What a telehealth visit is
A telehealth visit is a scheduled, live video appointment — on Doximity, joined on your iPhone or Android phone, or on doxy.me for patients outside the United States — used in place of an office visit when coming in isn't practical. For patients in Hawai‘i it covers much of what happens in clinic: your history, watching how you walk and move, reviewing X-rays or MRI, explaining your diagnosis and options, adjusting your plan, and checking in after surgery.
Telehealth follow-ups for Hawai‘i patients are part of your normal care — not a paid extra. The office verifies your telehealth benefits when you schedule. How video visits fit into your care overall is explained on the telehealth page; this page covers the terms you agree to when you join one.
How your video visit works
Video visits run on Doximity. Before your visit, the office sends a text message to your mobile phone with a link to your video visit. At your appointment time, open the link on your iPhone or Android phone to join. Because the link comes by text, make sure the office has the mobile number for the phone you'll use; if you haven't received the text by your appointment time, call (808) 439-6201.
Patients outside the United States join their pre-travel video call on doxy.me instead. The office sends you the link before the call; it opens in the web browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no app to install. If it hasn't arrived by the time of your call, email Contact@pacificboneandjoint.com or call (808) 439-6201. Patients in Guam, Saipan, American Samoa and on the US mainland use Doximity, as above.
Licensing: you must be in Hawai‘i for a medical visit
Dr. Morton is licensed to practice medicine in the State of Hawai‘i. Because of that, telehealth visits that are medical care — evaluation, follow-up, and prescriptions — are for patients who are physically located in Hawai‘i at the time of the visit. What counts is where you are during the call, not where you live. If you'll be outside Hawai‘i on the day of a scheduled video visit, call the office at (808) 439-6201 to reschedule.
Patients elsewhere — Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Samoa, the Philippines, the US mainland, Japan, or Korea — start with a pre-travel video call, and that call is different: it is a review of your records and imaging to plan a trip to Hawai‘i, not an evaluation, prescription, or treatment. Treatment begins at your in-person visit in Hawai‘i. After you return home, follow-up is coordinated with your local physician and therapist.
- In Hawai‘i during the visit: evaluation, follow-up, and prescriptions by video
- Outside Hawai‘i: a pre-travel records-and-imaging review to plan your trip
- Treatment begins at the in-person visit in Hawai‘i
- Back home outside Hawai‘i: follow-up coordinated with your local physician and therapist
Benefits, and the limits you're accepting
The benefits are real: no flight or long drive just to have a conversation, imaging reviewed without a separate trip, a family member able to join the call, and quicker check-ins after surgery. The limits are real too, and agreeing to telehealth means accepting them.
- No hands-on exam. A camera can't feel a joint, test ligament stability by hand, or clear you for surgery on its own — an in-person exam still happens before any operation.
- Imaging happens in person. When X-rays or MRI are needed, they're taken at an imaging facility; video can't replace them.
- Technology can fail. A dropped connection or a blurry picture can hide details. If the video fails, the office will try to finish by phone.
- Some questions need an in-person visit. When that's the case, you'll be asked to come in.
Your privacy on a video visit
The practice's Notice of Privacy Practices applies to telehealth visits as it does to any visit. Your side of the call matters too: join from a private room, not a public place such as a coffee shop, a waiting room, or an open office, where others can see your screen or overhear the conversation. Use your own phone rather than a shared one when you can. If someone is with you — a spouse, an adult child, a caregiver — say so at the start, so they are part of the visit with your permission.
You can decline or stop at any time
Telehealth is always optional. You may decline a video visit, stop one at any point, and ask for an in-person visit instead at the Honolulu, West O‘ahu, Hilo, or Kona clinic (see locations). You can also tell the office at any time that you no longer want telehealth visits.
Telehealth is not for emergencies
If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Don't wait for a scheduled video visit, and don't use a telehealth link, a Klara message, or email to report an emergency. Chest pain or sudden shortness of breath after surgery is a 911 call. If an emergency comes up during a video visit, call 911 — don't wait for the visit to finish.
For urgent questions that aren't emergencies, call the office at (808) 439-6201; after hours, call the Physicians Exchange at (808) 524-2575. Non-urgent questions can go to Contact@pacificboneandjoint.com, and the office replies within one business day.
How to prepare for your video visit
A few minutes of setup makes the visit faster and more useful. Have any ordered imaging done beforehand. If you're outside Hawai‘i for a pre-travel review, share your records and imaging with the office before the call.
- A photo ID
- Your current medication list
- A quiet, private, well-lit room — not a public place
- Shorts or loose clothing, so the hip or knee is visible on camera
- Your iPhone or Android phone, charged, with a good connection (for doxy.me, a phone, tablet or computer with a camera)
- The link from the office to your video visit: a text for Doximity, or the doxy.me link the office sent
- For a medical visit, be physically in Hawai‘i at the time of the call
Your consent
By joining a telehealth visit, you agree to the terms on this page: that video visits take place on Doximity, through a link the office texts to your phone, or, for patients outside the United States, on doxy.me, through a link the office sends you; that telehealth has the limits described above; that medical visits by video are for patients physically located in Hawai‘i; that you will join from a private place; that you may decline or stop at any time and ask for an in-person visit; and that telehealth is not for emergencies.
If you have questions about any of this, ask before the visit — call (808) 439-6201 or email Contact@pacificboneandjoint.com.
Medically reviewed by Paul Norio Morton, MD, FAAOS, FAAHKS. Last reviewed: . This article is for education only and isn’t a substitute for an exam and personalized advice — schedule a consultation to discuss your situation.