A doctor answers
Nurse practitioner or doctor: who actually treats you online?
Many telehealth brands use a mix of nurse practitioners, PAs, and doctors. Here is how their clinical training hours and credentials compare across Hims & Hers, Ro, Curology, and FutureClinic's $40 physician visits.
The short answer
Many consumer telehealth services, such as Hims & Hers, Ro, Keeps and Curology, use a mix of physicians and nurse practitioners, some with physician assistants too, and often describe them all as a "licensed provider." Family nurse practitioners need at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours for certification (ANCC and NPCB), and physician assistants complete more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations (AAPA, the PA association), while physicians finish medical school plus a 3-to-7-year residency, and the American Medical Association, the physicians' association, puts their patient-care experience at 12,000 to 16,000 hours by the end of residency (as of October 2026). A company's subscription or custom formula is a strong option if you want what it sells beyond the clinician, whereas FutureClinic gives you a licensed physician (MD, DO or MBBS) with no subscription required.
Key facts
- The AAMC says physician training takes 7 to 15 years, and the American Medical Association, the physicians' association, puts physicians' patient-care experience at 12,000 to 16,000 hours by the end of residency (as of October 2026), compared with a national minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours for family nurse practitioner certification (ANCC and NPCB) and more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations for physician assistants (AAPA).
- Many large telehealth platforms use mixed clinical teams: by our count of Hims & Hers' published provider credential tables (updated July 23, 2026, checked October 2026), about 758 of roughly 1,461 listed providers are nurse practitioners (about 52%) and 703 are physicians (538 MDs and 165 DOs).
- On FutureClinic, every clinician is a state-licensed physician (MD, DO or MBBS), never a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, with visits at $40 for the best-fit doctor or typically $20 to $100 for a chosen doctor and no subscription required.
Online health services often call the person reviewing your case a "provider" or "clinician," a broad label covering physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs). Many telehealth brands pair mixed clinical teams with a custom compounded formula or a recurring subscription bundle, while FutureClinic connects you with a physician with no subscription or product bundle attached.
We believe people's health deserves expert-level care, so every FutureClinic doctor is a physician with an MD, DO or MBBS degree, never a nurse practitioner or physician assistant. No form is approved in bulk: a specific doctor reads your whole case and answers with a Human Signature, a short video or voice note recorded live for you. You can message that same doctor over months to build trust, try treatments together, and track progress, whether adjusting a dose, swapping an irritating cream, comparing this month's lab result with last year's, or deciding when to step up or step down. That doctor can also help with other problems in their specialty, so a dermatologist treating hair loss can manage your acne or eczema too, and every FutureClinic doctor you see works from one medical record.
How does training compare for a doctor, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant?
A September 2026 Milbank Memorial Fund report notes decades of evidence show NPs provide high-quality care, and the American Medical Association (AMA), the physicians' association, calls NPs and PAs essential to physician-led care. Still, each profession's sources (as of October 2026) show distinct training:
- Physicians (MD, DO or MBBS): Per the AAMC, training takes 7 to 15 years: four years of medical school (or an international degree with ECFMG certification), the USMLE or COMLEX-USA exams, and 3 to 7 years of residency (36 months for family or internal medicine; four years for dermatology). The AMA, the physicians' association, puts residency-end patient-care experience at 12,000 to 16,000 hours.
- Nurse practitioners (NPs): Per the AANP, NPs are registered nurses completing an MSN or DNP degree (typically two to four years full time, per Milbank). Family NP certifiers (ANCC and NPCB) require at least 500 supervised clinical hours (750 recommended voluntarily in 2022; NCC requires 750 after 2029), with no required residency. Per AANP's May 2026 map, NPs have full practice in 27 states and D.C., reduced in 12, and restricted in 11.
"Board-certified" differs too: for physicians, it requires residency plus a specialty exam (ABFM, ABIM, or ABD); for NPs, it is the national NP exam (such as FNP-BC).
