Medicare Visits: Doctors, Clinics, Telehealth, and Virtual Check-Ins

Adapted from Your Medicare Benefits, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The selected guidance concerns Medicare coverage and payment, not a recommendation for medical treatment. Numbered page references below refer to the linked source publication.

Coverage can depend on medical necessity, the setting, provider participation, and your plan’s rules. Use the cited publication for the full conditions and check the plan year when comparing costs or enrollment choices.

Doctor & other health care provider services

Part B covers medically necessary doctor services (including outpatient services and some doctor services you get when you’re a hospital inpatient) and many preventive services.

If you haven’t gotten services from your doctor or group practice in the last 3 years, they may consider you a new patient. Check with the doctor or group practice to find out if they’re accepting new patients.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most services. You pay nothing for certain preventive services if your doctor or other health care provider accepts assignment.

Things to know A doctor can be a Doctor of Medicine (MD), a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), and in some cases, a dentist, podiatrist (foot doctor), optometrist (eye doctor), or chiropractor.

Medicare also covers services you get from other health care providers, like:

• Clinical nurse specialists
• Clinical psychologists
• Clinical social workers
• Marriage and family therapists
• Mental health counselors
• Nurse practitioners
• Occupational therapists
• Physician assistants
• Physical therapists
• Speech-language pathologists

More information

• Go to “Preventive & screening services” on page 92.
• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/doctor-other-health-care-provider-services.

E-visits

E-visits are non-face-to-face communications you have with your doctor or other health care provider using an online patient portal (instead of going to their office). Medicare covers e-visits. To get an e-visit, you must ask your health care provider for one. Providers that can give these services include:

• Doctors
• Nurse practitioners
• Clinical nurse specialists
• Physician assistants
• Physical therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Speech-language pathologists

Medicare also covers e-visits with the following providers If you’re getting mental health care services:

• Licensed clinical social workers
• Clinical psychologists
• Marriage and family therapists
• Mental health counselors

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for your provider’s services.

Things to know E-visits, a type of telehealth, are different than virtual check-ins (brief, real-time communications that usually last 10 minutes or less).

More information

• Go to:
• “Telehealth” on page 108.
• “Virtual check-ins” on pages 112–113.
• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/e-visits.

Telehealth

Telehealth includes medical or health services that you get from a health care provider who’s located somewhere else (in the U.S.) using audio and video communication technology (or audio-only communication in some cases), like through your phone or a computer. You can communicate with your provider through telehealth in several ways, including e-visits (non-face-to-face communications that usually happen through an online patient portal) and virtual check-ins (brief, real-time communications that usually last 10 minutes or less).

Telehealth can provide many services that generally occur in-person, including office visits, psychotherapy, consultations, and more. Through December 31, 2027, Medicare covers telehealth services that you can get from anywhere in the U.S., including your home.

Examples of Medicare-covered telehealth services include:

• Advance care planning
• Cardiac rehabilitation services
• Caregiver training services
• Cognitive assessments
• Depression screenings
• Diabetes self-management training
• Medical nutrition therapy services
• Outpatient psychotherapy
• Pulmonary rehabilitation services
• Speech therapy

Medicare may cover more telehealth services than those listed above. Check with your provider for more information about the services you can get through telehealth.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for your provider’s services. For most telehealth services, you’ll pay the same amount that you would if you got the services in person.

Things to know Medicare Advantage Plans and some providers in Original Medicare may offer more telehealth benefits than the basic coverage in Original Medicare. If your provider in Original Medicare participates in an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), check with them to find out what telehealth benefits may be available.

More information

• Go to:
• “E-visits” on page 44.
• “Virtual check-ins” on pages 112–113.
• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth.
• Visit Medicare.gov/providers-services/coordinating-care.

Virtual check-ins

Virtual check-ins allow you to briefly communicate with your doctor or certain other health care providers using real-time audio or video communication technology (like your phone or a computer) without going to the doctor’s office. Part B covers most virtual check-ins.

During a virtual check-in, your health care provider can conduct remote assessments using photos or videos you send to decide if you need an office visit or another service. Your provider can respond to you by phone, virtual delivery, secure text message, email, or patient portal.

Medicare Advantage Plans may offer more virtual check-in services than Original Medicare. Check with your plan to find out what they offer.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for your provider’s services.

Things to know Virtual check-ins are different from an e-visit because they’re usually 10 minutes or less and happen in real time. An e-visit is a non-face-to-face communication that usually happens through an online patient portal. Both e-visits and virtual check-ins are specific types of telehealth.

You can have a virtual check-in if you:

• Talked to your provider about starting these types of services.
• Verbally consent to the virtual check-in, and your provider documents your consent in your medical record. Your provider may get one consent for a year’s worth of these services.

More information

• Go to
• “E-visits” on page 44.
• “Telehealth” on page 108.
• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/virtual-check-ins.

Rural Health Clinic services

Rural Health Clinics are located in non-urbanized areas. These clinics provide outpatient primary care and preventive health services to people located in rural medically underserved or shortage areas. Part B covers a broad range of outpatient primary care and preventive services in Rural Health Clinics.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you generally pay 20% of the charges. You pay nothing for most preventive services.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/rural-health-clinic-services.

Federally Qualified Health Center services

Federally Qualified Health Centers are public health centers that offer health care services to medically underserved people and others who don’t have adequate access to health care. Part B covers a broad range of outpatient primary care and preventive services you can get in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Costs You usually pay 20% of the cost of any services you get at a Federally Qualified Health Center. You pay nothing for most preventive services. The Part B deductible doesn’t apply. Federally Qualified Health Centers offer lower fees if you have limited income.

More information

• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/federally-qualified-health-center-services.
• To find a Federally Qualified Health Center near you, visit findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov.

Concierge care

Concierge care is when a doctor or group of doctors charges you a membership fee before they’ll see you or accept you into their practice.

Medicare doesn’t cover membership fees for concierge care (also called concierge medicine, retainer-based medicine, boutique medicine, platinum practice, or direct care).

Costs You pay all costs for non-covered services, including the membership fee for concierge care.

More information Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/concierge-care.

Principal illness navigation services

Principal illness navigation is a type of care management that helps you understand your medical condition or diagnosis and navigate the health care system to find the care and providers you need. Part B covers principal illness navigation services if you have a serious condition that’s expected to last at least 3 months (like cancer, HIV, or substance use disorder) and puts you at a high risk for one or more of the following:

• Hospitalization
• Nursing home placement
• A sudden worsening of pre-existing symptoms
• Physical or mental decline
• Death

How often You must have an initial visit with your doctor or other health care provider before you can start getting principal illness navigation services. After your initial visit, you can get navigation services monthly for as long as you need them. After a year, you’ll need another initial visit if you continue to need these services.

Costs After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.

Things to know

• Your health care provider or their staff can give you the navigation services or refer you to other trained personnel (including patient navigators or peer support specialists) for the services.
• If you have more than one serious condition, you can get principal illness navigation services for each condition. For example, if you’re getting navigation services for substance use disorder and then you’re diagnosed with cancer, you can get navigation services for both conditions.

More information

• Go to:
• “Chronic care management services” on page 22.
• “Principal care management services” on the previous page.
• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/principal-illness-navigation-services.

Source and further reading

Your Medicare Benefits — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Public domain U.S. government educational material, accessed October 28, 2026. Fynoptic has selected sections, removed print navigation, and reformatted the text for this guide. The agency does not endorse Fynoptic.