and date. Or, you were in contact with someone who was diagnosed with flu and you are at high risk for complications from flu (please select Video Visit if you do not have a positive flu test result)
• You have had flu-like symptoms for less than 48 hours, you are at increased risk for complications from flu or you are in contact with someone who is immunocompromised

Commonly prescribed medications: Tamiflu (Oseltamivir)

Birth Control

Required for treatment: Documented blood pressure reading within the last 12 months, such as a photo of a medical record from a patient portal or an at-home blood pressure monitor reading. Photo should include your name, date of birth and date of reading. Don’t have a recent blood pressure reading? Get a blood pressure monitor from Walgreens with 30-minute Pickup or FREE 1-hour Delivery on orders $35+.

• You are interested in the following forms of birth control: oral pill, patch, vaginal ring, diaphragm and internal condoms, starting a new type of birth control or refilling your current form of birth control
• You are a biological female of reproductive age
• You can provide documentation of a blood pressure reading from within the past year
• You use tobacco and are 35 years or older
• You have a history of breast cancer, bariatric surgery, stroke, heart disease, cirrhosis or lupus
• You are seeking Depo-Provera, Phexxi, temporary menses delay, IUD or Nexplanon.

Commonly prescribed medications: Sprintec, Junel, Norethindrone (such as Ortho Micronor), Nuvaring

Typical number of refills if prescribed: One-year supply

Urinary tract infection

Type of visit: Video Visit

• You have had symptoms for less than 2 weeks (pain with peeing, urgent need to pee and/or frequent peeing)
• This is your first UTI in the past 3 months
• Your sex assigned at birth was female
• You are experiencing fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, flank, back, or abdominal pain or unusual vaginal discharge

Commonly prescribed medications: Macrobid, Bactrim, Cephalexin

Prescription Morning-After Pill

Type of visit: Chat or Video Visit, varies by state. Before you pay for your visit, we will let you know if we need to conduct a Video Visit in your state.

Required for treatment: Height and weight

• You are a biological female
• You had unprotected sex within the past 5 days
• You are vomiting
• You have a history of malabsorptive bariatric procedures

Commonly prescribed medications: Ella (ulipristal), Plan B (levonorgestrel)

Plan B and Ella are both safe and effective forms of emergency contraception that can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy. Both Plan B and Ella are more effective the sooner you take it.

Ella is only available via prescription and can be taken up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Ella is more effective than Plan B if your BMI is 30 or more. Ella is not effective if your BMI is 35 or more. Here is a link to calculate your BMI to determine if Ella may be right for you.

Plan B is available over the counter. It can be taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex. Plan B is most effective if your BMI is less than 25, and it is less effective if your BMI is 30 or greater.

If you think you may be pregnant, you can purchase a pregnancy test here.

Yeast Infection

• You are currently experiencing symptoms consistent with yeast infection, such as itchiness, burning and irritation of the vagina
• You have had a yeast infection in the past
• Your sex assigned at birth is female
• You are experiencing abdominal, pelvic or back pain
• You are experiencing nausea, vomiting, fever or chills
• You have a concern for STIs or bacterial infection
• You have visible vaginal lesions
• You experience recurrent yeast infections (4 or more per year)
• You have a recurrent yeast infection within 7 days of recent treatment
• You are seeking preventative treatment

Commonly prescribed medications: Fluconazole

Asthma medication refill

Required for treatment: Photo of your most recent asthma prescription (pill bottle, inhaler or medical record)

• You need a refill (30 day supply) of your most recent asthma medication
• You do not have a prior history of asthma
• You have poorly controlled asthma
• You are currently experiencing an asthma exacerbation
• You have concern for an underlying infection
• It has been more than 1 year since you have last had an asthma management visit with your PCP or specialist

Please note:

• We do not offer treatment adjustments
• We do not offer steroids for exacerbations
• Daily medications will only be refilled if you have been less than 2 weeks without medication
• Episodic medications (such as inhalers) will only be refilled if you have been less than 6 months without medication

Commonly prescribed medications: Albuterol inhaler refills, refills of your current daily medication for asthma

Typical number of refills if prescribed: 30 day supply with 0 refills per year

Patients may not receive more than one prescription every 12 months through this service

Seasonal Allergies

Required for treatment: Photos of eyes, nose and back of throat

• You have recurring seasonal allergy symptoms, which may impact the eyes, nose, sinuses and skin (such as clear nasal discharge, past history of seasonal or environmental allergies and seeking symtomatic relief) (If you are not sure what is causing your symptoms, we recommend seeking care through the Urgent Care visit or Cold, Cough, Sinus Infection visit.)
• You have eye or facial pain, fever or chills, are coughing up yellow or green phlegm, or have yellow or green drainage from the nose
• You are having a severe allergic reaction (such as, shortness of breath, wheezing, swollen lips or tongue)
• You may have a viral infection, eye injury, abrasion or ulceration
• You have a history of asthma

Commonly prescribed medications: Montelukast (Singulair), Fluticasone nasal spray (Flonase), Cetirizine (Zyrtec)

Providers may prescribe medications that are also available over-the-counter. OTC medications may not be covered by insurance and it may be cheaper to get medication through a prescription. Insurance coverage and pricing varies by plan. Typical number of refills if prescribed: Montelukast: 90 tablets, 1 refill

Blood Pressure Medication Refill

Required for treatment: Photo of current prescriptions for high blood pressure (picture of pill bottle(s) or medical record)

• You have been previously diagnosed with hypertension and are seeking a refill of your current medication
• You are on 3 or more high blood pressure medications
• You are experiencing headache, blurry vision, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, severe back pain, confusion, lightheadedness, fainting, dry mouth or thirst, shortness of breath, chest pain or tightness, palpitations or racing heart
• You are seeking a refill of a blood thinner medication
• You have been off of your current medication for more than a week

Commonly prescribed medications: Diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, Beta Blockers, & Calcium channel blockers, including combination pills

Typical number of refills if prescribed: We provide one 90-day refill within a 12 month period if your provider determines it is clinically appropriate for you. If you need another refill within 12 months, please follow up with your primary care provider.

Erectile dysfunction

Required for treatment:

• Proof of most recent ED prescription (photo of pill bottle or medical record)
• Proof of documented blood pressure reading within the last 12 months (such as a photo of a medical record from a patient portal or an at-home blood pressure monitor reading) Don’t have a recent blood pressure reading? Get a blood pressure monitor from Walgreens with 30-minute Pickup or FREE 1-hour Delivery on orders $35+.
• You have been previously diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and are overdue for a provider visit or need a refill of your medication
• You are a biological male
• You have a documented blood pressure reading within the last 12 months
• You can provide a photo of your most recent ED prescription (pill bottle or medical record)
• You have had elevated blood pressure in the past 12 months
• You have a family history of heart attack or heart disease in persons less than 55 years of age
• You have recently experienced chest pain, dizziness, fainting or seizures or have heart disease

Commonly prescribed medications: Cialis (tadalafil), Viagra (sildenafil), Levitra (vardenafil)

Typical number of refills if prescribed: 90 day supply with 3 refills. Early refills will not be provided.

Genital herpes

Required for treatment: Photo of your most recent prescription medication used for genital herpes

• You have a current outbreak of genital herpes
• You have previously been diagnosed and treated for genital herpes
• You are seeking genital herpes suppression/prevention treatment or refills
• This is your first genital outbreak
• There is concern for a concurrent bacterial infection
• You have atypical lesions on areas of the body that are not the genital or oral region
• You have lesions near the eye area
• You have neck pain, fever, severe headache, nausea or vomiting
• You have had 3 or more outbreaks within the last 12 months

Commonly prescribed medications: Valacyclovir tablet, Acyclovir tablet, Famciclovir tablet

Acne, anti-wrinkle & dark spots

Required for treatment: Photo of front of face, left side of face and right side of face

• You are interested in topical treatment for mild-moderate facial acne, wrinkles, or dark spots
• You have severe scarring, acne on multiple parts of your body or cystic acne
• You need the following prescriptions: isotretinoin (also known as Accutane, Zenatane, Absorica, Myorisan, Claravis, or Amnesteem), oral antibiotics or spironolactone

Commonly prescribed medications: Tretinoin (for acne & anti-wrinkle), Benzoyl Peroxide (for acne), Topical Clindamycin (for acne), Birth control (for hormonal acne), Hydroquinone (for dark spots)

Typical number of refills if prescribed: 2 refills

Men’s hair loss

• Photo of hairline and scalp
• You have male pattern balding (hair loss around your hairline and on the top of your head)
• You are interested in regrowing your hair or preventing future hair loss
• You have significant hair loss on other parts of your body
• You have pain, itching or burning of the scalp
• You have HIV, a weakened immune system, a rheumatological disorder or autoimmune diseases

Commonly prescribed medications: Propecia (finasteride); we do not prescribe Oral Minoxidil

Typical number of refills if prescribed: 90 day supply, 3 refills

When you need care now, not later

No appointment needed

Most visits start within 15 minutes of your request being submitted.

