Current as of September 25, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Short answer: Legal, if your provider is licensed in Washington. Washington passed the Uniform Telehealth Act in 2024 and left out the out-of-state registration pathway on purpose, so there is no shortcut here. The state also bars any telehealth-specific rule that would be stricter than in-person care, which means the ordinary standard of care governs your visit.
Washington closed the side door
When Washington adopted the Uniform Telehealth Act, effective June 6, 2024, it dropped the provision other states used to let out-of-state clinicians register for telehealth practice.
The older exemption for practitioners licensed elsewhere is limited to in-person practice, and the word in-person was put there deliberately so it could never be read to cover telemedicine.
The result is simple to act on. Look up your provider in the Washington Department of Health credential search before you pay anyone. A company name is not a license.
Parity, not a special telehealth rulebook
Washington's law says telehealth care has to meet the same professional practice standards as comparable in-person care, and it bars the licensing commission from writing a different standard just because a service happens by telehealth or from limiting which technology you use.
Two things follow.
You do not need an in-person exam first. The standard of care governs.
And a questionnaire is not a visit. The medical commission's guidance on this was blunt before the new act: an online questionnaire does not constitute an acceptable medical interview for issuing prescriptions, and the history and physical cannot be handed to an unlicensed person. If a clinic's intake is a form and a credit card, that is the model regulators went after first.
For a first appointment that ends in a Schedule III prescription, real-time audio and video is the defensible way to do it. Phone-only has its place later in a relationship, not at the start.
Consent is worth doing properly
Washington applies its ordinary informed consent law to telehealth. A signed consent covering the treatment, the alternatives, and the risks is strong evidence that you were actually informed, which protects you and your provider both.
You are also entitled to your records. On written request, a provider has to make them available within 15 working days.
Blood work and monitoring
Your clinician orders the panel, you get drawn at a lab near you, and results return to your provider.
Washington's prescription monitoring program requires pharmacies to report dispensed controlled substances, and testosterone is Schedule III so it is reported. There is no state mandate that your prescriber query the database before every prescription, though many do it anyway as good practice.
What good practice looks like here
Two separate early-morning fasting draws before anyone prescribes. LH and FSH so the cause gets identified. Hematocrit before starting and on a schedule after. A fertility conversation before the first dose. And an honest answer when the labs say you do not need treatment.
Ask for the total price in writing. Washington's advertising rules for physicians are unusually specific about fees, and any clinic quoting you a teaser number without a written schedule is telling you something about how it operates.
The date that could change your refills
Prescribing controlled substances by telemedicine currently runs on a federal allowance set to expire December 31, 2026. If it is not extended, the older in-person evaluation requirement returns. Ask what the plan is before you start a protocol you expect to still be on in January.
Questions people actually ask
Can an out-of-state doctor treat me in Washington by video? No. Washington removed the out-of-state telehealth pathway in 2024, and the older out-of-state exemption covers in-person practice only.
Do I need an in-person visit first? Not under Washington law. Telehealth is held to the same standard as in-person care, and the federal controlled-substance rules are the tighter constraint.
Can I do it over the phone? Washington includes audio-only in its definition of telehealth, but the standard of care still applies. Video is the appropriate way to begin treatment with a controlled substance.
Is a questionnaire enough? No. The commission's position has been that an online questionnaire is not an acceptable medical interview for prescribing.
How do I verify a provider? Use the Washington Department of Health credential search and look up the individual clinician by name.
Where we fit
Hew Health is a cash-pay practice with providers licensed in Washington, working by telemedicine, based on the Emerald Coast in Florida.
Every new patient gets a real video visit, two morning draws before anything is prescribed, LH and FSH, and ongoing hematocrit monitoring. Pricing is given in full, in writing, before you decide. Discounted pricing for military, law enforcement, and first responders.
Request a consultation at hewhealth.com or call (850) 820-8850.
Hew Health, LLC is a private medical practice. This article is general information about public law as of September 25, 2026, not legal or medical advice. Testosterone is a Schedule III controlled substance. FDA-approved testosterone products are indicated for men with low testosterone caused by an associated medical condition, and none are approved for men with low testosterone who lack an associated medical condition.
Sources: Chapter 18.134 RCW, the Uniform Telehealth Act, effective June 6, 2024, including RCW 18.134.010, 18.134.040 and 18.134.050. RCW 18.71.030(7). RCW 7.70.060. Chapter 70.02 RCW and RCW 70.02.080. Chapter 70.225 RCW and RCW 70.225.020. WAC 246-853-110. DEA and HHS fourth temporary extension of COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities, effective January 1, 2026.