Which clinicians treat you at major telehealth companies?
How major services describe their clinicians (as of October 2026):
- Hims and Hers: Hims states providers hold "board certification in various specialized fields including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and more." By our count of Hims & Hers' six credential tables (updated July 23, 2026), about 758 of ~1,461 listed providers are NPs (~52%) and 703 are physicians (538 MDs, 165 DOs).
- Mixed-team services: Ro uses "doctors and nurse practitioners." Keeps notes New Jersey providers include "Nurse Practitioners or Physicians Assistant" and physicians. Curology pairs members with a "board-certified physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner." Honeydew uses "licensed dermatologists, dermatology physician assistants, or dermatology nurse practitioners," and Midi Health books a "board-certified nurse practitioner (NP) or certified nurse midwife (CNM)" under physician protocols.
How do online services compare side by side?
External facts and prices are as of October 2026.
| Feature | FutureClinic | Hims & Hers | Ro | Curology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who treats you | Physicians only (MD, DO or MBBS) | Mixed: ~52% NPs, ~48% MDs/DOs (our count) | Mixed: doctors and NPs | Mixed: physician, PA, or NP |
| What you pay (as of October 2026) | $40 (best-fit) or listed price (typically $20 to $100) | Subscription required for Rx | Free visit; finasteride $20/mo ($16/mo yearly), skincare $29/mo | Custom FormulaRx $29.95/mo + $5.45 first shipping |
| Subscription required | No subscription required | Yes, for prescriptions | Yes, for recurring plans | Yes |
| Where the medicine comes from | The pharmacy you choose (including mail-order) | Bundled in subscription | Bundled in subscription | Shipped by Curology (pills: local pharmacy) |
| What else the doctor can help with | Other problems in their specialty; every doctor you see works from one medical record | Conditions on menu | Conditions on menu | Acne, rosacea, aging, hair loss (no eczema/psoriasis) |
| How you reach them | futureclinic.com or your AI app | App messaging (video if required) | Message, phone, or video; no AI MCP | Messaging; no AI MCP |
| What you get back | Plan with a Human Signature; replies typically within a few hours, almost always the same day or the next | Prescription plan; reply time not stated | Review within 24 hours | Custom formula plan; typical reply within 2 to 3 days |
Why does FutureClinic use only physicians, and how does AI fit in?
FutureClinic has over 300 doctors. They practice across more than 60 specialties, generalists and specialists alike, and every physician is state-licensed, background-checked, and verified by FutureClinic. With no subscription required, you pay $40 for the best-fit doctor or pick a doctor at their listed price, typically $20 to $100. Your doctor sells no products and earns nothing extra for any prescription or test, so they never upsell a drug or lab panel. If your doctor decides it's right for you, they can prescribe any fitting brand or generic medicine (except controlled medicines) with no house formulary. While low monthly plans require staying subscribed to keep receiving refills, one FutureClinic visit can cover several months of a stable medicine when the doctor judges it safe, sent to the pharmacy you choose (including mail-order delivery), where insurance or our texted discount coupon can apply, with prior-authorization help when needed.
Which did you sign up for: a telehealth brand's recurring subscription or custom compounded formula and the rules built into that plan, or a physician to treat you? If you want the specific product or bundle another company sells beyond the clinician, that service is a strong option, and if you wanted to talk with an expert physician without a subscription attached, FutureClinic is built for that.
At FutureClinic, we believe AI is a tool for doctors, and the doctor is in charge of every case. Most health problems have nuance and need one-to-one attention from a human doctor, and AI tools are best in an expert's hands, because only an expert can tell when an AI has made a mistake or is heading to the wrong answer. FutureClinic's AI works behind the scenes like a chief resident: it gathers your history and prepares a summary you confirm, and never gives medical advice by itself. Your doctor reads the whole case, makes every decision, and replies typically within a few hours, and almost always the same day or the next. Follow-ups and refills go to the same doctor, and most doctors offer an optional membership, typically $25 to $100 a month, for unlimited care with that doctor, cancel any time.