Extended hours, 7 days a week: 8 am-midnight EST (5 am-9 pm PST)

*Currently available in the following states: CA, FL, GA, IL, MI, NJ, NV, NC, OH, and TX.

Low & upfront fees

Transparent pricing before your visit with low-cost services from $33 to $75.

Pay with credit card, debit card, HSA or FSA card. Insurance currently not accepted.

Prepare for your visit

To begin your visit, you’ll need to:

• Upload a government-issued photo ID and your photo to verify your identity
• Answer a few medical questions to determine if this service is a good fit for your needs
• Enable your video camera and microphone access for treatments that require a live video visit
• Use the current version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari for best results when accessing the service

Prescriptions made easy

Frequently Asked Questions

• Start a visit request anytime. Select your treatment area and answer clinical intake interview questions regarding your condition. Some treatment areas require you to provide photos, for example, of the affected area or of a previously filled medication.
• The next available provider licensed in your state will send you a message through your patient portal when they are ready to connect. Doctors and nurse practitioners are available between the hours of 8 am to midnight EST (5 am to 9 pm PST), seven days a week. If you request a visit overnight, a provider will reach out to you as soon as they are available, which may be the following morning.
• To get started, click on a treatment area above to learn more about our visit types, what we treat and typical wait times.

All treatment areas require you to upload a government-issued photo ID, as well as a selfie, to verify your identity. All visits require patients to be age 18 or older. Each treatment area has unique requirements to receive care. Please click on a treatment area above to learn more about its requirements.

To access this service, you must be physically located in one of the following states at the time of the visit: CA, FL, GA, IL, MI, NC, NJ, NV, OH, or TX. Please check back soon to learn where we are growing next—we plan to offer virtual care to patients in additional states in the future.

Visits can be conducted on a mobile device, tablet or desktop computer. We recommend using the most recent version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari to access the service. Microsoft Edge is known to cause issues in video-based visits. Internet Explorer is not supported. For video visits, you will need to enable video camera and microphone access to interact with a clinician. Video visits are conducted on a HIPAA-compliant platform. Click on a treatment area above to learn more.

Patient support can be reached at 866-740-7721 between the hours of 8 am to midnight EST (5 am to 9 pm PST, 8 am to 12 pm EST), seven days a week. You may also send a message through the patient portal in your Walgreens Virtual Healthcare account.

Payment & insurance

Walgreens Virtual Healthcare visits are $33 - $75. Click on a treatment area above to see the price of each visit type. Insurance is currently not accepted for virtual care visits; however, you may pay for your visit with your HSA/FSA card. Insurance may be used to purchase your prescription, if applicable. We plan to accept insurance for virtual care visits in the future.

Yes, you can use insurance to pay for most medication. Insurance coverage for prescription drugs varies. Please talk with your insurer or pharmacy directly about any questions regarding your prescription drug coverage. The cost of medication is not included in the cost of your visit. Looking to pay for your medication out of pocket? Find lower prescription prices at Walgreens with our free search tool, Walgreens Rx Savings Finder , powered by RxSense ® .

We accept debit, credit and HSA/FSA cards.

The fee you pay is for a clinical assessment, which may be conducted via a live visit or an offline (asynchronous) review of your clinical records by a Walgreens Virtual Healthcare provider. They will review your clinical situation and use their independent clinical judgment to recommend the most appropriate treatment option for you. This may include prescribing medication, recommending over-the-counter medications or home care strategies and/or recommending that you visit an in-person provider for further evaluation (such as an urgent care center, emergency department, primary care provider or specialist). We cannot offer refunds solely because the provider determines a prescription medication is not the best option for you, cannot be safely prescribed based on the information available, does not prescribe your preferred medication or due to issues related to pharmacy medication pickup.

If you are unable to complete your visit, please let us know right away by logging in to your Walgreens Virtual Healthcare account and sending us a chat message, or by calling us at 866-740-7721, so we can cancel your consultation before a provider reviews your intake. Your credit card will be charged after the provider reviews your intake and shares their recommendations for next steps.

If you have questions about your care, please log in to your Walgreens Virtual Healthcare account and send us a chat message or call us at 866-740-7721.

Our provider team is made up of experienced doctors and nurse practitioners who offer high-quality treatment and care. You will be matched with a doctor or nurse practitioner licensed in the state where you are located at the time of your visit. Service availability varies by state.

Providers & prescriptions

After your visit, if you would like your records sent to your primary care physician, you can use the Walgreens Virtual Care patient portal to send us a message and request that a copy of your records be sent to your primary care physician.

Please click on a treatment area above to learn more about what medications are commonly prescribed, as well as common exclusions. We do not prescribe any medications that are listed as controlled substances by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) or state law. This includes narcotics, amphetamine stimulants and benzodiazepines.

Disclaimers

*Currently available in the following states: CA, FL, GA, IL, MI, NC, NJ, NV, OH, or TX.

Prescription based on medical evaluation and not guaranteed.

Walgreens-affiliated medical practices are independently owned and operated by licensed physicians who provide services using the Walgreens virtual care program telehealth platform. For more information about the relationship between Walgreens and the medical practices click here .

Walgreens Health Medical Group California P.C. is a California professional medical corporation utilizing the fictitious name “Walgreens Health Medical Group California P.C.” pursuant to Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2415. To view the Fictitious Name Permit click here .

Republish This Story

Virtual or In Person: Which Kind of Doctor’s Visit Is Better, and When It Matters

When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face.

During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded .

“It was a dramatic shift in one or two weeks that we would expect to happen in a decade,” said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra , a professor at Harvard Medical School whose research focuses on telemedicine and other health care delivery innovations. “It’s great that we served patients, but we did not accumulate the norms and [research] papers that we would normally accumulate so that we can know what works and what doesn’t work.”

Now, three years after the start of the pandemic, we’re still figuring that out. Although telehealth use has moderated, it has found a role in many physician practices, and it is popular with patients.

More than any other field, behavioral health has embraced telehealth. Mental health conditions accounted for just under two-thirds of telehealth claims in November 2022, according to FairHealth , a nonprofit that manages a large database of private and Medicare insurance claims.

Telehealth appeals to a variety of patients because it allows them to simply log on to their computer and avoid the time and expense of driving, parking, and arranging child care that an in-person visit often requires.

But how do you gauge when to opt for a telehealth visit versus seeing your doctor in person? There are no hard-and-fast rules, but here’s some guidance about when it may make more sense to choose one or the other.

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If It’s Your First Visit

“As a patient, you’re trying to evaluate the physician, to see if you can talk to them and trust them,” said Dr. Russell Kohl , a family physician and board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “It’s hard to do that on a telemedicine visit.”

Maybe your insurance has changed and you need a new primary care doctor or OB-GYN. Or perhaps you have a chronic condition and your doctor has suggested adding a specialist to the team. A face-to-face visit can help you feel comfortable and confident with their participation.

Sometimes an in-person first visit can help doctors evaluate their patients in nontangible ways, too. After a cancer diagnosis, for example, an oncologist might want to examine the site of a biopsy. But just as important, he might want to assess a patient’s emotional state.

“A diagnosis of cancer is an emotional event; it’s a life-changing moment, and a doctor wants to respond to that,” said Dr. Arif Kamal , an oncologist and the chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society. “There are things you can miss unless you’re sitting a foot or two away from the person.”

Once it’s clearer how the patient is coping and responding to treatment, that’s a good time to discuss incorporating telemedicine visits.

If a Physical Exam Seems Necessary

This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are nuances. Increasingly, monitoring equipment that people can keep at home — a blood pressure cuff, a digital glucometer or stethoscope, a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen, or a Doppler monitor that checks a fetus’s heartbeat — may give doctors the information they need, reducing the number of in-person visits required.

Someone’s overall physical health may help tip the scales on whether an in-person exam is needed. A 25-year-old in generally good health is usually a better candidate for telehealth than a 75-year-old with multiple chronic conditions.

But some health complaints typically require an in-person examination, doctors said, such as abdominal pain, severe musculoskeletal pain, or problems related to the eyes and ears.

Abdominal pain could signal trouble with the gallbladder, liver, or appendix, among many other things.

“We wouldn’t know how to evaluate it without an exam,” said Dr. Ryan Mire , an internist who is president of the American College of Physicians.

Unless a doctor does a physical exam, too often children with ear infections receive prescriptions for antibiotics, said Mehrotra, pointing to a study he co-authored comparing prescribing differences between telemedicine visits, urgent care, and primary care visits.

