The Health Initiative · Nonprofit organization
Telehealth in Puerto Rico: see a PR-licensed doctor by video
For anything that isn’t an emergency, see the doctor by video from home: no driving, no parking, and you skip the waiting room.
Puerto Rico ER visits: a median of 4 h 52 min from arrival to departure (US: 2 h 42 min; CMS, Oct 2024–Sep 2025). Compare the optionsFor problems that are not emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
- Doctor licensed in Puerto Rico (24027) Verify (opens in a new tab)
- In Spanish or English
- Price shown before you pay
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
- Secure card payment (may include Apple Pay or Google Pay)
- Children and adults of all ages
Telehealth in Puerto Rico with a PR-licensed doctor: we see kids of all ages and adults by video, in English or Spanish. A doctor visit is US$79, no insurance needed and no membership; a refill or lab-results review is US$49; school and work forms are US$35. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. You just need to be in Puerto Rico during the visit.
- US$79Doctor visit
- US$49Follow-up visit
- US$35School and work forms
Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
Before you leave home
Why a video visit
For anything that isn’t an emergency, compare what each option takes.
| Comparison | Video visit | Emergency room | CDT or doctor’s office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting there | From home: join from your phone, tablet or computer. | Drive and find parking. | Drive and find parking. |
| Waiting room | Skip the waiting room: join from wherever you are in Puerto Rico. | Yes, a waiting room. | Yes, a waiting room. |
| Hours and time | We do not publish a wait time. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text. | In Puerto Rico, a median of 4 h 52 min from arrival to departure for patients sent home (US: 2 h 42 min; Oct 2024–Sep 2025).1,2 | An in-person visit takes about 2 hours on average, including travel.3 |
| Price | US$79 visit · US$49 follow-up · US$35 forms. You see it before you pay; no insurance needed. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. |
| Language | Spanish or English, with the same doctor. | Depends on the place. | Depends on the place. |
| Prescriptions | If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. | Yes, if needed. | Yes, if needed. |
| When to go in person | If the doctor needs to examine you in person or run a test, she tells you and guides you. | In an emergency: chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side or bleeding that won’t stop. Call 911. | If you need stitches, an X-ray or a test on the spot. |
For problems that are not emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
Table sources
- 1. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – State”, measure OP-18b: median time in the emergency department, arrival to departure, for patients sent home (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 2. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – National”, measure OP-18b (US figure) (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 3. Ray KN et al., “Opportunity costs of ambulatory medical care in the United States,” Am J Manag Care 2015;21(8):567-74 (US data, 2003–2010) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
We found no published source for what a patient pays at an ER or a CDT in Puerto Rico, so we give no figure.
How it works
Telehealth in Puerto Rico in 3 steps
From request to prescription, this is how it works. More in how telehealth works.
Choose your visit type and pay online.
A visit with an online doctor in Puerto Rico, a follow-up visit or school and work forms. Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
We send you a secure video link.
It works on your phone, tablet or computer, from home, work or your hotel.
Talk to the doctor by video.
She evaluates, diagnoses and treats. If appropriate, she prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy; if needed, she gives you a lab order for a lab near you. Your doctor's note is included.
Before you start
- You must be in Puerto Rico during the visit. Visitors are welcome too.
- Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian signs the written consent, stays on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID on camera. Visits are not recorded.
Services
What can telehealth help with?
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you, for example for a strep test or a urine, blood or STI test. We offer urgent care by video for anything that is not an emergency, telehealth for kids of all ages with a parent or guardian on camera, skin and acne care and much more; see all the conditions we treat. Not sure what it is? Browse by symptom, read our health guides or check the warning signs of dengue.
Doctor visit
US$79Follow-up visit
US$49School and work forms
US$35Certificates and notes
Looking for a certificate or a doctor’s note?
Conditions
Common conditions
Who will see you?
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, a general practice physician licensed to practice medicine in Puerto Rico, with several years of emergency-department experience. That experience is what matters in a video visit: knowing what can be treated at home and when you need the ER. She sees adults and children of all ages, in English or Spanish.
- Puerto Rico license 24027 and NPI 1922842756, which you can verify in official sources from the doctor's profile.
- Run by a nonprofit: The Health Initiative, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 93-2197573), which receives the payments. The doctor is also its Founding Executive Director. More in about us.
- Published prices, no insurance needed, no membership and no hidden fees.
Your doctor
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD
General practice physician
Several years of emergency-department experience.
Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative.
Pricing
Clear prices, no insurance and no membership
There are three visit types, each the same price for every age. A doctor visit (US$79) is for a new problem, urgent care, children and most everything else. A follow-up visit (US$49) is for a refill of a medicine you already take or a review of your lab results. School and work forms (US$35) covers school, university and job forms.
You pay by card when you request the visit. If a follow-up or forms visit turns out to need a full doctor visit, the doctor explains why and, only with your consent, you pay the difference. A doctor's note is included, and if the visit can't take place you get a full refund. We do not bill insurance; if you need a doctor without insurance in Puerto Rico, here you pay only for your visit. See pricing.
- Not sure which? Choose this one
Doctor visit
US$79
What’s included
For a new problem, urgent care (non-emergencies), primary care, children, birth control, STIs, skin and acne, and visitors. Includes a doctor's note if you need one.
Follow-up visit
US$49
What’s included
Refills of medicines you already take (non-controlled) and a review of lab results from a previous visit.
School and work forms
US$35
What’s included
School, university and job forms, and the lab order for the certificado de salud (if you choose the TB skin test, it is placed and read in person by the authorized doctor or their nurse; the certificate is issued only by an authorized doctor at their authorized site). Does not include forms that need a vision exam, such as the DTOP driver's license form.
Areas
Where do we see patients?
Anywhere in Puerto Rico, by video. You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit; if you are visiting the island, we see you too. We have no office: we are a telehealth-only service. If you need to be seen in person, our area guides show the nearest ER and pharmacy.
Is this an emergency?
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, confusion, bleeding that will not stop, or if you think your life is in danger.
Help lines
The only things we don't do by video
We don't handle emergencies and we don't prescribe controlled substances. For chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side of the body, or a baby under 3 months with a fever, call 911 or go to the ER. See when to go to the ER.
How we care for you
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you.
We see adults and children of all ages. Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian is on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
Real-time video visit. We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances.
You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit (visitors, tourists and cruise passengers are welcome).
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need insurance to use this telehealth service?
Do you see babies and children?
Which pharmacy do you send my prescription to?
Can the visit be in Spanish?
Do I have to be in Puerto Rico?
The Health Initiative
Need to see the doctor?
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
- No insurance needed
- From your phone, tablet or computer
- Visits are not recorded
About this page
Author: The Health Initiative
Medical care provided by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD (PR license 24027)
Disclosure: Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative
Published: 2026-09-30 · Updated: 2026-10-02
Sources (3)
- NPI record for Dr. Diana Nieves Castro (NPPES, CMS) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)
- Puerto Rico medical license lookup (Department of Health) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)
- Puerto Rico Telemedicine and Telehealth Act, Ley 168-2018 (LexJuris, Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)