Services
Care for visitors: a doctor for tourists in Puerto Rico, by video
Our doctor for tourists in Puerto Rico is a video visit, in English or Spanish, for tourists, cruise passengers and people visiting family on the island. Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, a physician licensed in Puerto Rico, evaluates, diagnoses and treats the everyday problems of travel. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to a pharmacy near where you're staying.
Is it an emergency? Call 911.
Is this an emergency?
This is not an emergency service. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have:
- Chest pain, pressure or squeezing, or shortness of breath.
- Confusion, fainting or very hot skin after time in the sun (possible heat stroke).
- Bloody diarrhea, high fever or signs of dehydration: hardly peeing, dizzy when you stand, or can't keep fluids down.
- Fever with severe belly pain, vomiting 3 or more times in 24 hours, or bleeding gums or nose (dengue warning signs).
- Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or trouble breathing after a bite or sting.
- A jellyfish sting with chest pain, trouble breathing or weakness.
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On this page(10)
Doctor for tourists in Puerto Rico: what care for visitors is
It's a doctor visit by video for anyone passing through Puerto Rico: vacationers, cruise passengers, students, remote workers and families here to see relatives. No hunting for a clinic, no losing a vacation day in a waiting room: we see you from your hotel, rental or your family's living room.
You see Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, a general practice physician licensed in Puerto Rico, with several years of emergency-department experience. She speaks English and Spanish; if you live here or are staying for a season, see our English-speaking doctor in Puerto Rico. We see adults and children of all ages. The one legal requirement: you must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit. Visitors are welcome.
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| Hours and time | We do not publish a wait time.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 we care for you by video
The doctor listens, looks on camera and guides you to show her what she needs to see: your skin, throat, ear or a bite. We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy in Puerto Rico. We do not prescribe controlled substances.
Your doctor
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD
General practice physician
Several years of emergency-department experience.
Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative.
Three steps, even on vacation
Here's how it works:
Request a visit.
Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text. Choose Doctor visit on the booking page, or Follow-up visit if you only need a refill of a medicine you already take.
Join by video.
We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
Get back to your trip.
If appropriate, pick up your prescription at a pharmacy near where you're staying.
Price and US insurance
A doctor visit costs US$79, the same for every age. A prescription refill of a medicine you already take but forgot or ran out of is a US$49 follow-up visit (non-controlled); before you leave home, read about bringing medication to Puerto Rico. You pay by card when you request the visit; if it can't take place, you get a full refund. See all visit types on pricing.
We don't bill insurance, including US mainland plans and Medicare. If you ask, we give you an itemized receipt (superbill) so you can check with your plan about reimbursement.
Video visit
Doctor visit
US$79
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.
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
Travel problems we treat
What visitors most often need help with on the island:
- [Traveler's diarrhea](route:condition-travelers-diarrhea) and upset stomach.
- [Sunburn](route:condition-sunburn) and heat rash.
- Bites: mosquitoes and other insects, and a jellyfish sting once first aid is done.
- [Sea urchin spines](route:guide-sea-urchin) in a foot or hand after a beach day.
- [Cutaneous larva migrans](route:condition-cutaneous-larva-migrans): a very itchy red line that creeps through the skin, after walking on sand contaminated by dog or cat feces.
- Swimmer's ear after the beach or pool.
- [Seasickness](route:condition-seasickness) and motion sickness.
- Colds, sore throats, sinus infections and allergies.
- UTIs: burning and needing to pee often. More on UTI treatment.
- Lost or forgotten medication: a refill of what you already take (non-controlled).
Treatment, and when we order a lab test
Most of these are diagnosed from your history and what the doctor sees on camera. For example, the CDC notes that viral diarrhea usually lasts 2 to 3 days; the priority is fluids and oral rehydration, and antibiotics are kept for moderate or severe cases, based on the evaluation. For seasickness, the CDC says medicine works best when taken before you sail.
If a test is needed, such as a urine or blood test, we give you an order for a lab near you and review the result. Fever with body aches? Think of dengue: the doctor evaluates you and tells you what to watch for.
On a cruise, or just want to know what to do?
Cruising? Read our cruise passenger doctor in San Juan guide: when the ship's clinic makes sense, when a video visit does, and when to go to the ER. For general advice if you get sick on the island (pharmacies, ERs, what to bring), read sick on vacation in Puerto Rico.
Need a hotel doctor in San Juan?
We see you by video from your room, in English or Spanish: we do not make hotel or house calls. 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 a pharmacy near your hotel. Need a pharmacy open late? See 24-hour pharmacies in Puerto Rico; and if your travel insurance asks for a note to cancel or change your trip, read about a doctor's note for travel insurance.
In an emergency, call 911. The nearest emergency rooms, with addresses, are in our guides to Isla Verde, Condado and Old San Juan.
When to go to the ER
For your safety, if you have any of the warning signs on this page, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
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).
In an emergency, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see me if I don't live in Puerto Rico?
Do you take my US health insurance?
I left my medication at home. Can you help?
Do you see kids who are on vacation?
Are you open now?
Need to see the doctor?
US$79Doctor visit
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the visit can’t take place
Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.
Doctor visit: US$79 — BookAbout 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 (9)
- CDC Yellow Book: travelers' diarrhea (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC Yellow Book: motion sickness (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC: sun safety (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC: heat and health (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC: dengue symptoms and warning signs (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- MedlinePlus (NIH): swimmer's ear (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- MedlinePlus (NIH): jellyfish stings (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC: traveler information for Puerto Rico (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- CDC DPDx: cutaneous larva migrans (zoonotic hookworm) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)