In obstetrics, the pandemic accelerated a gradual shift to fewer in-person prenatal visits. Typically, pregnancy involves 14 in-person visits. Some models now recommend eight or fewer, said Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola, chair of telehealth for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A study found no significant differences in rates of cesarean deliveries, preterm birth, birth weight, or admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit between women who received up to a dozen prenatal visits in person and those who received a mix of in-person and virtual visits.

Contraception is another area where less may be more, DeNicola said. Patients can discuss the pros and cons of different options virtually and may need to schedule a visit only if they want an IUD inserted.

If Something Is New, or Changes

When a new symptom crops up, patients should generally schedule an in-person visit. Even if the patient has a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease that is under control and care is managed by a familiar physician, sometimes things change. That usually calls for a face-to-face meeting too.

“I tell my patients, ‘If it’s new symptoms or a worsening of existing symptoms, that probably warrants an in-person visit,’” said Dr. David Cho , a cardiologist who chairs the American College of Cardiology’s Health Care Innovation Council. Changes could include chest pain, losing consciousness, shortness of breath, or swollen legs.

When patients are sitting in front of him in the exam room, Cho can listen to their hearts and lungs and do an EKG if someone has chest pain or palpitations. He’ll check their blood pressure, examine their feet to see if they’re retaining fluid, and look at their neck veins to see if they are bulging .

But all that may not be necessary for a patient with heart failure, for example, whose condition is stable, he said. They can check their own weight and blood pressure at home, and a periodic video visit to check in may suffice.

Video check-ins are effective for many people whose chronic conditions are under control, experts said.

When someone is undergoing treatment for cancer, certain pivotal moments will require a face-to-face meeting, said Kamal, of the American Cancer Society.

“The cancer has changed or the treatment has changed,” he said. “If they’re going to stop chemotherapy, they need to be there in person.”

And one clear recommendation holds for almost all situations: Even if a physician or office scheduler suggests a virtual visit, you don’t have to agree to it.

“As a consumer, you should do what you feel comfortable doing,” said Dr. Joe Kvedar , a professor at Harvard Medical School and immediate past board chairman of the American Telemedicine Association . “And if you really want to be seen in the office, you should make that case.”

Related Topics

• Mental Health
• Telemedicine

Copy And Paste To Republish This Story

By Michelle Andrews March 6, 2023

When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face.

“It was a dramatic shift in one or two weeks that we would expect to happen in a decade,” said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra , a professor at Harvard Medical School whose research focuses on telemedicine and other health care delivery innovations. “It’s great that we served patients, but we did not accumulate the norms and [research] papers that we would normally accumulate so that we can know what works and what doesn’t work.”

Now, three years after the start of the pandemic, we’re still figuring that out. Although telehealth use has moderated, it has found a role in many physician practices, and it is popular with patients.

But how do you gauge when to opt for a telehealth visit versus seeing your doctor in person? There are no hard-and-fast rules, but here’s some guidance about when it may make more sense to choose one or the other.

If It’s Your First Visit

“As a patient, you’re trying to evaluate the physician, to see if you can talk to them and trust them,” said Dr. Russell Kohl , a family physician and board member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “It’s hard to do that on a telemedicine visit.”

Sometimes an in-person first visit can help doctors evaluate their patients in nontangible ways, too. After a cancer diagnosis, for example, an oncologist might want to examine the site of a biopsy. But just as important, he might want to assess a patient’s emotional state.

“A diagnosis of cancer is an emotional event; it’s a life-changing moment, and a doctor wants to respond to that,” said Dr. Arif Kamal , an oncologist and the chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society. “There are things you can miss unless you’re sitting a foot or two away from the person.”

Once it’s clearer how the patient is coping and responding to treatment, that’s a good time to discuss incorporating telemedicine visits.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are nuances. Increasingly, monitoring equipment that people can keep at home — a blood pressure cuff, a digital glucometer or stethoscope, a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen, or a Doppler monitor that checks a fetus’s heartbeat — may give doctors the information they need, reducing the number of in-person visits required.

Someone’s overall physical health may help tip the scales on whether an in-person exam is needed. A 25-year-old in generally good health is usually a better candidate for telehealth than a 75-year-old with multiple chronic conditions.

“We wouldn’t know how to evaluate it without an exam,” said Dr. Ryan Mire , an internist who is president of the American College of Physicians.

“I tell my patients, ‘If it’s new symptoms or a worsening of existing symptoms, that probably warrants an in-person visit,’” said Dr. David Cho , a cardiologist who chairs the American College of Cardiology’s Health Care Innovation Council. Changes could include chest pain, losing consciousness, shortness of breath, or swollen legs.

When patients are sitting in front of him in the exam room, Cho can listen to their hearts and lungs and do an EKG if someone has chest pain or palpitations. He’ll check their blood pressure, examine their feet to see if they’re retaining fluid, and look at their neck veins to see if they are bulging .

“The cancer has changed or the treatment has changed,” he said. “If they’re going to stop chemotherapy, they need to be there in person.”

And one clear recommendation holds for almost all situations: Even if a physician or office scheduler suggests a virtual visit, you don’t have to agree to it.

“As a consumer, you should do what you feel comfortable doing,” said Dr. Joe Kvedar , a professor at Harvard Medical School and immediate past board chairman of the American Telemedicine Association . “And if you really want to be seen in the office, you should make that case.”

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5 Ways to Make the Most of a Doctor’s Appointment Right Now

It’s Monday at 11 a.m., and you have a visit set for 3 p.m. with your primary physician . You plan to ask your doctor about a recent knee injury and intermittent headaches, but you only mentioned knee pain when you made the appointment. You’ve put a reminder note in your cellphone to also mention the headaches, but that’s as far as you’ve gotten.

What’s wrong here? For one, you’ve only given your doctor part of the picture, and that means you’ll spend the first few minutes of the visit filling in the details before you and your doctor can start discussing a diagnosis and care plan. Second, the office is likely preparing for a single-issue visit and has allotted your doctor’s time accordingly.

Whether you’re making an appointment for your annual wellness check or a new health issue, preparing yourself—and the practice staff—in advance can help make the difference between a satisfying, productive medical visit and a frustrating one. Below, you’ll find some guidance for making the most of your doctor’s visit —whether it’s in person or virtual.

1. Think big picture about your health, not just your immediate needs.

Preparing a list of your health concerns for an annual visit or writing down details about a bothersome new symptom are good starting points. It can also be helpful to perform a brief health self-assessment to prioritize your medical concerns, says John Wasson , M.D., emeritus professor of community and family medicine and longtime researcher with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Wasson helped to create the What Matters Index at How’s Your Health , a brief confidential questionnaire meant to help people identify various potential issues to discuss with their doctors.

Thinking through your overall health prior to your appointment in addition to your specific concerns can help increase your health-confidence level, which Dr. Wasson points to as an important aspect of navigating medical care. Health confidence is an indicator of how capable patients feel at managing their health conditions . Research has shown that higher health-confidence levels improve the engagement of patients in their care and the communication between doctor and patient during visits. Health confidence doesn’t exist in a vacuum—many factors can impact it, including your socioeconomic status and the quality of the care you receive. But spending time thinking about your health before your appointment may help you increase your health confidence and better advocate for your needs.

2. Brief the medical staff on your needs so they can allot enough time for your visit.

Most physician practices set aside an amount of time for your appointment that reflects the visit’s expected “complexity,” in health care terminology. An annual or preventive visit might be scheduled for 30 to 45 minutes, for instance, and a problem recheck—to see how a wound is healing or whether antibiotics knocked out an infection—for 10 to 15 minutes, Dr. Wasson explains. A new-problem visit, when the patient has requested an appointment for perhaps a skin rash or a possible urinary tract infection, might be allocated 15 or 20 minutes. A third type of visit is transactional—you’re going in for a test or procedure—and its length varies depending on the test or procedure in question. “If you use the What Matters Index, and you know how much time is allotted for your visit, then you might be able to detect and remedy a mismatch before you get there,” Dr. Wasson says.

It’s helpful to have some sense of what goes on behind the scenes in your doctor’s office if possible so that you can request the right type of visit. “Some organizations place constraints on the amount of time providers are given with each patient,” Matthew Goldman , M.D., a family medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, tells SELF. “Ideally, the more time the better. But because a lot of people are often seeking care from a single provider at a time, constraints must be placed to avoid long wait times.”

To avoid a mismatch between the practice’s expectations and your own, Dr. Goldman suggests preparing a list of concerns, prioritized by what’s most pressing, that you want your doctor to address. Ideally, you would share that information in advance with the scheduler or in a secure message via the online portal, if you have access to one. That helps ensure that you get the attention you need and deserve, Dr. Goldman says, by making the encounter as efficient as possible.

