What can I ask before I commit?

What problem are we trying to address?

Put the goal first. Ask how the proposed care addresses it and what other options could be discussed. Ask what would lead the clinician to choose a different approach.

Who will assess me and answer later questions?

Request the full name of whoever will provide care, whether a doctor or another health professional. Ask where to check their state licence and how to contact them after the visit. Ask who will answer if that person is away.

What exact medicine is proposed?

Ask which ingredient it contains, any brand name, whether the form is a pill or a shot, and whether the product is made to order or approved.

Medicines made to order, as of September 2026, did not have US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

Which need calls for a medicine made to order?

Compounding is a way of preparing a patient’s medicine.

FDA says a patient’s medical need may call for compounding when an approved product cannot meet it.

Ask which change your medicine needs and which pharmacy would prepare that version. Get the pharmacy’s name in full, then check its licence record.

What is the full ongoing charge?

Ask for the medicine, visits, tests and other charges to be separated. Ask how any opening offer changes and whether payments continue between visits.

What would change the plan?

Ask what the doctor will check at the next visit, such as how you feel or whether you need tests. Ask which problems need a call and how to get the instructions explained again.

Ask for plain words when a reply is hard to follow.