Is an exam required before a patient can be treated in District of Columbia?
Intake · part of The Practice Perimeter
Short answer
The cited rules do not settle this — they establish only that a practitioner-patient relationship may be formed via telehealth where the standard of care and the practitioner's scope allow, and that the Mayor may by rulemaking add an initial in-person exam.
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 3 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(a) · Sep 3, 2026
- D.C. Code §3-1201.05(c)(1) · Sep 3, 2026
Related District of Columbia rules
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
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