Even if you’re not able to share your list of concerns with the practice staff in advance, make sure you know how long your visit is supposed to be. “It’s helpful for the patient to ask, how long is this visit?” Mathew Devine , D.O., associate medicine professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, and medical director of Highland Family Medicine, tells SELF. “They know they’re supposed to arrive at 11:45, but does that mean the visit is 15 minutes or 20 or 45 minutes? Patients should be aware of that.”

3. If possible, be extremely detailed when you brief the practice staff.

At a typical doctor’s office, the front-desk staff, nurses, and medical assistants are all key players in queueing up your visit. So let the staff help you by providing them as much detail as possible.

“By letting the schedulers, medical assistant, and nurses know what’s going on ahead of the visit, the physician has time to review the chart and focus on potential causes—medications or previous medical history, for example—that might be contributing to the patient’s concerns,” Dr. Goldman tells SELF. “I suggest that patients dedicate time to writing out their concerns and then, if possible, elaborate on each concern. Create a timeline or big picture of when the issue started and the treatments you’ve tried.”

The better informed the doctor is, the better the visit may go. Dr. Devine describes an “A+” experience involving a patient who’d been in an accident. The patient was managing several different health care providers and services, and the day before her visit, she sent, through the portal, an update on how she was doing and what she wanted to talk about in the visit. “I have the update and the agenda, so once we get in the room, I’m cooking,” Dr. Devine says. “It’s amazing when patients are prepared like that.” But it’s also unusual; in his experience, only 10% of patients prepare and bring a list to the visit. There are many valid reasons why it might not be possible for you to provide that kind of detailed update beforehand, such as a lack of time. But if you’re able to do this, it can be really helpful.

If the visit will be virtual , preparation is especially crucial. Try to make sure you have all pertinent information on hand and available to the doctor in advance. This includes not only your medications and a timeline of your concerns but also images of the area you’re having an issue with—if that’s applicable and doable. Ideally, it helps if you also access the virtual platform before the scheduled visit start time to make sure it's working smoothly, Dr. Goldman tells SELF. “Technical glitches can be a challenge, so ensuring a working connection, camera, and access to the application before the visit starts can help prevent issues when it is time for the visit,” he says.

4. Understand that your visit agenda and the doctor’s might differ.

If you show up with an eight-item list, the doctor might not be able to address all your concerns in one visit. Also, keep in mind that the doctor will want to focus on any potentially serious issue first. “Sometimes, my patient’s number one problem they want to talk about is different than mine,” Dr. Devine says. The patient might be worried about a spot on her skin that he can tell isn’t cancerous , he explains, but he wants to start with the unintended weight loss that the patient mentioned in the portal before the visit. “I want to make sure the patient gets to talk about their agenda items, but there are some things where we have to meet in the middle,” he says.

If the patient has 12 things on their list, Dr. Devine resets expectations. “I say, ‘I see that you have a lot of things you want to talk about, but we can probably only talk about three to five in this visit. Which things are really important to you that you want to make sure we talk about today?’” he says. “Then I pick a few things that are important to me to address, and we go from there.” If you’re not able to fit it all into one visit, ask your doctor if you can address the remaining issues in a subsequent one.

5. Be prepared to share everything that concerns you upfront.

There’s a phenomenon in physician-patient encounters, the “hand on the doorknob.” That’s when the doctor thinks the visit has concluded and is getting ready to leave the room, but the patient raises an issue they haven’t previously divulged. When that happens, it’s problematic for both parties. The “by the way” problem might be an important health issue that should have been addressed early in the visit. Or the doctor may simply be out of time. Either way, the situation can make for a less than satisfying visit.

Dr. Devine has developed a method for preventing that dilemma. At the start of the visit, he acknowledges the patient’s list, but then asks: Is there anything else? “If I don’t do that, I risk the hand on the doorknob,” he tells SELF. Even if your doctor doesn’t ask that type of question, try to remember how helpful it can be to bring up all of your concerns at the start of the visit instead of saving some for the end.

To ensure that your doctor’s visit is comprehensive, it’s also important to be prepared to discuss anything that’s concerning you—even something sensitive like possible exposure to sexually transmitted infections , Dr. Goldman advises. “These topics can be difficult to discuss for many potential reasons. I encourage patients to gather information on the topic to gain insight on potential causes, testing, and treatment options,” he says. “Oftentimes the office can provide this kind of information beforehand. Having a better understanding often helps reduce anxiety and stress.” If you want to do some online research into a health issue you’re having before you go to the doctor’s office, make sure you only use reliable sources such as the Mayo Clinic Symptom Checker , Dr. Wasson advises. (Or that you rely only on resources that draw from those kinds of sources.) It’s also worth asking if the practice can provide or direct you to information to review.

Finally, if you leave the office (or sign off from your appointment) and realize you’ve forgotten to ask about an issue, that’s okay. Get back in touch with your doctor’s office by calling or sending a message online. “That’s a great use for the portal. If you’re awake at 3 a.m. thinking about something you forgot, and you’re not having the worst chest pain of your life, send a note—and the nurse or doctor will get back to you,” Dr. Devine says. “Just remember that the portal isn’t for emergencies.”

• 7 Tips to Help You Decide Whether You Should Keep Your Doctor’s Appointment Right Now
• Life Hack for People With Chronic Illness: Write an Elevator Pitch. Here's Why.
• How to Actually Have a Successful Teletherapy Appointment

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

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Taking an active role in your health care can help you get the best care possible from your doctor. One way to do this is to make sure you get the most out of your office visit by preparing ahead of time and creating an agenda for your visit with your doctor. When you prepare for your appointment ahead of time, both you and your doctor will find the visit more helpful. Here are some tips you can follow for what to do before, during, and after your visit with your doctor. These tips can help you and your doctor work together to improve your health.

Path to improved health

Be prepared.

Usually, you will only have about 15 minutes of time with your doctor. To make sure you and your doctor get the most out of your time, be sure to think about your visit ahead of time.  Think about your concerns and questions. Write these things down before your visit. Make a list and bring it to your visit. With a list, you won’t have to worry about remembering everything you need to tell your doctor. Here are a few things you might consider before your visit:

• Think about concerns and questions you have for your family doctor. Write these down. Start first with what is most important to you and end with the least important. Bring the list to your visit. Be ready to work with your doctor to reorder your list, if needed.
• If you are a new patient, bring as much information as possible with you to help your new doctor learn your health history. If you are not a new patient, you only need to bring information with you that is new or has changed since your last visit with your doctor.
• Write down your health history. You can create a “health journal” for yourself on paper or on your computer. Your health journal can include things like health problems you have or have had, blood pressure numbers, recent symptoms, food eaten, or a sleep diary. Bring the journal or health history to your appointments.
• Take any X-rays, test results, or medical records you have. Your doctor can look at these to learn more about your health history.
• Make a list of all the medicines you take, including when and how often you take the medicine. Include the strength of the medicine (for example, do you take 150 mg or 200 mg?). The list should also include any vitamins or supplements you take.
• Talk to your family members to see if they can come with you to your appointment to listen, take notes, and ask questions.
• If you will need an interpreter for your appointment, call your doctor’s office to let them know ahead of time.

Be sure to take your lists with you to your visit. The  Today’s Visit Form  or  Patient Pre-Visit Checklist  can help you with preparing for your visit with your doctor.

Talk to your doctor

When you talk to your doctor, follow these steps to make sure you and your doctor get the most out of your time together.

Go over your lists

Even though it’s hard, talk about the issues that are embarrassing or scary at the beginning of your visit. This will give your doctor plenty of time to address them. Your doctor is not there to judge you but to help you. Be honest.

Be sure to tell your doctor about any current and past health care issues or concerns. It’s important to share any information you can, even if you’re embarrassed. Give your doctor the following information during the exam:

• Your symptoms
• Personal information, such as stress or changes in your life
• Any medicines you are taking, including supplements
• Any side effects you are experiencing from your medicine(s). Be sure to tell your doctor if your medicine makes you feel sick or if you think you may be allergic to it. Also let them know if you are having trouble paying for your medicine. Your family doctor may be able to help find different medicines for you to take or explain why the ones you are taking are the right choice.

Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to speak up during your appointment. It’s important for you to let your doctor know if you don’t understand something. If you don’t ask questions, your doctor will think you understand everything. Here are some tips on asking your doctor questions:

• Ask every time you don’t understand something.
• If you can’t understand what your doctor is explaining, ask them to explain it in better detail, possibly using pictures or brochures.

Here are some good starter questions you can ask your doctor:

• What do my symptoms mean?
• Should I be tested for a disease or condition?
• What caused this condition?
• How serious is the condition?
• How is it treated?
• Are there any side effects to the treatment?
• How long will treatment take?
• How will this condition affect my life now and in the future?

