A complete walkthrough of the YourMD experience — from Smart Intake to prescription delivery.
By Dr. Teja V. Surapaneni, MD, MS • Board-Certified Internal Medicine • May 2026
First telehealth visits cause more anxiety than they should. Most of that anxiety comes from not knowing exactly what the process looks like. Here is the complete walkthrough — from creating your account to receiving your prescription — so you know exactly what to expect.
Before your visit, you will complete our Smart Intake — a physician-designed questionnaire that collects your medical history, current medications, allergies, symptoms, and treatment goals. This typically takes 5-10 minutes. The information goes directly to your provider so they arrive at your visit already familiar with your situation.
Smart Intake also includes a triage step — if your responses indicate a condition that requires emergency care or is outside the scope of telehealth, you will be directed to the appropriate resource before you book a visit. This is a safety feature, not a gatekeeping mechanism.
New patients complete five brief consent forms before their first visit: Telehealth Informed Consent, Privacy and HIPAA Acknowledgment, Terms of Service, Billing and Payment Agreement, and (if applicable) the Compounded Medications Consent Addendum. These are electronic — you type or draw your signature on each. They take about 5 minutes total.
These consents exist to make sure you understand what telehealth is, how your data is protected, and what you are agreeing to in terms of billing. They are not fine print designed to be ignored — read them.
Choose your visit type from your patient portal:
Payment is collected at booking. You will receive a confirmation email with your appointment link.
When it is time for your visit, click your appointment link to enter the waiting room. You will see your provider’s status — “Getting ready for you,” “With another patient,” etc. — and your estimated wait time.
The waiting room plays ambient music (you can mute it), and your microphone and camera start off by default. You can preview your video before your provider joins. Browser notification permissions are requested here — allow them so you get notified when your provider is ready even if you step away from the tab.
Your visit is a real physician consultation. Dr. Surapaneni will review your Smart Intake responses and ask follow-up questions. For most conditions we treat, the visit covers:
Visits are typically 15-20 minutes. Your provider will not rush you — if you have questions, ask them.
If a prescription is appropriate, it is sent to the pharmacy within hours of your visit. For compounded medications (GLP-1 medications, compounded ED treatments), the prescription goes to one of our contracted compounding pharmacies. For commercial medications, it goes to your preferred pharmacy.
You will receive an email when your prescription is sent and again when it ships. Tracking information is provided for compounded medications that ship to your door.
Your care does not end at the visit. You have a secure inbox in your patient portal where you can message your provider between visits. Follow-up visits are typically scheduled at 4-8 weeks for new treatments — sooner if you have concerns or side effects.
Your visit notes, prescriptions, and any documents from your visit are available in your patient portal immediately after your appointment.
Most first visits are 15-20 minutes. Complex medical histories or multiple questions may extend this. The intake form front-loads information gathering, so the visit itself is efficient.
You must be physically located in a state where your provider is licensed at the time of the visit. YourMD is currently licensed in Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, with additional states coming.
Yes, if the clinical assessment supports it. Many patients receive prescriptions at their first visit. If labs are needed first, your provider will order them and schedule a follow-up once results are available.
If your provider determines during the telehealth visit that an in-person exam is required for safe care, they will tell you. You will receive a referral letter documenting the clinical question for the in-person provider. Telehealth does not replace all care — it handles a large and growing subset of it efficiently.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a licensed physician before starting any medication.
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