These are the core questions we recommend for telemedicine and remote clinical roles. Many of these concepts apply across other paths,  but the specifics will differ depending on the role.

Now that you’ve got interviews lined up, use these 10 must-ask questions to guide your conversations and evaluate each opportunity. 

📥 Download the Interview Questions Playbook (Fillable Version)

Use it to:

✔️ capture notes during interviews

✔️ compare opportunities across companies and roles

✔️ adapt these questions for non-clinical, pharma, and in-person opportunities

Practice Logistics

1. In which setting are you providing care, and through which modality?

Knowing whether your patients will be inpatient, outpatient, at home, in a nursing home, or in an urgent or primary care setting will help you determine the potential acuity of the patient and whether the course of treatment will be short-term or longitudinal. Medical care can also be provided through a range of modalities from an e-consultation to a virtual visit. Make sure you feel comfortable providing care in the setting and treatment modality your role would encompass and its associated liability.  

2. In which states does the company provide clinical care?

This will dictate which state medical licenses you’lll need. It’s also worth asking whether a company will reimburse you for obtaining new state medical licenses.

3. Is the patient population covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers?

This information can give you a sense of the demographics of the patient population. In addition, physicians are ineligible to bill Medicare if located outside of the United States during the patient encounter. Medicaid telehealth regulations are specific to each state, so check with your state’s Medicaid administrator if it’s possible to bill Medicaid while residing abroad.

Some private insurance companies will allow physicians on their panel to be outside the US, as some healthcare systems have a pre-established fee-for-service or other payment model directly with the telemedicine company, where they don’t bill Medicare.

4. Will you be e-prescribing medications?

Consider which types of medications you feel comfortable e-prescribing and which medications will need follow-up or monitoring.  Most telemedicine companies do not have controlled substances on their formulary. 

This is because: 

1. The Ryan Haight Act, dictates that a physician is required to see a patient face-to-face before prescribing a controlled substance and then every 24 months.
2. Per DEA regulations, physicians are ineligible for DEA registration if they are located outside of the United States. Per our communications with the DEA, one possible interpretation of this regulation is that prescribing controlled substances from abroad is forbidden. Importantly, you don’t need a DEA if you are prescribing non-controlled substances. 

You’ll want to make sure that you are not prescribing controlled substances.  

Employment Terms

5. Will you be considered an Employee (W-2) or an Independent Contractor (1099)?

If you are an employee, the employer will withhold income tax, social security, and medicare contributions from your wages but may also offer employment benefits – which may be less useful if you practice telemedicine from abroad. As an independent contractor, you will have greater ability to tax-deduct expenses related to your work with the company, but will not receive a benefits package from the company.

6. What is the compensation structure?

Different companies have different compensation models. For inpatient or emergency room care, some companies will pay you by the hour, while others will compensate you for each patient seen, and others will have a hybrid model.

For outpatient work, you’ll want to know how long ahead of time patients are scheduled, how long each appointment is, and if you are paid for no-shows. Know your worth – don’t be afraid to negotiate.

7. Is there a minimal commitment?

Some companies require minimal hours per week or shifts per month, while others will have no such commitment. Know what you are getting yourself into, and know how much notice you need to give before you leave.

8. Do they allow physicians to practice telemedicine from abroad?

We do our best to keep the Telemedicine & Other Opportunities Abroad resource up-to-date. That said, companies can change their policies, so we always recommend that you’re upfront about wanting to work from abroad. You’ll also want to ensure their telemedicine platform is accessible outside the US or consider connecting through a VPN. 

Due Diligence

9. Is Malpractice Insurance provided?

If the telemedicine company provides malpractice insurance, know whether it is a claims-made or occurrence policy. A claims-made policy provides coverage if the policy is in effect when the claim was made AND when a lawsuit was filed. Ideally a claims-made policy would provide “tail coverage” that extends coverage for a period of time after the policy has ended. 

Occurrence policies cover claims for an event that took place during the period of coverage – it does not require tail coverage. An occurrence policy is often more expensive and less frequently offered by employers.

Also, some Malpractice insurers may not cover you if you’re practicing telemedicine from abroad. That said, there are some malpractice insurers that will cover you while residing abroad. If you’re a psychiatrist, look into the APA for coverage.

For other physicians, The Doctor's Agency has provided malpractice policies that allow physicians to practice abroad. 

10. Can I talk to a physician already working with the company?

Ask to speak with a physician already working for the company to get a better idea of the experience working for your potential new employer. You’ll want to know if support staff are responsive, how patient safety concerns are handled through the telemedicine platform, and whether you are paid appropriately/and in a timely manner.

Download the Interview Questions Playbook

Want to go deeper and adapt these questions for non-clinical, pharma, and in-person roles?

📥 Download the Interview Questions Playbook, a fillable tool you can use during interviews to capture notes and compare opportunities.