Is an exam required before a patient can be treated in Louisiana?

Intake · part of The Practice Perimeter

⛔ THESE CLAIMS SURVEY THE MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT, NOT A TELEHEALTH STATUTE, AND SHOULD BE READ THAT WAY. Louisiana's licensing section itself points elsewhere for remote care — it requires a license to practice medicine “except as provided in the Louisiana Telehealth Access Act, R.S. 40:1223.1 et seq.” — and that Act is NOT surveyed by these claims. What is on record here is the standard the treatment must meet however it is delivered: prescribing, dispensing or administering legally controlled substances or any dependency-inducing medication WITHOUT LEGITIMATE MEDICAL JUSTIFICATION, or in other than a legal or legitimate manner, is a cause for discipline; so is medical incompetency, which the statute defines to include continuing or recurring medical practice that FAILS TO SATISFY THE PREVAILING AND USUALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS of medical practice in this state; and so is abandonment of a patient. Confirm the telehealth intake requirements against R.S. 40:1223.1 et seq. with the board or counsel.

Drawn from 5 verified rules in this section · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice

The rest of what Louisiana says on this

Every other rule we have verified under good-faith examination, each linked to its primary source.

  • Prescribing, dispensing, or administering legally controlled substances or any dependency-inducing medication without legitimate medical justification therefor or in other than a legal or legitimate manner is a cause for which the board may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke any license or permit.

    La. Rev. Stat. §37:1285(A)(6) · verified Sep 3, 2026

  • Medical incompetency, including but not limited to, incompetency manifested by continuing or recurring medical practice which fails to satisfy the prevailing and usually accepted standards of medical practice in this state, is a cause for which the board may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke any license or permit.

    La. Rev. Stat. §37:1285(A)(14) · verified Sep 3, 2026

  • Except as provided in the Louisiana Telehealth Access Act, R.S. 40:1223.1 et seq., no person shall practice medicine as defined in this Part until the person possesses a duly recorded license issued pursuant to this Part, a permit or registration as provided for in this Part, or a certificate issued pursuant to Part I-D of this Chapter.

    La. Rev. Stat. §37:1271 · verified Sep 3, 2026

  • Abandonment of a patient is a cause for which the board may refuse to issue, or may suspend or revoke any license or permit.

    La. Rev. Stat. §37:1285(A)(17) · verified Sep 3, 2026

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← All Louisiana 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).