If you run out of time, make a plan to get the rest of your questions answered.

• Tell your doctor when you need more time to talk about something. If the doctor isn’t available to help, you should be able to talk to an assistant or a nurse. If no one else is available, see if you can schedule another appointment to ask the rest of your questions.

Take information home with you

Taking written or recorded information home with you can be helpful. It can help you remember information and instructions any time you need to. Your doctor is a good source of accurate information you can trust. The following are types of information you can take home with you:

• Notes you have taken during the appointment. It’s ok for you to write down the information your doctor gives you. Sometimes it helps to bring a friend or family member with you. They can help write down the answers to your questions and other information shared by the doctor or nurse. You can also ask your doctor to write down notes for you.
• Written instructions from your doctor. These should be provided to you at the end of your appointment.
• A tape recording. Ask your doctor if it’s okay for you to record to the appointment to help you correctly remember everything.
• Brochures or other educational materials. If there aren’t any available, ask where or how you can get some.

Things to consider

Make sure to follow any instructions you and your doctor discussed during the visit. This could include taking medicine, preparing for a test, or scheduling an appointment with a specialist. If you’re confused or if you’ve forgotten some information, it’s okay to contact your doctor. The following are some common reasons you may need to call your doctor or send an electronic message after your appointment:

• If you have any questions after the appointment. Ask to leave a message with the doctor or speak with a nurse.
• If you start to feel worse or have problems with your medicine
• If you had tests and haven’t got the results

National Institute of Health, MedlinePlus: Make the most of your doctor visit

Last Updated: March 10, 2023

This article was contributed by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians

This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

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• Virtual visits for members with plans through work

Virtual visits

Talk to a health care provider from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

What is a virtual visit? It may be a term you’re hearing more often. That’s because the use of virtual visits, also known as telehealth, has expanded recently, offering people more ways to connect with a health care provider from home or work. During a virtual visit, you use digital technologies, like your smartphone, tablet or computer, to talk with a provider. You can get treatment options and even prescriptions for medications, if needed.

UnitedHealthcare offers members options for virtual visits with local providers or by using UnitedHealthcare’s preferred national providers. For benefits coverage information, please  sign in to your account . Let’s go over some of the basics about virtual visits and how they work.

Are virtual visits covered?

Virtual visits may be covered by your health insurance in a similar way to an office visit with your doctor. Depending on your benefit coverage, you may be able schedule a virtual visit with a local provider or have a virtual visit for primary care, therapy, specialty care or 24/7 with a national provider for urgent care or when your provider is not available. Sign in to your account  or call the number on your member ID card to check your benefits for virtual visit coverage. Below are some options that may be available, based on your health plan.

Virtual care may include in-network virtual visits for medical, mental health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, chiropractic, home health, vision, hearing and dental services.

Virtual visits for mental health

If you need care for mental health issues, local health care providers may be able to provide virtual visits. Coverage may depend on your health plan benefits, so  sign in to your account  or call the number on your member ID card first to learn what benefits may be available to you.

Emotional support by phone or mobile app

Some emotional support programs may be included with certain health plans. Sign in to your account to learn if the following benefits may be available with your health plan.

• Find programs and tools to help support your mental health and well-being — all at your own pace through Calm Health. The Calm Health app brings you a library of support — including mindfulness content and programs created by psychologists — for a variety of health experiences and life stages.
• With Talkspace online therapy, you can regularly communicate with a therapist, safely and securely from your phone or desktop. No office visit required. Talkspace is convenient, safe and secure. Simply register (first visit only) and choose a provider and message anywhere, anytime. Eligible members can visit talkspace.com/connect to get started.

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What Happens During a Wellness Visit?

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Importance of a Wellness Visit

• What to Expect
• How to Prepare

A wellness visit is a health check-up that is typically conducted on an annual basis. It involves visiting your healthcare provider to check your vitals, screen for health conditions , and develop a healthcare plan for your needs.

The aim of a wellness visit is to promote health and prevent disease and disability.

This article explains why annual wellness visits are important, what you can expect during the process, and how to prepare for it.

These are some reasons why wellness visits are important.

Prevent Diseases

Most healthcare visits are categorized under diagnostic care; when you have a health problem, you visit a healthcare provider who assesses your symptoms, diagnoses your condition, and prescribes a treatment plan.

A wellness visit on the other hand is a preventative healthcare measure. The aim of preventative healthcare is to help you maintain good health and prevent health problems before they develop. The goal is to help you live a longer, healthier life.

Wellness visits assess your lifestyle, evaluate health risks, and screen for health conditions, in order to prevent health problems or catch them in the early stages. Instead of waiting to see a healthcare provider once you have a health problem, the idea is to be proactive about your health and work with your healthcare provider to prevent health problems.

People tend to think that it’s fine to skip their annual wellness visit if they’re feeling healthy. However, a 2021 study notes that wellness visits can play a role in catching chronic health conditions early, as well as helping people control for risk factors that could cause them to develop health issues down the line.

Reduce Medical Costs

Wellness visits can help prevent disease and disability, which in turn can help reduce medical costs. According to a 2016 study, a focus on preventive healthcare can significantly reduce medical costs and improve the quality of healthcare services.

What to Expect During a Wellness Visit

A wellness visit may be performed by a healthcare provider such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, or other qualified health professional.

These are some of the steps a wellness visit may involve:

• Family history: Your healthcare provider may ask you detailed questions about your family’s medical history, to determine whether you are at an increased risk for certain health conditions that may be passed on genetically .
• Medical history: You may also be asked questions about your personal medical history. It can include information about any current or previous diseases, allergies, illnesses, surgeries, accidents, medications, vaccinations, and hospitalizations, as well as the results of any medical tests and examinations.
• Measurements: Your healthcare provider may measure your height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs. Doing this regularly can help you establish a baseline as well as track any changes in your health.
• Cognitive assessment: Your healthcare provider may assess your ability to think, remember, learn, and concentrate, in order to screen for conditions such as Alzhemer’s disease and dementia.
• Mental health assessment: Your healthcare provider may also assess your mental health and state of mind, to help screen for conditions such as depression and other mood disorders.
• Physical assessment: Your healthcare provider may perform a physical examination to check your reflexes. They may also perform a neurological exam, a head and neck exam, an abdominal exam, or a lung exam.
• Functional assessment: Your healthcare provider may assess your hearing, your vision, your ability to perform day-to-day tasks, your risk of falling, and the safety of your home environment.
• Lifestyle factors: Your healthcare provider may ask you questions about your nutrition, fitness, daily habits, work, stress levels, and consumption of substances such as tobacco, nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.
• Health risk assessment: Based on this information, your healthcare provider will evaluate your health, and determine whether you are at an increased risk for any health conditions.
• Health advice: Your healthcare provider may advise you on steps you can take to improve your health, control risk factors, and prevent disease and disability. This may include nutrition counseling, an exercise plan, flu shot and vaccination recommendations, and fall prevention strategies, among other things.
• Screenings: Your healthcare provider may recommend that you get screened for certain health conditions such as depression , cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or liver conditions. This may involve blood work, imaging scans, or other screening tests. 
• Medication review: Your healthcare provider may review your medication and adjust it, if required. This can include prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, vitamins, supplements, and herbal or traditional medication.
• Referrals and resources: If required, your healthcare provider will provide a referral to other healthcare specialists. They can also provide other resources that may be helpful, such as counseling services or support groups , for instance.
• Medical providers: Your healthcare provider will work with you to create or update a list of your current medical providers and equipment suppliers. This list can be helpful in case of an emergency.
• Healthcare plan: Your healthcare provider will work with you to create a healthcare plan that is tailored to your needs. The plan will serve as a checklist that will list any screenings or preventive measures you need to take over the next five to 10 years.

The screenings, assessments, and healthcare plan can vary depending on factors such as your age, gender, lifestyle, and risk factors.

How to Prepare for a Wellness Visit

These are some steps that can help you prepare for a wellness visit:

• Fill out any required questionnaires: Your healthcare provider may ask you to fill out a questionnaire before your visit. The questionnaire may include some of the factors listed above. Make sure you do it before your visit, so that you can make the most of your time with your healthcare provider.
• Carry your medications: If possible, try to carry your medications with you to show them to your healthcare provider.
• Take your medical documents along: It can be helpful to carry your prescriptions, immunization records, as well as the results of any medical tests or screenings you have had, to help give your healthcare provider a more accurate picture of your health status.
• Ask someone to go with you: You may want to take a trusted friend or family member along with you for the wellness visit. They can assist you if required, take notes for you, ask questions, and help you remember your healthcare provider’s instructions.
• Note down questions and concerns: A wellness visit is a good opportunity to ask your healthcare provider any questions you have about your health and tell them about any health problems or concerns you have. Making a list and carrying it with you to the visit can help ensure that you don’t miss anything.
• Check your insurance plan: Most insurance plans cover wellness visits; however, what is covered as part of the wellness visit can vary depending on the plan. It can be helpful to know what preventative services and wellness visits your plan offers. It’s important to check that your healthcare provider takes your insurance and to inform them that you’ll be coming for a wellness visit when you schedule your appointment.

