In-person appointments

This article provides information about in-person appointments at Rula. It covers topics such as who is eligible to offer in-person appointments, how to opt in through the Rula provider portal, and how to add in-person availability in the Rula provider portal. 

Providers in selected states can opt in and see patients in-person through Rula as long as they meet the designated requirements below. 

Who is eligible to see patients in person?

In order to see patients in person, a provider must meet the following criteria:

• Be licensed in one of the following states: AZ, CO, FL, GA, MN, NC, OR, TN, VA, WA
• Have an existing office with an address. If you do not have an existing office with an address in one of these states, you are not eligible to provide in-person services at this time.

You can read more details about office requirements in our In-Person Session Checklist. 

How to start seeing patients in person

If you meet the above eligibility criteria, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Rula provider portal.
2. Click on the Profile tab from the left menu.
3. Click Practice details.
4. Under Where I practice, find the In-person section.
5. Click the Start seeing patients in-person button.
   
6. The “I would like to see patients in-person” box will be checked.
7. Add the address to your office.
   • An address is required to save your selection for in-person appointments. If not, you'll receive an error message when saving your changes. 

8. Click Save.  
9. This will immediately take you to your availability page to add in-person availability.

How to update your in-person address

To edit your in-person address:

1. Click on the Profile tab from the left menu.
2. Click Practice details.
3. Under Where I practice, click Edit next to the In-person section.
4. Update the address as needed.
   • If you need to move and start seeing patients in a new state, you can click into the state field and select from any active telehealth states you're practicing in. Changing your in-person state to one that is not an active telehealth state is not possible.
5. Click Save.

How to add in-person availability

To add in-person availability, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Rula provider portal.
2. Click on the Schedule tab.
3. Click the Manage availability button in the top right-hand corner.
4. The availability editor will slide open from the right side of your screen.
   
   As a reminder:
   • Important Note: Existing appointments and calendar blocks will override new patient availability.
5. To add patient availability, click on the plus sign to add availability to any day. You can also edit your existing availability to adjust the location of the availability block using the location drop-down. 
6. Next, select the time frames for each day that you are available to see new patients.
   • Here, you can add a continuous length of time, for example from 9 am to 3 pm, or individual time slots, for example, from 9 am to 10 am.
   • You can adjust your availability in 30-minute increments.
7. When you are satisfied with your selections, click Save.
   • This sometimes takes a second as the portal is updating all availability into the future.

How to stop seeing patients in-person (opt out)

To remove this selection:

1. Click on the Profile tab from the left menu.
2. Click Practice details.
3. Under Where I practice, click Edit next to the In-person section.
4. Uncheck the “I would like to see patients in-person” box.

5. Click Save. 
6. This will remove future in-person availability, but keep any appointments you already have scheduled.

If you have a patient who has been meeting with you in person but decides they would prefer to meet virtually, simply cancel any scheduled in-person follow-up appointments and rebook them as telehealth. You will not be able to edit the appointment to change the location. 

FAQ

Am I eligible to opt in if I don’t have an office?

• No. At this time, we can only support in-person referrals for psychiatry providers who have an existing, physical office.

What are the requirements for providing in-person care?

• To opt in, you must be licensed and have an office address in one of the following states: AZ, CO, FL, GA, MN, NC, OR, TN, VA, WA. (We plan to expand to more states in the near future.)
• We also encourage you to review the In-Person Session Checklist to ensure your office meets our requirements.

Can I offer both in-person and telehealth sessions?

• Yes. Once you opt in via the provider portal, you can configure your availability for in-person, telehealth, or a mix of both. 

Do pay rates differ for in-person sessions?

• At this time, pay rates for in-person sessions are the same as those for virtual sessions.

When will in-person referrals begin?

• We anticipate launching in-person patient referrals in late September 2026 for the following states: AZ, CO, FL, GA, MN, NC, OR, TN, VA, WA. We will notify providers if there are any changes to this timeline.

What is the expected volume of in-person referrals?

• As this is a new launch, we cannot currently provide specific volume guarantees. However, as a point of reference, therapy providers who add in-person availability typically receive approximately 33% more referrals.

Updated August 20, 2026 14:05