The A telehealth visit is a medical visit in which a licensed provider cares for a patient in a different location, using telecommunication technology. An asynchronous visit is the kind with no live call: the patient submits health information and the provider reviews it afterward. BrightSide visits happen online or on video, with medical providers based in Seattle.
How does a telehealth visit apply to compounded GLP-1 treatment?
A telehealth visit is where the prescribing decision for a GLP-1 is made. Federal law allows a pharmacy to compound a medication only for an identified individual patient, on a valid prescription from a licensed practitioner, so a provider's evaluation has to come first. FDA's telehealth red flags for GLP-1 drugs include a company that does not require a screening and prescription by a licensed doctor before providing medicine, and one that has no licensed doctor available to answer questions afterward. A BrightSide visit starts with an online health questionnaire. A provider reviews it and decides whether treatment is appropriate. The provider can prescribe an FDA-approved option such as Zepbound or a compounded option such as compounded semaglutide. The visit is included in the treatment price, and if a provider doesn't prescribe, you're not charged. Afterward you can follow up with your provider in your BrightSide patient portal.
What is the difference between a synchronous visit and an asynchronous visit?
A synchronous visit happens live, with the patient and the provider present at the same time, usually on video. An asynchronous visit does not need both people at once. The patient answers health questions and shares information through an online platform, and the provider reviews it later and responds. Washington's telehealth law covers both. It defines telehealth as the use of synchronous or asynchronous telecommunication technology by a practitioner to provide health care to a patient at a different physical location. The law leaves out the use, in isolation, of email, instant messaging, text messaging or fax. The same professional standards apply to either kind of visit. At BrightSide you can choose an online visit or a video visit, and both are included in the treatment price. Plans and totals are on our pricing page.
How does Washington regulate a telehealth visit?
Washington's Uniform Telehealth Act, chapter 18.134 RCW, applies whenever the patient is located in Washington. A health care practitioner can provide telehealth services that are within the practitioner's scope of practice and that meet Washington's professional practice standards. The act says a practitioner-patient relationship can be established through telehealth, and that it cannot be established through email, instant messaging, text messaging or fax. The standards that govern comparable in-person care apply to telehealth, including those on prescribing medication, identity verification, documentation, informed consent, confidentiality and privacy. A practitioner located in another state needs a Washington license or another form of authorization recognized by the act to treat a patient here. BrightSide's medical providers are based in Seattle. Our Washington page shows the treatments available to Washington patients and names the Poulsbo pharmacy that fills them.
| Synchronous visit | Asynchronous visit | |
|---|---|---|
| How it happens | Live, usually on video | The patient submits information and the provider reviews it later |
| Patient and provider present at the same time | Yes | No |
| Within Washington's definition of telehealth | Yes | Yes |
| At BrightSide | Video visit | Online visit |
Common questions
Can a provider prescribe a GLP-1 without a video call?
In Washington, yes, when the visit meets the professional standards that apply to in-person care. State law defines telehealth to include asynchronous technology and allows a practitioner-patient relationship to be established through telehealth. An exchange by email or text message alone does not qualify. This page describes Washington law, and other states set their own rules.
What happens if the provider decides not to prescribe?
You are not charged. The visit is included in the treatment price, and you only pay if a provider prescribes. The provider makes that decision from your health history, so no prescription and no dose is promised before the review. A provider can match a dose you already take if it's right for you.
Related terms
- Cash pay: how the visit and the medication are paid for.
- Compounded medication: one kind of medication a provider can prescribe at the visit.
- 503A compounding pharmacy: the pharmacy that fills a compounded prescription after the visit.
Sources
- Revised Code of Washington, chapter 18.134, Uniform Telehealth Act: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=18.134&full=true
- 21 U.S.C. 353a, Pharmacy compounding (section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title21/html/USCODE-2024-title21-chap9-subchapV-partA-sec353a.htm
- FDA, FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss, content current as of October 1, 2026: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-alerts-and-statements/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
Compounded medications are not FDA approved. They are prescribed by a licensed clinician and filled by a licensed 503A pharmacy.