A Word From Verywell

A wellness visit can help you evaluate your health status, understand your risk for specific health conditions, and give you the information and resources you need to improve your health.

After you go for a wellness visit, it’s important that you start implementing your healthcare provider’s advice, take any follow-up appointments necessary, and take steps to improve your health.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Get your wellness visit every year .

University Hospitals. What you need to know about wellness visits .

Liss DT, Uchida T, Wilkes CL, Radakrishnan A, Linder JA. General health checks in adult primary care: a review . JAMA . 2021;325(22):2294-2306. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6524

Musich S, Wang S, Hawkins K, Klemes A. The impact of personalized preventive care on health care quality, utilization, and expenditures . Popul Health Manag . 2016;19(6):389-397. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0171

Alzheimer’s Association. Annual wellness visit .

University of Michigan Health. Your yearly wellness visit .

By Sanjana Gupta Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

Screen Rant

10 funniest garfield comics involving the vet's office.

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Walking Dead's Creator Shares the 'Original Name' of Negan's Saviors (Here's Why It Had To Change)

15 funniest garfield comics that just turned 40 (meet jon's family), 10 greatest garfield comics featuring pooky the teddy bear.

Over the course of Garfield 's forty-six-year history, Jim Davis' titular cat has had several adventures, both at home and outside of it, with his owner, Jon Arbuckle. Like most pets, Garfield makes trips to the vet. He has a general aversion to the necessity, making for some interesting interactions before or after his check-ups and procedures.

The veterinarian's office is one of the key locations in Garfield comics, particularly since it is where Jon's girlfriend, Liz, works. It is also where they met, though it took a while for her to warm up to the awkward cat owner. Although the vet's office has fallen out of popularity in recent years as a location, its influence is undeniable and its presence makes for some of Garfield's best moments, even if it's a context location causing humor instead of a locale present each humorous panel involving it.

11 Garfield's Off-Panel Trip to the Vet Has Disastrous Results - For the Vet

Publication Date: October 20, 1978

Even though the veterinarian's office is not present within the panel, its influence is very present in this comic strip. During his trip to the vet, Garfield unleashed his fury, resulting in his doctor needing to get stitches. Initially, Jon's roommate, Lyman - Odie's original owner - believes the iconic cat is the one who required stitches, when the reality is that Garfield left a decent amount of damage on his medical professional.

Jon may not be prepared to hit Garfield, but some of their acquaintances aren't nearly so hesitant and considerate given how the cat has treated them.

This is one of Garfield's earlier vet visits , making it particularly important to show his relationship with the location. This panel, though it features Garfield off-panel and doesn't include the office, sets the stage for the feline's lifelong hatred of going to the vet. It's just the start of humorous vet antics yet to come, providing the perfect tone for Jon's struggle to get Garfield to readily go to his appointments.

10 Garfield Terrifies His Way Into the Veterinarian's Office

Publication date: october 29, 1978.

Garfield isn't known for being a high-energy cat. In fact, he's quite the opposite, having a hearty appetite and a love for sleeping in. However, his werecat transformation sees him at one of his most active points, capable of scaring himself into a faint. Garfield is far from terrifying , making this strip particularly interesting and its twist extra funny. Staying in character is integral to the feline remaining healthy and avoiding unexpected surprises that require a trip to the vet.

Garfield's been making readers laugh for decades, and these comics strips in particular are no exception. Here's the 15 funniest that just turned 40!

This is one of Garfield's lesser-known designs , making it a fun twist. It gives the lazy, lasagna-loving cat a humorous twist and a more ferocious appearance that isn't very fitting for his broader character. This makes it stand out all the more and makes his self-awareness moment even funnier. It's especially noteworthy since being knocked out means he went to the vet without a struggle and the vet was able to escape unscathed as well.

9 The Veterinary Clinic Makes Its Garfield Debut Brilliantly

Publication date: september 17, 1978.

Garfield has hated going to the vet since the beginning, with his avoidance methods starting strong. Trying to escape and paw his way out of a visit, the grand reveal of the clinic at the end is the cherry on top highlighting his hatred for the vet. Showcasing Garfield's intuition, fear, and hesitation brilliantly, this strip sums up Jon and his cat's relationship perfectly. Wanting to take care of his cat, Garfield's owner does all the right things, but a cat's distaste for the vet runs deep and always has him poised to run away. The titular feline may be lazy, but he'll run when the need arises.

Garfield isn't known for being a high-energy cat. In fact, he's quite the opposite, having a hearty appetite and a love for sleeping in.

8 Garfield's Reflexes Prove Less Than Stellar

Publication date: february 12, 1987.

While at the vet for amnesia, Garfield's run through tests by Liz, Jon's eventual girlfriend . She tests his reflexes, which are delayed by a whole panel. Where typically a rapid response would be desirable, Garfield is so well-known by his owner and medical professional, that they gauge his delay as normal. It's important to know what's normal for a species, but also what's normal for individuals. Garfield's a special case and everyone around him is aware of it.

Although his delayed reflexes could be generally concerning, he's so distinct and memorable that the people who care for him know exactly what to expect. Garfield may not be the healthiest cat in the world or be at the top of his pedigree, but he's very loved and perceived as special despite his shortcomings.

7 Jon Arbuckle Gets His Own Fear at the Vet

Publication date: july 27, 1979.

Although Liz and Jon would eventually go on to be in a relationship together, their early years of getting to know each other were rather rocky. Garfield's owner hasn't always been the luckiest when it comes to matters of the heart, and he often had a tendency to come on strong, leading to this exchange. Spaying and neutering is a common practice at the vet, making Liz's dig at Jon particularly hilarious as she has a not-so-subtle way of telling him to calm down and back off with his advances.

This early courtship becomes funnier over time since they are very happy together now. Jon could've given up at this point, but he's known for his perseverance in the wake of rejection. His persistence allowed him to break through this early hiccup and develop a meaningful relationship with Liz.

6 Jon Drags Garfield to the Vet Aimlessly

Publication date: july 23, 1979.

After meeting Liz, Jon is completely smitten, causing him to try to find excuses to go to the vet. Instead of maintaining a regular schedule of visits, this action shows how crazy Garfield's owner is becoming over his interest in her. Already, Garfield has established that he hates going to the vet, but Jon is willingly putting himself in danger of his cat hurting him or running away. He is also putting others in harm's way potentially, given that the feline has been known to leave his vet with wounds requiring stitches.

5 Garfield Thwarts Another Vet Visit - With Violence

Publication date: february 6, 1984.

Jon has frequently used the honesty method with Garfield, letting the cat know when he's going to the vet. However, Garfield's reactions have ranged from running to scratching to throwing television sets, as he does in this strip. The usual methods of avoiding the vet are not enough to stop Jon, resulting in the feline turning ferocious. The strip carries on the next day with Jon promising to find a way to get Garfield to the vet, but were this to carry on another route, the cat could've gotten out of his doctor's visit by forcing Jon to attend one of his own in the emergency room.

4 Garfield Has Made Enemies That Would Assist in Vet Visits

Publication date: february 13, 1987.

During his bout with amnesia, Garfield's taken to the vet, where Liz suggests hitting him on the head to jog his memory with some trauma. Offended by the idea of bonking his cat's head, Jon expresses distaste towards the idea and anyone who'd be interested in doing that. Unfortunately, the mailman's had enough run-ins with Garfield to find the idea appealing.

There're few things that bring Garfield genuine joy, and one of them is his best friend, Pooky the Teddy Bear. Here are the 10 best comics with Pooky!

The long-running feud between the two goes back to the late 70s, making this a potentially awaited opportunity to take advantage of. Jon may not be prepared to hit Garfield, but some of their acquaintances aren't nearly so hesitant and considerate given how the cat has treated them. This particular vet visit pays off several of the cat's humorous run-ins with the mailman and makes the postal worker look especially eager to help treat Garfield's current problem.

3 Garfield Values Honesty, But Not the Veterinarian

Publication date: july 1, 1988.

In a shift from Jon's tricks and deceptive means of getting Garfield to the vet, he takes a more direct approach. While it doesn't take place at the vet's office, it highlights the lengths the humorous feline will go to when it comes to trying to avoid the vet. It also encapsulates Jon's struggle to communicate and care for his pet, highlighting their strained dynamic as pet and pet owner.

