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Practicing Telemedicine Abroad, Legal Rules for US Doctors Seeing US Patients

Digital Nomad Physicians

Release Date: 06/02/2025

Startup Costs for a Virtual Medical Practice - Private Telehealth Practice Costs show art Startup Costs for a Virtual Medical Practice - Private Telehealth Practice Costs

Digital Nomad Physicians

I break down the true startup costs for a cash-based virtual practice and how I would set it up today. I keep it simple. Legal entity and a mailing address. Malpractice that matches my scope. HIPAA-compliant phone and messaging. A clean video visit setup. Solid intake and consent forms. Easy scheduling and payments. For the charting piece, I show how a light EHR-style workflow can be built with simple tools, and when to add an e-prescribing service like Dose Spot and lab accounts with Quest or Labcorp. I share where I would spend money and where I would hold back. The goal is a lean, reliable...

info_outline EXPLICIT: How To Disagree Like A Pro - Maintaining Your Professionalism Online show art EXPLICIT: How To Disagree Like A Pro - Maintaining Your Professionalism Online

Digital Nomad Physicians

I see a lot of smart clinicians wasting their voice online by dunking on each other. In this episode I break down a better way to disagree. I define what I mean by “being a dick,” cutting others down to prop yourself up, and why that hurts your brand and your career. Then I share simple rules that help me keep it professional. Pause before you post. Ask why the person shared the content. Add nuance and missing context. Tackle the claim, not the person. When I disagree about hot topics like the PA and NP debates, I stick to evidence and explain my approach in practice. The goal is to stand...

info_outline Hot, Warm, Cold, What Counts As A Lead - Getting Patients Into Your Medical Practice show art Hot, Warm, Cold, What Counts As A Lead - Getting Patients Into Your Medical Practice

Digital Nomad Physicians

I break down how I get real leads for an online medical practice. I start with simple definitions, what a lead is, and how I think about hot, warm, and cold. Then I show the path. A strong elevator pitch. A clean landing page with one clear call to action. A short form that leads to a fast booking link. I talk about social posts and Google Ads, and why the ad only works if the page is tight. I also share my follow up process and why speed to lead matters. The goal is simple, less friction, faster replies, and a page that turns interest into a call. My YouTube video on landing pages: Podcast...

info_outline Getting Patients Through Your Funnel for Your Telemedicine Practice - Funnel Marketing show art Getting Patients Through Your Funnel for Your Telemedicine Practice - Funnel Marketing

Digital Nomad Physicians

People will see you online, but only a few will click. Here is how to guide them the rest of the way. I walk through the exact steps I use to move someone from a social post to a booked visit. Top of funnel is reaching as many people as possible. I give a soft intro, who I help, and why it matters. A few people click my profile or my link and land on a simple page with one clear call to action. That might be a quiz, an ebook, a webinar, or a button to book a call. In the middle of the funnel I ask for a light commitment and then I follow up with a short thank you note and a few links to...

info_outline Do I Need a Marketing Company for my Online Telehealth Medical Practice? show art Do I Need a Marketing Company for my Online Telehealth Medical Practice?

Digital Nomad Physicians

Not sure if you should hire a marketing firm or do it yourself, here is a simple way to decide. I get this question a lot. Do I need a marketing company, or can I do it myself? In this episode I break down how I decide. If I have time, skills, and a plan, I DIY. If my practice build already takes all my bandwidth, I hire pros to move faster. I cover the three basics that make a practice work, a medical degree, a kind bedside or website manner, and a way for people to find me. I explain how patients search, why jargon does not convert, and why answering the phone quickly matters more than...

info_outline How I’d Grow an Online Practice FAST - Insurance-First, Cash-Second show art How I’d Grow an Online Practice FAST - Insurance-First, Cash-Second

Digital Nomad Physicians

Purely virtual sounds great until insurers or laws change. Here’s how I build real patient flow anyway. I love the freedom of virtual care, but I’ve also seen how fast rules can change. In this episode I share the simple plan I’d use to grow an online practice quickly. Lease a small room in a busy medical building, share front-desk support, and contract with at least one PPO. That opens a steady pipeline, even if the telemedicine winds shift. From there I niche down, show up in person at local offices, make it easy for them to refer, and deliver great follow-up so they trust me with...

