Everything you need to know about how Bidwell Health works before you start your visit.
Yes. Eligible ongoing adult male partners of someone with clinician-diagnosed BV can request their own $45 online visit. A licensed clinician reviews the partner's safety information and decides whether treatment to help reduce recurrence is appropriate. No video call is required; medication is separate. See partner eligibility and treatment details.
You complete an interactive clinical intake about your symptoms, medical history, allergies, and current medications. A licensed clinician evaluates your case and may message you with follow-up questions before deciding whether treatment is appropriate. Reviews are available seven days a week, including weekends; timing varies. If a prescription is clinically appropriate, it is sent to your chosen pharmacy. Supported visits do not require a scheduled video or phone appointment.
Prescription timing varies. After clinician review, prescriptions are sent to your chosen pharmacy when appropriate. Your pharmacy will notify you when it is ready for pickup or delivery, depending on the pharmacy you selected.
No. Bidwell Health is a cash-pay service with no insurance forms, no co-pays, and no explanation of benefits. The online visit is $45. Many patients find this is cheaper than their insurance co-pay — and far faster than scheduling a traditional appointment.
The online visit is $45. The visit fee covers the licensed clinician review and, if clinically appropriate, the electronic prescription. Medication cost is paid separately at your pharmacy.
No. The visit fee is paid one time at checkout. No membership is required. If you need care again later, you start another $45 visit.
Yes. Bidwell Health uses encrypted, access-controlled systems for health information. Your records are stored securely and never sold or used for advertising. Only your treating clinician and limited support staff needed to deliver care have access to your intake information.
No — because we don't bill insurance. Your visit is cash-pay and is never submitted to any insurer. It doesn't appear on your explanation of benefits, claims history, or family insurance records.
Only your treating clinician and a small, HIPAA-trained support team needed to deliver care. We never sell, share, or use your health data for advertising.
We are currently licensed to treat patients in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. You must be physically located in one of these states at the time of your visit.
Yes. We send prescriptions to many licensed pharmacies in the US, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, Rite Aid, Publix, grocery pharmacies, and independent pharmacies when they can receive and process the prescription. See local pharmacy guides.
If a clinician determines that treatment is not clinically appropriate, the visit fee is refunded in full. Your clinician may also recommend an alternative or advise you to seek in-person care.
Each visit is a standalone consultation for a supported online visit type. Bidwell Health is best suited for focused, protocol-based telehealth visits, including UTI, BV, yeast infection, ED, male-pattern hair loss, eyelash growth, prior-diagnosis herpes treatment, and short-term bridge refills for stable non-controlled medications. For conditions requiring ongoing monitoring or management, establish care with a primary care provider.
Yes — for uncomplicated cases. UTIs, yeast infections, and erectile dysfunction are among the most commonly and safely managed conditions via telehealth. Our intake forms are specifically designed to identify cases that need in-person evaluation and route those patients appropriately.
Clinicians most commonly prescribe first-line UTI antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin (Macrobid), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim), or fosfomycin — guided by current IDSA guidelines, your history, and any allergies you list in the intake.
Recurrent UTI means two or more UTIs in six months or three or more in twelve months. Bidwell refers recurrent UTI symptoms for in-person assessment and urine culture. A primary care provider or urologist can evaluate the pattern and discuss prevention.
We don't run lab tests directly. Providers diagnose based on your symptoms and history — which is standard practice for uncomplicated UTIs in women. If your case needs a urine culture, your clinician will tell you where to go. Read about labs and testing.
Most commonly oral fluconazole (Diflucan) — typically a single 150 mg dose, with a second dose 72 hours later for moderate-to-severe cases. Topical options can be considered if oral antifungals aren't appropriate.
Your clinician uses the symptom pattern you describe in the intake — discharge color and consistency, odor, itch, irritation. The two are commonly confused but treatments differ, so accurate history matters. Our yeast-vs-BV blog post walks through the distinctions.
Have an up-to-date list of your medications ready, and know whether you take nitrates or alpha-blockers — these interact with ED medications. A recent blood pressure reading is helpful but not required.
Most patients are prescribed generic sildenafil (Viagra) or generic tadalafil (Cialis), depending on preference and medical history. Our clinicians do not prescribe controlled substances or off-label combinations.
PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil) must not be combined with nitrates — this can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. If you take any heart medication, list it in your intake so your clinician can assess safety.
Your clinician sends the prescription electronically (e-Rx) to the pharmacy you selected during intake. No paper, no faxes, no phone calls. The pharmacy texts or calls you when it's ready.
For the acute conditions we treat, each episode is a fresh visit rather than a refill. If your condition recurs, start a new $45 visit.
