The ICS is often asked whether Illinois-licensed physicians may provide professional nutrition services via the Internet or other electronic means (e.g., live video platform such as Zoom or FaceTime, telephone audio, or direct messaging through texting or social media). ). The answer depends on the nature and extent of services rendered by the doctor, because “nutrition services” can have multiple meanings.
This article assumes that the physician is providing professional diagnosis and treatment to patients via telemedicine; i.e., the physician’s activity goes beyond providing general nutritional or health information and crosses the line to care and treatment based on the patient’s diagnosis, as assessed by the physician. (See the section below regarding the distinction between providing general nutritional information about supplements versus diagnosis and medical nutrition designed to treat a patient’s specific conditions.) This article uses the term “professional nutritional services” to mean physician diagnosis and recommendation of specific nutritional supplements tailored to a patient’s individual diagnosis.
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