Is an exam required before a patient can be treated in District of Columbia?
Intake · part of The Practice Perimeter
The District permits the practitioner-patient relationship itself to be established through telehealth, but ties it to the standard of care and the practitioner’s competence and scope — and expressly reserves to the Mayor the power to add requirements for specific health professions, INCLUDING an initial in-person physical examination.
Drawn from 4 verified rules in this section · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
- D.C. Code §3-1201.05(b) · Sep 3, 2026
- D.C. Code §3-1201.05(b) · Sep 3, 2026
- D.C. Code §3-1201.05(a) · Sep 3, 2026
- D.C. Code §3-1201.05(c)(1) · Sep 3, 2026
The rest of what District of Columbia says on this
Every other rule we have verified under good-faith examination, each linked to its primary source.
A practitioner-patient or practitioner-client relationship may be established through telehealth in accordance with the appropriate standard of care and the practitioner’s competence and scope of practice; provided, that the Mayor may through rulemaking issue additional requirements for specific health professionals to establish a practitioner-client relationship, including an initial in-person physical examination.
D.C. Code §3-1201.05(b) · verified Sep 3, 2026
A health professional licensed, registered, or certified in the District may provide a telehealth service to a District resident or person located in the District if doing so is consistent with the applicable standard of care in the District and the health professional’s scope of authorized practice in the District, and not otherwise prohibited by law or regulation.
D.C. Code §3-1201.05(a) · verified Sep 3, 2026
A health professional who provides a telehealth service shall do so in a manner consistent with the standard of care applicable to a health professional who provides a comparable health care service in person in the District.
D.C. Code §3-1201.05(c)(1) · verified Sep 3, 2026
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← All District of Columbia rules and changes · MedSpaRadar is regulatory monitoring and reference, not legal, medical, or compliance advice. Verify against the linked primary source and consult qualified counsel before acting — rules change and turn on your specific facts. Legislative data via LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).