We do not treat controlled substances (opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines), chronic pain, new or unstable mental health symptoms, patients under 18, pregnancy-related conditions, STIs requiring in-person testing, or anything needing a physical exam or imaging. Existing stable SSRI/SNRI or bupropion prescriptions may be eligible only as short-term bridge refills when the patient is stable and no dose change or symptom management is needed. Bidwell Health provides online visits for adults ages 18 and older only. For reference, the conditions we do treat are UTI, BV, yeast infection, ED, male-pattern hair loss, anti-aging (tretinoin), eyelash growth, prior-diagnosis oral and genital herpes, stable bridge refills, and travel medicine (motion sickness, altitude sickness, traveler's diarrhea, malaria prevention, and epinephrine refills). See what Bidwell does not treat, adult-only care, and labs and testing.
Many medications and symptoms need different safety review during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If you're pregnant, think you might be, or are breastfeeding, tell us in the intake so the clinician can decide whether online care is appropriate. See pregnancy and breastfeeding eligibility.
Yes. The online intake starts a clinical assessment. A US-licensed clinician evaluates your symptoms, medical history, medications, and safety factors and may ask follow-up questions through portal messages before making a treatment decision. The clinician may prescribe when appropriate or recommend in-person care. The $45 visit fee covers clinical assessment, the treatment decision, and follow-up messaging.
A bridge refill is a temporary refill of a chronic medication you have been taking at a stable dose. It's meant to cover you while you transition to a primary care provider — after a move, insurance change, PCP retirement, or long wait for a new-patient appointment. It's not ongoing care; it's the gap-filler between doctors.
Stable, non-controlled chronic medications: SSRIs and SNRIs, bupropion, blood pressure meds (lisinopril, losartan, amlodipine, metoprolol), statins (atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin), thyroid (levothyroxine), oral diabetes meds (metformin, Jardiance, Januvia), asthma controllers and rescue inhalers, birth control, GERD meds, and other stable non-controlled chronic medications. One medication per bridge refill visit. Full list on our bridge refill page.
No controlled substances, ever. That includes opioids, benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin), stimulants (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse), sleep aids (Ambien, Lunesta), tramadol, gabapentin, pregabalin, Fioricet, and any muscle relaxant that is state-scheduled (carisoprodol/Soma). We also decline medications with recent dose changes, brand-new prescriptions, or monitoring labs older than 12 months.
90 days, maximum. During that window you should establish with a primary care provider in your state for long-term management. A bridge is intentionally short so that no one uses it as a substitute for real primary care. See our bridge refill page.
Yes — a clear photo of your current medication bottle (label readable — medication name, dose, your name, and the prescriber visible). You'll also attest that you've had labs within the last 12 months (if your medication requires monitoring) and that your dose hasn't been changed recently.
Treatment options may include finasteride 1 mg, low-dose oral minoxidil 1.25-2.5 mg, dutasteride 0.5 mg, topical minoxidil, or a combination when clinically appropriate. The exact path depends on your intake, photos, medical history, prior treatment response, and safety screen. See our hair loss treatment page for medication comparison and expectations.
The online visit is $45. Medication cost is separate and paid at your pharmacy. Generic pricing varies by medication, quantity, pharmacy, and discount program.
Low-dose oral minoxidil (1.25–2.5 mg) has decades of safety data and is generally well-tolerated in healthy adults at hair-loss doses. Our intake screens for cardiovascular history, hypotension symptoms, palpitations, and edema risk. Patients with significant cardiac disease or uncontrolled hypertension are referred to in-person care. Oral minoxidil is prescribed off-label for hair loss in the US. See our hair loss treatment page.
Finasteride is FDA-approved for male pattern hair loss since 1997. Reported sexual side effects in the pivotal trial were 1–2% above placebo. A small number of men report persistent symptoms after discontinuation (sometimes called post-finasteride syndrome) — the topic remains debated in dermatology. Our clinicians discuss this openly. Stop the medication and contact your clinician if you notice persistent sexual, mood, or other side effects.
Not at launch. Our hair loss workflow is currently limited to adult men with classic male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). Finasteride and dutasteride are strictly contraindicated in women who are or may become pregnant. Female pattern hair loss typically requires different agents (spironolactone, topical minoxidil) and workup for thyroid, iron, or PCOS. We plan to add a women's hair loss lane in the future.
Hair regrowth is slow. Expect several months before visible improvement on any of these medications, with the biggest changes at 6–12 months. Many men experience a temporary 'dread shed' during months 1–3 as dormant follicles enter a new growth cycle — this is a sign the medication is working. Results plateau around 12–18 months. Consistency matters more than the specific drug; stopping treatment reverses gains within 6–12 months.
We don't treat: patchy or coin-shaped loss (alopecia areata), scarring or inflamed scalp, sudden diffuse shedding (possible telogen effluvium — needs workup), recent chemotherapy- or radiation-related loss, or any loss in children, teens, or women. These require in-person dermatologic evaluation. If your intake indicates any of these, we decline and refund your visit fee. See our hair loss page for the full differential.
Yes — a front-view, crown-view, and temple-view photo of your scalp. These confirm a male-pattern presentation and give your clinician a baseline to compare against at follow-up. The photos are stored privately under HIPAA — only your treating clinician sees them.
More patient answers
Short answer pages for common process, cost, pharmacy, no-video, and bridge-refill questions.