How care by video works here
What telehealth means at this practice, where we can see you, and the limits worth knowing before you book.
Effective and last updated
Most care at Goldenturas happens by video. This page explains what that means in practice. It is information, not a consent form. Consent to telehealth is a separate step, and it happens at intake before care begins, not by reading this page.
Where we can see you
California only. A clinician may treat you only where they hold a license, and this practice is licensed in California. You need to be physically located in California at the time of your visit, not simply a California resident.
That matters more than it sounds. If you are traveling out of state on the day of an appointment, tell us beforehand and we will move it. A visit taken from another state is a problem for us rather than for you, but the appointment still has to be rescheduled.
In-person visits are available in Ventura County.
What a video visit needs
- Video, not just audio. Visits are two-way, real-time video. Where a controlled substance is involved, video is not a preference, it is a federal requirement, and a phone call will not substitute.
- A private place. Somewhere you can speak freely, and headphones if other people are around.
- A reliable connection, and a backup plan. If the connection drops, we will call you.
- Your location. We confirm where you are at the start of each visit, for the licensing reason above and so that help can be sent if it is ever needed.
What telehealth is good at, and what it is not
Psychiatric care is one of the better fits for video. Evaluation, diagnosis, medication management and follow-up all work well without being in a room together, and for many people the removal of a commute is the difference between consistent care and dropped appointments.
There are real limits, and they are worth saying plainly:
- We cannot physically examine you. Where a physical examination or lab work matters, we will arrange it locally or ask you to come to Ventura County.
- Technology fails. Occasionally a visit has to be moved.
- Some situations need to be in person, and we will say so if yours is one of them.
- Telehealth is not an emergency service. See below.
In an emergency, do not use this website, the contact form, email or a scheduled appointment. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. Messages here are not monitored around the clock.
Controlled substances prescribed by video
The low-dose ketamine program involves a controlled substance. Ketamine is a Schedule III controlled substance in both California and federal law, so a set of rules applies to it that does not apply to ordinary prescriptions.
Two things follow, and both are worth understanding before you start:
Federal rules on prescribing controlled substances by telehealth are temporary and are currently set to expire on 31 December 2026. The permanent replacement has been written but has not been published. We are watching it closely, and if the rules change we will tell you what it means for your care before it affects a prescription.
A single in-person visit removes the question entirely. Under federal law, once you have had one in-person evaluation with us, the remote-prescribing restriction stops applying to you, permanently. Because we see people in person in Ventura County, one visit protects your continuity of care regardless of what happens at the end of the year.
Separately, California requires us to check the state's controlled substance database before prescribing to you for the first time, and at regular intervals after that. This is a routine step, it applies to every prescriber in the state, and it is not a judgment about you.
About the medication itself
The sublingual ketamine used in this program is compounded, prepared by a compounding pharmacy to a prescription, and it is prescribed off-label.
- Ketamine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of any psychiatric condition. It is approved as an anesthetic. Prescribing an approved medication for an unapproved use is lawful, common in psychiatry, and is what "off-label" means.
- Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness before they are dispensed.
- The FDA has published safety information about compounded ketamine for psychiatric use, including the risks of taking it at home without a clinician present. We will go through this with you, and you can read the agency's own material through its compounding risk alerts.
- The medication is billed separately by the pharmacy and is not included in what you pay this practice. See the Good Faith Estimate.
None of this is a reason not to proceed. It is the information you are entitled to have before you decide, and we would rather put it in front of you than wait to be asked.
Your privacy on a video visit
Visits use a platform intended for health care, and the same confidentiality rules apply as they would in a room. How your health information is handled is set out in the Notice of Privacy Practices. What this website itself collects, which is a separate question, is in the Privacy Policy.
Please do not send clinical detail by email. Email is not a secure channel, and it is not a way to reach us urgently.
Consent, and where it actually happens
California requires us to tell you about the use of telehealth and to obtain your consent before care is delivered, and to record that we did. That happens at intake. You will be asked directly, you can ask questions first, and you can decline telehealth and ask to be seen in person instead.
Reading this page is not consent, and it does not begin care. See the Terms of Use.
Questions about this page? Email care@goldenturas.com. In a mental health emergency, call 911, or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.