GLP-1 Weight Loss Telehealth in Vermont

Vermont is home to roughly 0.7 million people, and about 28.8% of Vermont adults have obesity. Whether treatment is appropriate for any individual is a licensed physician's decision.

Whether you live in Burlington, South Burlington, Rutland or anywhere else in Vermont, you can start with an online medical assessment once we open, and a physician licensed in Vermont reviews it and decides whether telehealth treatment is right for you.

Vermont telehealth rules: Vermont allows licensed physicians to prescribe non-controlled medications via telehealth, including compounded GLP-1 medications dispensed by state-licensed pharmacies.

If you are in Vermont for the visit. Vermont looks at where you are. A clinician who is not otherwise licensed, certified or registered in Vermont needs a Vermont telehealth license or telehealth registration to treat "a patient or client located in Vermont using telehealth" (26 V.S.A. section 3053(a)); a full Vermont license is the other route (section 3054(c)). Physicians, physician assistants and podiatrists get these credentials from the Vermont Board of Medical Practice; the other professions listed in section 3051, such as nursing and pharmacy, go through the Office of Professional Regulation. Before the visit, ask which Vermont license, telehealth license or telehealth registration covers your clinician, and confirm it with the Board of Medical Practice or the Office of Professional Regulation. If you travel or move, see telehealth when you travel or cross state lines.

What a telehealth credential allows. A telehealth license or registration covers telehealth only; it does not let the clinician open an office or see you in person in Vermont (section 3053(b)). Both are capped: a telehealth license covers no more than 20 unique Vermont patients during its two-year term, and a telehealth registration no more than 10 unique patients over at most 120 consecutive days (section 3054). Ongoing care for more patients than those caps allow requires a full Vermont license. Treating a Vermont patient by telehealth without the required credential, or beyond its limits, is unauthorized practice (section 3053(c)).

What to ask about the visit itself. Within the limits of their license, a Vermont-licensed clinician may prescribe or recommend treatment after an appropriate examination, whether in person, through telemedicine, or with equipment that transmits images and medical records, and recommendations made electronically are held to the same standards of appropriate practice as in traditional settings (18 V.S.A. section 9361(b)). A clinician practicing under a telehealth license or registration must meet the prevailing standard for Vermont clinicians who see patients in person (26 V.S.A. section 3055(b)). Ask which format is clinically appropriate for you. Telemedicine means live, interactive audio and video over a secure connection (section 3052(9)). A telephone-only visit is allowed only if you choose it and it is clinically appropriate, and a provider may not require one if you do not want it (18 V.S.A. section 9362(b)). If you are offered store-and-forward care, you must be told of your right to refuse it and ask for a real-time or in-person visit instead (section 9361(e)). To get ready, see how to prepare for your first telehealth visit.

Consent, recording and your care plan. Before telemedicine or telephone-only care begins, the provider must obtain and document your informed consent, except in situations the law lists, such as a medical emergency (18 V.S.A. sections 9361(c) and 9362(c)). For telemedicine, that means explaining the opportunities and limitations, telling you about anyone else taking part in or observing the visit and asking your permission, and assuring a secure connection; for ongoing care, consent is needed only at the first episode of care, and if a provider's contract with a telehealth vendor requires the vendor's own consent provisions, following them meets this requirement. For a telephone-only visit, the consent must also tell you that you may choose a telephone, in-person or telemedicine visit to the extent clinically appropriate, and whether the visit will be billed to your health plan; if you consent orally, the provider must offer you a written copy. Neither you nor the provider may record a telemedicine or telephone consultation unless both of you consent (sections 9361(d) and 9362(d)), so if you want a recording, ask before the visit starts. Either way, ask for your care plan and follow-up instructions in writing.

If a prescription or payment is involved. If your clinician prescribes a medicine, check the prescription label when it arrives and take your questions to the pharmacist. Coverage and charges are separate questions: ask whether a visit or medicine would be billed to your health plan and what you would pay yourself. If you are comparing telehealth programs that charge a membership or subscription, these questions to ask before paying can help.

You can verify any physician's Vermont license at the Vermont Board of Medical Practice.