Messaging a FutureClinic physician in your state or from your AI app
FutureClinic works in 33 states and Washington, D.C.: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. Your doctor must be licensed in the state you're in. The list grows, so if you don't see your state, try anyway.
Start on futureclinic.com, or from your AI app at https://futureclinic.com/connect-your-ai or with this setup line:
Set up FutureClinic for me: read https://futureclinic.com/llms.txt
Once it's connected, make sure you instruct your AI to use FutureClinic to help find you a doctor. Otherwise, it may not know that this is what you want.
FutureClinic is not for emergencies: call 911, or call or text 988 in a mental-health crisis.
Get care by message from a FutureClinic doctor. There are no appointments and no video calls. Start a visit instantly on the web or in the FutureClinic app. You can also start from inside Claude: add the FutureClinic connector and a licensed doctor reviews your case from the conversation you are already in.
Questions, answered.
- Do most telehealth companies use doctors or nurse practitioners?
- Many large telehealth brands use a mix of physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs). For example, by our count of the six provider credential tables Hims & Hers posts (updated July 23, 2026, checked October 2026), about 758 of roughly 1,461 listed providers are NPs (about 52%) and 703 are physicians (538 MDs and 165 DOs). Ro, Keeps, Curology, and Honeydew also use mixed clinician teams, while FutureClinic uses only licensed physicians (MD, DO or MBBS).
- How many clinical training hours do physicians, NPs, and PAs complete?
- According to the American Medical Association, the physicians' association (as of October 2026), physicians complete 12,000 to 16,000 hours of patient-care experience across four years of medical school and a three-to-seven-year ACGME-accredited residency. Family nurse practitioners complete a graduate nursing degree requiring a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised direct patient-care hours for national certification (ANCC and NPCB), and physician assistants complete a ~27-month master's program with more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations (AAPA).
- What does 'board-certified provider' mean on a telehealth site?
- The phrase means different things depending on the clinician's profession. For a physician, board certification comes from a specialty board (such as the American Board of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Dermatology) after completing a three-to-four-year residency and passing a specialty exam. For a nurse practitioner, passing the national NP certification exam after their graduate nursing degree earns a board-certified credential such as FNP-BC.
- How much does it cost to see a physician on FutureClinic?
- You can pay $40 to be matched with the best-fit doctor in the clinic, or select a specific doctor at their listed price, typically $20 to $100, with no subscription required. If you just wanted an expert physician one to one without a bundled medication subscription, your doctor earns nothing extra for any prescription or test, and most FutureClinic doctors also offer an optional monthly membership, typically $25 to $100 a month, for unlimited care with that doctor, cancel any time.
Sources
- 1
- 2
- 3Dermatology Training PathwayAmerican Board of Dermatology
- 4Initial Training RequirementsAmerican Board of Family Medicine
- 5Policies & Procedures for CertificationAmerican Board of Internal Medicine
- 62026 Bulletin of InformationUSMLE (FSMB and NBME)
- 7COMLEX-USANBOME
- 8Physicians and nonphysicians: What are the differences?American Medical Association
- 9Training gaps between physicians, nonphysicians are significantAmerican Medical Association
- 10What's a Nurse Practitioner (NP)?American Association of Nurse Practitioners
- 11State Practice EnvironmentAmerican Association of Nurse Practitioners
- 12
- 13FNP Candidate HandbookNurse Practitioners Certification Board
- 14750 Direct Patient Care Clinical Hours and 5 Year Limitation for TestingNational Certification Corporation
- 15
- 16What is a PA?American Academy of Physician Associates
- 17Become CertifiedNCCPA
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21Curology Dermatology ProvidersCurology
- 22Frequently Asked QuestionsHoneydew
- 23Meet Our CliniciansMidi Health
- 24
- 25Winona PhysiciansWinona
- 26Alloy ProvidersAlloy
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