info_outline The Tiny Team That Runs My Online Clinic show art The Tiny Team That Runs My Online Clinic

Digital Nomad Physicians

I run a virtual DPC and a health coaching practice. That means my website, my social channels, and my ads have to do the heavy lifting. In this episode I share the small team that powers it. My web developer builds focused landing pages, keeps my site HIPAA and ADA compliant, and sets up quizzes and ebooks to capture emails. My social media manager turns my ideas into daily content and campaigns, and tracks what works. My marketer manages my Google Business presence and paid ads, and helps me connect with other local businesses. I also cover how we communicate in Trello, how we use Canva to...

info_outline The Health Insurance Model is Dying - It's No Longer Sustainable show art The Health Insurance Model is Dying - It's No Longer Sustainable

Digital Nomad Physicians

  ------ -Dr. Mo Physician Coaching & Consulting: Build Your Virtual Medical Practice Online Course:      

info_outline Demonstrating Enthusiasm When Caring for Patients - A Few Bedside Tricks for Doctors show art Demonstrating Enthusiasm When Caring for Patients - A Few Bedside Tricks for Doctors

Digital Nomad Physicians

All of us needs some level of enthusiasm when taking care of patients. Especially when you run your own medical practice. This level of enthusiasm is necessary for the patient to really feel cared for and you don't have to fake it and you don't have to be somebody else. Each one of us can develop our own type of enthusiasm that the patient can feel. ------ -Dr. Mo Physician Coaching & Consulting: Build Your Virtual Medical Practice Online Course:  

info_outline The Grass Isn't Always Greener - Leaving Medicine for Another Career show art The Grass Isn't Always Greener - Leaving Medicine for Another Career

Digital Nomad Physicians

Maybe you have been thinking about leaving mainstream medicine behind because you think the glasses greener in another career. Well in general I think it's a good idea to understand that most professions have all of their own headaches and difficulties and that medicine itself has a lot of different opportunities within it.   ------ -Dr. Mo Physician Coaching & Consulting: Build Your Virtual Medical Practice Online Course:  

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More Episodes

Can you live abroad and still practice medicine virtually with your U.S.-based patients? In this episode, I break down the rules, regulations, and risks of doing telemedicine while living or traveling outside the U.S.

Whether you're billing Medicare, running a cash-based virtual clinic, or just taking occasional consults while abroad, there are a few key legal and operational considerations you need to know.

I cover:

  • Why your location doesn’t matter — the patient’s does

  • Medicare restrictions for doctors practicing abroad

  • What to do if your malpractice insurance won’t cover you overseas

  • Whether you need to be licensed in the country you’re visiting

  • How to stay HIPAA-compliant from a beach in Spain or a café in Thailand

  • What you can and can’t do when it comes to prescribing medications remotely

  • How tax residency or foreign income laws may apply to your U.S. income

If you're building a digital nomad lifestyle as a physician, this episode will help you avoid the legal traps while serving your patients with confidence.

  • 0:00 – Why this question matters for digital nomad doctors

  • 1:30 – The core legal principle: the patient’s location rules

  • 4:00 – What Medicare does and doesn’t allow abroad

  • 6:15 – Prescribing controlled vs. non-controlled substances

  • 8:00 – HIPAA + tech compliance tips while traveling

  • 9:30 – Foreign tax considerations

  • 11:00 – Building a low-risk, high-trust practice abroad

 

Take the course to build your own virtual medical practice:
https://www.digitalnomadphysician.com/courses/ 

Book a one-on-one coaching session:
https://www.digitalnomadphysician.com/coaching/ 

Join the newsletter for weekly advice on cash-based medicine and physician freedom:
https://www.digitalnomadphysician.com/newsletter/ 

Watch the latest videos on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@digitalnomadphysicians

Connect with me on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-ashori-md