Honesty may be the best policy, but it isn't a guarantee of Garfield's compliance, since the cat wants to avoid the veterinarian's office as much as he can. Garfield loves to eat, but in this strip, he is willing to sacrifice a meal to avoid a visit. There isn't much that can make the feline toss away his food, but this exchange makes for a top-tier rejection.

2 Garfield Makes Pet Care a Potential Downside

Publication date: february 11, 1987.

Following a bout of amnesia, Liz suggests a course of action that will remedy issues with Garfield's memory and condition. However, the treatment seems like a downside from many angles, particularly from Jon's perspective. The cat's bad traits have been absent, making him much more agreeable than normal. In many ways, amnesia turns Garfield into the perfect pet. However, Jon will always take care of his cat, no matter the disadvantage he's at, but this instance still showcases a "grass could be greener" opportunity.

In many ways, this would take away all of the key aspects of Garfield that make him so iconic. The cat has been popular for decades, in part because he's lazy, disagreeable, a secret softy, and a nuisance to Jon and Odie. Acknowledging his bad traits here, highlights the wonderful opportunity presented to Jon, but it'd be a terrible decision for Garfield's loving fans.

Garfield is the central character in Jim Davis's comic strip, which officially began in 1978 under the same name. Garfield is an orange tabby cat with a love of lasagna and a disdain for Mondays. He tends to torment his owner and dog while trying to secure more food - and quiet.

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Real estate partner, 'live telecast not possible': mamata banerjee denies doctors' demand, says 'can't keep insulting me'.

Curated By : Shobhit Gupta & Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Last Updated: September 14, 2024, 21:25 IST

Kolkata, India

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee waiting at her residence for the junior doctors to join the meeting.

The doctors in an email told Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee that they want another meeting with her.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to the agitating doctors, who had arrived at her residence for talks, to join the meeting, amid their demand for live-streaming of the discussions.

“I would request you all to come inside and attend the meeting. As the matter is before the court, we cannot allow live streaming. I will video-record the meeting and will provide you with a copy only after permission from the Supreme Court,” she said, while appealing to students to come inside and not to get drenched in rain.

“Today, you said that you want a meeting, so I have been waiting. Why are you people insulting me like this? Please don’t insult me like this. Earlier on the three occasions, I have been waiting but you people didn’t come,” she said.

Banerjee was seen waiting at her residence to meet the delegation of protesting junior doctors. On the other hand, the doctors who reached the CM’s residence, claimed that they are waiting for the chief minister to meet the delegation, sources said.

A delegation of junior doctors arrived at Smt. @MamataOfficial ‘s residence in Kalighat over an hour ago, yet the crucial meeting remains at a standstill.Visuals show the CM waiting patiently alongside the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary & DG. pic.twitter.com/IOp3N5dbY4 — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 14, 2024

According to photographs and information shared by the state secretariat Nabanna, Banerjee along with DGP Rajeev Kumar and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant were waiting at her residence for the junior doctors to join the meeting.

Meanwhile, students claimed that they demanded live-streaming or video recording of the meeting, but just like Thursday the demand is not being accepted by the authorities.

“We requested for live streaming of this meeting. The Chief Secretary said live streaming is not possible as it is CM’s residence. We told the Chief Secretary that we want live streaming so that transparency is maintained. We also said please consider our videographer so that he can record the meeting. But CM’s security was shooting the video and they said it is for security reasons. We want live streaming so that proper transparency of this discussion and meeting is maintained and other junior doctors present at the protest site can also know what happened in this meeting. That’s why we are waiting in front of the main gate of CM residence as we want live streaming of this meeting,” the junior doctors said.

Banerjee-Doctors’ meeting

Banerjee scheduled a meeting with protesting junior doctors at her residence on Saturday to hold talks to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse. Only 15 members from the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front were allowed to attend the meeting with the chief minister.

The doctors welcomed the visit of Banerjee at the protest site and said they were more than willing to hold talks with adequate representation and proper transparency.

“We saw that the meeting was called in her residence. We will go there and come back here then inform you all,” one of the doctors, who were part of the protest said.

Doctors’ email to Bengal CM

The doctors earlier in an email told Bengal chief minister that they want another meeting with her hours after she made a surprise visit to the site where they were protesting but demanded another meeting with her.

“We are more than willing to have a discussion in your esteemed presence with adequate representations and proper transparency as agreed by both the parties,” the doctors said in an emailed statement.

They said that they take Mamata Banerjee’s visit as an ‘exceptional goodwill gesture’ and a ‘welcome step’. They said the meeting will bring ‘collective clarity of our five point demands for which we have been protesting peacefully for the last thirty five days’.

“We are more than willing to have a discussion in your esteemed presence with adequate representations and proper transparency as agreed by both the parties. We are eagerly awaiting for your positive response to end this impasse,” West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said.

Mamata’s surprise visit at protest site

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier today, made a surprise visit to the site where the junior doctors were protesting, and assured them that she would look into their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty.

She addressed the protesting doctors amid chants of “we want justice” outside the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, and said that she had been spending sleepless nights because the medics were agitating on the road amid rains and described her visit as the “last attempt” to resolve the crisis.

Banerjee assured the protesting doctors that she would not take any action against them as she did not believe in suppressing a democratic movement as “Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh”.

However, after she left the site, the agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held, indicating no immediate breakthrough in the impasse.

Accompanied by DGP Rajiv Kumar, Banerjee reached the site in Sector 5 around 1 pm, taking those present there by surprise.

“I came to meet you as your ‘didi’ (elder sister) not as the chief minister,” she said.

“I assure you that I will study your demands and take action if someone is found guilty,” she added.

Urging the protesting doctors to return to work, Banerjee said would never allow any injustice to them.

“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis,” she said.

“If you wish to return to work, I promise you to consider your demands sympathetically. I do not run the government alone. I will discuss your demands with the chief secretary, home secretary, and the DGP,” she said.

Thursday’s meeting deadlock

Earlier on Thursday, a proposed meeting between the doctors and Mamata Banerjee did not happen after the state government refused the doctors’ demand to livestream it.

Banerjee had waited for two hours at the state secretariat for a meeting with the agitating doctors to resolve the impasse over the RG Kar rape-murder case. Even as the doctors reached the state secretariat, the meeting did not happen.

The chief minister’s party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), had shared on X a photo of Banerjee sitting in front of a row of empty chairs, presumably kept ready for the delegation of junior doctors, who also wanted a live telecast of the meeting. The two sides could not reach a middle ground, as the deadlock dragged on.

She had then said she was ready to relinquish her chair for the sake of the people.

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Mamata Banerjee makes surprise visit to protest site of junior doctors

She also announced that patient welfare committees of all state-run hospitals were dissolved with immediate effect.

Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made a surprise visit to the site where the junior doctors were protesting. (Photo: PTI)

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First Published: Sep 14 2024 | 2:36 PM IST

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Florida's political landscape heats up around Amendment 4. Here's what to know

The political landscape surrounding one of Florida’s more controversial November ballot measures , Amendment 4 , is heating up.

Less than two months before the Nov. 5 general election , the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and Southern Legal Council filed a lawsuit against Florida claiming that the state is using taxpayer funds in the service of a political campaign against Amendment 4 , which it says is an “improved transparency page.”

Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration launched a new website earlier this month that pushed messaging against Amendment 4 , which seeks to prevent any law from restricted abortion before viability, or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, at the discretion of the health care provider.

Florida Amendment guide: Florida amendment guide: Voters will get to decide on abortion, recreational weed in Nov.

The lawsuit is just the latest feud in a series of controversies around the abortion amendment, including a signature petition fraud probe handled by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ election police force that lead police to showing to question people who signed the Amendment 4 petition.

Here’s the latest roundup of news surrounding Florida’s abortion amendment.

ACLU sues Florida, claiming it’s carrying out a ‘taxpayer-funded misinformation campaign’ against Amendment 4

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and Southern Legal Council filed a lawsuit against Florida last week, claiming that the state is carrying out a taxpayer-funded “misinformation” campaign against Amendment 4 , according to the Associated Press.

In the lawsuit, the ACLU claims that website, television and radio ads were created by Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration to give Floridians “the truth” about the November ballot measure, which it states “threatens women’s safety.”

Amendment 4 lawsuit: Florida abortion amendment sponsor sues state, accuses officials of 'misleading' campaign

A banner on the website reads, “Florida is Protecting Life” and “Don’t let the fearmongers lie to you.”

