Do You Need a Video Visit to Get a Doctor's Note? A Physician Explains
You woke up sick. Your job wants a doctor's note. Now you are wondering if you have to sit on a video call to get one.
The short answer is no, not always. There are two real ways a physician can evaluate you online. One is a live video visit. The other is a written review, where you answer clinical questions and a licensed physician reads your case and makes the decision. Both are real medicine. They are built for different situations.
When a written review is enough
Many people who need a note already know what is going on. They have a stomach bug, a migraine, a fever, or a cold that knocked them flat. They know what they need. For them, a written intake gives a physician what is needed to make a sound decision.
You describe your symptoms, when they started, and the days you could not work. A physician licensed in your state reviews it and signs the note when it is clinically appropriate. You can start a written review here.
When you should have a video or in-person visit
This is a hard question. Medicine struggles with it, both as institutions and as individual doctors. Here is how I think about it. Any time someone needs to be heard, or has questions about their care, a live visit is the right tool. A form cannot listen to you. A conversation can.
What I look for when I read your intake
Two things tell me a case needs more than a written review. The first is when someone struggles to answer the questions clearly or with confidence. The second is when the case stops being one problem and becomes several.
When I see either one, the right call is a visit where someone can examine you, and I will say so. If a note cannot be issued, you are refunded in full.
Know what you need? Start your written review.
A board-certified physician licensed in your state reviews your case and signs your note when it is clinically appropriate. $29.99, refunded in full if a note cannot be issued.
Get my doctor's note →Is it a real doctor's note without a video call?
This worry is common, and it is fair. Every time something moves online, people are suspicious at first. Twenty years ago, if you told me I would order toilet paper from a website that started as a bookstore, I would have said you were crazy. Now nobody thinks twice. Seeing a doctor on a screen went through the same doubt, and today everyone accepts that a doctor on video is a real doctor.
What makes a visit real was never the room or the camera. It is the physician's license, the clinical standard behind the decision, and a record that can be checked. We hold a written review to that same standard. Since 2020, every US state recognizes telehealth, including written review by a licensed physician, as legitimate care for routine documentation.
If your employer has questions
You should not be left to argue it out alone. Every SickSlip note carries a QR code, so your employer can confirm it is authentic in seconds. If HR pushes back, we send you a one-page employer information sheet you can hand them. It explains how the note was issued and how to verify it. We answer their questions with respect, and we stand behind the note.
Do you need a video visit to get a doctor's note?
Is a doctor's note from a written review legitimate?
Will my employer accept a note issued without a video call?
When should I choose a video or in-person visit instead?
What does the physician look at in a written review?
What happens if the physician cannot issue a note?
Know what you need? Start your written review.
A board-certified physician licensed in your state reviews your case and signs your note when it is clinically appropriate. $29.99, refunded in full if a note cannot be issued.
Get my doctor's note →Dr. Kawalek is a hospitalist physician with 15+ years of clinical experience. He founded SickSlip to give patients fast, affordable access to legitimate medical documentation without unnecessary clinical barriers.