Who is not a good fit for this practice?
Written and medically reviewed by Zahraa Sater, M.D., M.P.H.
Reviewed August 12, 2026 · Next review due August 12, 2028
Short answer
This practice is not a fit if you want a prescription without a workup, need same-day or hands-on care, live where Dr. Sater does not hold a licence, need a procedure, biopsy or scan performed rather than interpreted, want every test you ask for ordered, need eating disorder or psychiatric care as the main problem, or want a fast result.
Most practices publish only who they are for. It is more useful to say who this one is not for, because a poor fit costs you money and delays the care you actually need. Seven groups are served better elsewhere, and each has a specific destination. None of this is a judgement about the person. It is a description of what a virtual, specialist, appointment based endocrinology practice can and cannot do.
Where the practice structurally cannot help
Three limits are structural rather than a matter of preference. Medical care happens where the patient is sitting, and the Federation of State Medical Boards model policy states that a physician must be licensed by the medical board of the state where the patient is located, so being outside those states is a hard stop. A video visit cannot examine a neck, perform a diabetic foot check, draw blood or handle anything urgent, so anyone needing same-day or hands-on care needs someone local. And procedures happen elsewhere: thyroid ultrasound, fine needle aspiration, bone density scanning, radioactive iodine and surgery. Results can be interpreted and coordinated here. They cannot be carried out here.
Where the expectations do not match
Three further groups will be frustrated here for reasons of approach rather than logistics. If you want a prescription without an evaluation, this will not be the fast route, and the FDA has documented dosing errors with compounded semaglutide serious enough to cause hospitalisation among people who went looking for one. If you want every test you ask for ordered, you will be told no about some of them, with a reason given. And if you want a result within six weeks and have no interest in a longer arc, a program built around diagnostics, titration and maintenance will feel slow and expensive.
Where another specialty should lead
The seventh group is the one that matters most. If the main problem is an eating disorder or a psychiatric condition, this practice is not structured to treat it, and a program organised around weight can make restriction and binge eating worse rather than better. That is a reason to start somewhere else, not a reason to be turned away with nothing. The National Institute of Mental Health hosts information and routes to help for eating disorders, and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is reachable by call or text at any hour. Endocrine care can follow once the primary treatment is in place.
| If this is you | Where to go instead |
|---|---|
| You want a prescription without an evaluation | A direct-to-consumer telehealth service, using FDA approved products only, knowing what is being skipped |
| You need same-day, in-person or urgent care | Your primary care physician, an urgent care clinic, or an emergency department |
| You are outside the states where Dr. Sater is licensed | A local endocrinologist or obesity medicine physician |
| You need a biopsy, ultrasound, DEXA or surgery performed | A local endocrinology, radiology or surgical service, which can then share the report |
| You want every test you ask for ordered | A clinician who works that way, understanding that repeat and incidental findings follow |
| Your main problem is an eating disorder or a psychiatric condition | An eating disorder specialist or a psychiatrist first, with endocrine care afterwards |
| You want a fast result rather than a six month plan | A single consultation or a second opinion rather than a program |
If you recognise yourself in one of these, the useful next step is naming which one, because the destinations are different. Being told this is not the right place, with a specific alternative attached, is a legitimate outcome of a first appointment and a much better one than six months of paying for something that was never going to fit.
The clinical detail
The licensure rule is worth stating precisely, because patients often assume it follows the physician. The FSMB model policy holds that the practice of medicine occurs where the patient is located at the time telemedicine technologies are used, and that a physician must be licensed or appropriately authorised by the board of that state. Limited exceptions exist in the model policy for physician-to-physician consultation, prospective screening before a complex referral, and episodic follow-up for an established patient temporarily out of state. Those exceptions do not cover a new diagnosis in a new patient.
Screening that changes fit rather than eligibility: a positive screen for binge eating or purging, active suicidal ideation, uncontrolled substance use, or a psychiatric condition currently untreated. Each of these moves the order of treatment rather than closing the door on endocrine care.
Written and medically reviewed by Zahraa Sater, M.D., M.P.H.
Reviewed August 12, 2026 · Next review due August 12, 2028
Sources
- Model Policy for the Appropriate Use of Telemedicine Technologies in the Practice of Medicine. Federation of State Medical Boards
- Thyroid Nodules, patient information on ultrasound and fine needle biopsy. American Thyroid Association
- Eating Disorders, health topic and help resources. National Institute of Mental Health
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Telehealth policy for providers. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, telehealth.hhs.gov
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