“Florida’s government has crossed a dangerous line by using public resources to mislead voters and manipulate their choices in the upcoming election,” ACLU of Florida attorney Michelle Morton said in a statement. “This lawsuit aims to stop these unconstitutional efforts and restore integrity to our electoral process.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended the state’s messaging against Amendment 4, stating that “everything that is put out is factual,” during a news conference. “It is not electioneering,” he added.

Physicians Against Amendment 4 includes over 300 Florida doctors

An organization of over 300 Florida doctors from various specialties has formed to denounce Amendment 4.

The group, aptly named Physicians Against Amendment 4, met last week in Orlando to denounce the measure, calling it “downright dangerous for women.”

The group’s concerns around Amendment 4 include:

• The amendment does not clearly define the term “viability.”
• The amendment’s language is vague and does not list specific scenarios for abortion while stating that the procedure can be performed “when necessary to protect the patient’s health.”
• The group says the use of “healthcare provider” means anyone licensed to practice health care in the state could perform an abortion under the amendment, but the group stressed only physicians should be authorized to perform the procedure.
• The group claims Amendment 4 removes the parental consent statute that exists in current state law.

Jason Weida, the Florida secretary at the Agency for Health Care Administration, accompanied the physicians representing Physicians Against Amendment 4 on Wednesday, touting that there was a lot of “misinformation out there,” though he did not provide any examples.

DeSantis’ election police questioned people who signed abortion petition

In early September, the Miami Herald began reporting that people who signed the abortion petition last year were being visited by law enforcement officers. The visits were part of a wider effort by DeSantis’ administration to inspect already verified and validated petitions for Amendment 4.

DeSantis’ secretary of state had already ordered elections supervisors in at least four counties to send Tallahassee at least 36,000 already verified forms since the beginning of September, according to the Herald. The request did not ask for rejected petitions, which are typically used in similar requests.

Department of State spokesperson Ryan Ash told the Miami Herald that the agency has “uncovered evidence of illegal conduct with fraudulent petitions,” but did not specify whether it had found any evidence related to the Amendment 4 petition.

Florida Democrats have criticized the move, calling it voter intimidation and interference.

Amendment 4 polls show strong support for abortion measure

Despite the state’s pushes against Amendment 4, public sentiment surrounding the measure has been in near constant support.

Emerson College Polling found that 55% favor Amendment 4, 26% oppose it and 20% are undecided. This is the latest poll, conducted between Sept. 3-5, and it has a 3.4% margin of error. The new poll represents a 13% increase in favor of the measure compared to when Emerson College Polling conducted a similar poll in April.

Public Policy Polling conducted a poll between Aug. 21-22 that found 61% of Florida voters favored Amendment 4 while 25% opposed it and 14% were undecided.

Public sentiment toward Amendment 4 was its highest in June and July, when polls from the University of North Florida and Fox News both saw 69% of polled voters in favor of the Amendment while 23% and 27% opposed it, respectively.

What is Florida’s Amendment 4?

Florida’s Amendment 4 is one of the big ones this election. It has to do with abortion and the government’s ability to restrict women from having one before viability or when it’s necessary to protect their life.

If the amendment passes, it would prevent any law from prohibiting, penalizing, delaying or restricting abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, placing the decision in the hands of the health care provider.

Florida’s Amendment 4 text

Here is the  full text of Amendment 4:

“No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

What does voting yes on Amendment 4 mean?

Voting yes on Florida Amendment 4 would make abortion legal until fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 23-24 weeks. It would also allow abortions when necessary to protect a patient’s health, as determined by a health care provider.

What does voting no on Amendment 4 mean?

Voting no on Florida Amendment 4 would leave abortions illegal in Florida after 6 weeks unless two physicians are willing to state that the pregnant person would die without one.

• 'Media photo-op': BJP terms Mamata Banerjee's visit to doctors' protest site as 'sly & insincere'

'Media photo-op': BJP terms Mamata Banerjee's visit to doctors' protest site as 'sly & insincere'

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Supreme Court rejects bid to restrict access to abortion pill

In a blow for anti-abortion advocates, the  Supreme Court  on Thursday rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone , meaning the commonly used drug can remain widely available.

The court  found unanimously  that the group of anti-abortion doctors who questioned the Food and Drug Administration’s decisions making it easier to access the pill did not have legal standing to sue. 

President Joe Biden said in a statement that while the ruling means the pill can remain easily accessible, “the fight for reproductive freedom continues” in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling two years ago that overturned abortion rights landmark Roe v. Wade.

“It does not change the fact that the right for a woman to get the treatment she needs is imperiled if not impossible in many states,” he added.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the court, wrote that while plaintiffs have “sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to elective abortion and to FDA’s relaxed regulation of mifepristone,” that does not mean they have a federal case.

The plaintiffs failed to show they had suffered any injury, meaning that “the federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs’ concerns about FDA’s actions,” he added.

“The plaintiffs may present their concerns and objections to the president and FDA in the regulatory process or to Congress and the president in the legislative process,” Kavanaugh wrote. “And they may also express their views about abortion and mifepristone to fellow citizens, including in the political and electoral processes.”

The legal challenge was brought by doctors and other medical professionals represented by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom.

“We are disappointed that the Supreme Court did not reach the merits of the FDA’s lawless removal of commonsense safety standards for abortion drugs,” said Erin Hawley, one of the group’s lawyers. She told reporters she is hopeful the underlying lawsuit can continue because three states — Idaho, Missouri and Kansas — have brought their own claims and have different arguments for standing.

By throwing out the case on such grounds, the court avoided reaching a decision on the legal merits of whether the FDA acted lawfully in lifting various restrictions, including one making the drug obtainable via mail, meaning the same issues could yet return to the court in another case.

Another regulatory decision left in place means women can still obtain the pill within 10 weeks of gestation instead of seven. 

Likewise a decision to allow health care providers other than physicians to dispense the pill will remain in effect.

The court’s decision to roll back abortion rights two years ago led to a wave of new abortion restrictions in conservative states.

Then, the court suggested it was removing itself from the political debate over abortion, but with litigation continuing to rage over abortion access, the justices are continuing to play a pivotal role. 

Abortion rights supporters welcomed the ruling, with Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, saying she was relieved at the outcome but angered about the case lingering in the court system so long.

“Thank goodness the Supreme Court rejected this unwarranted attempt to curtail access to medication abortion, but the fact remains that this meritless case should never have gotten this far,” she said in a statement.

Danco Laboratories, manufacturer of Mifeprex, the brand version of mifepristone, praised the ruling too, saying it was good for the drug approval process writ large.

In rejecting the challenge, the court “maintained the stability of the FDA drug approval process, which is based on the agency’s expertise and on which patients, health care providers and the U.S. pharmaceutical industry rely,” company spokeswoman Abigail Long said.

Anti-abortion groups expressed disappointment, saying that the ruling highlighted the importance of this year’s election in which Democrat Biden, who has pledged to defend abortion rights, faces off against Republican Donald Trump, who has the strong backing of conservatives who oppose abortion.

“Joe Biden and the Democrats are hell-bent on forcing abortion on demand any time for any reason, including DIY mail-order abortions, on every state in the country,” Marjorie Dannenfeiser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said.

If Trump were to win the election, his appointees to the FDA would be a position to impose new restrictions on mifepristone. Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez-Rodriguez, alluded to the possibility in a call with reporters after the ruling. Calling the case “one tactic in a broader, relentless strategy” by anti-abortion activists, Chavez-Rodriguez said if Trump is elected, his advisers and allies would try to ban abortion nationwide “without the help of Congress or the court,” and also restrict access to contraception — a threat, she said, to blue as well as red states.

The mifepristone dispute is not the only abortion case currently before the court. It is also due to decide whether  Idaho’s strict abortion ban  prevents doctors in emergency rooms from performing abortions when a pregnant woman is facing dangerous complications.

Mifepristone is used as part of a two-drug FDA-approved regimen that is now the most common form of abortion in the United States.

Abortion is effectively banned altogether in 14 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that backs abortion rights.

The FDA had the backing of the pharmaceutical industry, which has warned that any second-guessing of the approval process by untrained federal judges could  cause chaos and deter innovation.

Last year, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a sweeping ruling that completely invalidated the FDA’s approval of the pill, leading to panic among abortion-rights activists that it would be banned nationwide.

The Supreme Court last April put that ruling on hold, meaning the pill remained widely available while litigation continued.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August then narrowed Kacsmaryk’s decision but left in place his conclusion that the FDA’s move to lift restrictions starting in 2016 was unlawful.

Both sides appealed to the Supreme Court. The court in December took up the Biden administration’s appeal in defense of the later FDA decisions, but it opted against hearing the challenge to the original approval of mifepristone in 2000. 

The Supreme Court focused solely on the later FDA action, including the initial 2021 decision that made the drug available by mail, which was finalized last year.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com .

Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News Digital.