Is telehealth neurology as good as an in-person visit?

For problems diagnosed from the history, such as headache, MS follow-up, medication management, and cognitive concerns, video visits hold up well against in-person care. For problems that turn on a hands-on examination they do not, and we will tell you that up front and arrange an office visit.

Which visit should I book if I have several symptoms at once?

One new-patient visit. Fatigue, dizziness, sleeping far more than usual, low mood, and anxiety often belong to a single story, and the point of a 60-minute history is to hear all of it together rather than one symptom per appointment. Choose telehealth unless something on your list needs a hands-on examination, and we will tell you if it does.

Can multiple sclerosis be managed by video?

Most of it can. MRI review, treatment decisions, relapse questions, and monitoring on a disease-modifying therapy all work on screen, and imaging and blood tests are ordered near you. The hands-on parts of a first workup, and any procedure such as a lumbar puncture, are arranged in person.

Can I see a neurologist without a referral or without insurance?

Yes to both. No referral is needed, and because we are a direct-pay practice the visit does not depend on your insurance. You pay one flat fee and receive a superbill to submit to a PPO plan if you have one.

Can you prescribe medications during a telehealth visit?

Yes. Most prescriptions are sent electronically to your California pharmacy during the visit. Some controlled substances carry additional federal and state requirements, which we explain if they apply to you.

How much does a telehealth consultation cost?

Visits are fee-for-service and paid before the visit, with one flat fee and no facility charges. We accept credit cards and HSA and FSA cards, and we provide a superbill you can submit to a PPO plan for out-of-network reimbursement. Our office confirms the fee before you are charged.

I am not in California, can you see me?

Not by telehealth. Dr. Ntranos's California license covers patients located in California, so you need to be in the state at the time of the visit. If you are visiting California, you can be seen while you are here.

What if I need to be seen in person?

We will say so, usually before the visit if your description points that way, and book you at our Beverly Hills or Los Angeles office. If that is too far, we help you find in-person care closer to home and can still coordinate the workup.

California Telehealth Neurologist | Same-Day Virtual Visits

See a Neurologist by Video, Anywhere in California

Dr. Ntranos sees new and returning patients by secure video anywhere in California, usually within a day or two of booking. New-patient visits run 60 minutes and the examination is modelled on American Academy of Neurology telehealth guidance. If your problem needs a hands-on exam we say so and arrange it.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Achillefs Ntranos, MDPublished September 28, 2024Updated September 3, 202610 min read

Home computer displaying a brain illustration beside headphones and a notebook.

Most of what a neurologist does is listen carefully, ask the right follow-up questions, read your imaging, and explain what it means. All of that travels well over video. A smaller set of problems turns on a hands-on examination, and for those a screen is not enough. This page sorts the two, so you can tell which one you have. What the evaluation itself involves is on our neurological evaluation page, and reviewing a diagnosis you already have is a second opinion.

An honest view of video visits

Telehealth in neurology is usually either oversold or dismissed. The truth sits in between, and it depends on what is wrong with you.

Video does not degrade a history, and the history does most of the diagnostic work, as our neurological evaluation page explains. What video cannot do is put hands on you: test tone and reflexes, watch your eyes during a positioning maneuver, or feel a wasted thumb muscle. When the answer lives in those findings, an office visit is the honest recommendation, and we make it.

Why we see patients across the state

Dr. Ntranos is licensed by the Medical Board of California, so he can see any patient physically in the state. Many Californians live hours from the nearest neurologist, and even in Los Angeles a new-patient appointment is often months out. A migraine pattern that is worsening, or a numb hand that keeps spreading, should not wait that long.

Is a video visit right for your problem?

Works well by video	Usually needs an in-person examination
Headache and migraine, new or long-standing	New weakness, a foot that drags, or a change in walking
MS care: MRI review on screen, treatment decisions, relapse questions	A first evaluation for dizziness or vertigo
Memory and other cognitive symptoms, including family conferences	A first tremor or movement assessment
Established epilepsy: medication and seizure-diary review	Neuropathy workups needing nerve studies or a skin biopsy
Restless legs, insomnia, chronic fatigue, long COVID	FAA and DMV certification exams
Second opinions and review of results you already have	Anything where the story does not add up and the examination decides

A video visit can still be the right first step for the right-hand column. It lets us hear the story, order the right tests, and judge urgency, as long as everyone understands that an examination is coming.

Where the line falls in practice

Dizziness: start by video to hear the story, then come in for the eye-movement testing that separates an inner-ear cause from a brain cause.
MS: nearly all of it works by video. A lumbar puncture and the in-person parts of a first workup are arranged separately.
Cognitive concerns: the conversation and the results review work on screen. Formal neuropsychological testing is done in person.
Sleep: if sleep apnea is suspected, a home sleep study is shipped to you and the report reviewed by video.

Do not book a video visit for these

Weakness or numbness that arrives suddenly on one side, speech that suddenly will not come, a headache unlike any you have had before, a first seizure, or sudden loss of vision need an emergency department now, not a screen. Call 911. Once you are home, we will see you for the follow-up.

Laptop showing an illustrative brain scan beside a separate examination chair and reflex hammer. — The visit format depends on which part of the evaluation will answer the question.

What the visit itself involves

One neurologist. Dr. Achillefs Ntranos, MD is board-certified in neurology and fellowship-trained in multiple sclerosis at Mount Sinai, where he later taught. He is the person on your screen, he reads your imaging himself, and he answers your messages.
Sixty minutes. Long enough for the questions that usually go unasked when a visit is short.
A structured examination. Modelled on American Academy of Neurology telehealth guidance: speech, eye movements, facial strength, limb strength and coordination, sensation, and walking. You are told plainly what it shows and what it cannot.
A written plan at the end. The working diagnosis, any tests, the treatment, and what happens next.

How a video visit works

Book
Book through our website or call (310) 774-7025. No referral is needed.
Send your records
Fill in the intake questionnaire, and have your medication list and prior test reports at hand. MRI and CT images upload through our patient tools page, so Dr. Ntranos can read them before you meet.
The visit
Sixty minutes on an encrypted, HIPAA-compliant platform. You need a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone, a stable connection, and a quiet spot.
Afterwards
Prescriptions go electronically to your California pharmacy. Imaging and lab orders are placed near you and the results come back to us. You receive a visit summary and a superbill, and can message Dr. Ntranos between visits.

How to describe your symptoms in a video visit

The visit goes better when you arrive with the story in order. You do not need medical words; you need the sequence and the specifics.

Start with the timeline. When it first happened, whether it has happened before, and how it has changed since. "It started in March in my left foot and reached my knee by June" tells a neurologist more than "numbness for a while".
Say whether it is new or familiar. A symptom you have never had is a different question from an old one that has got louder.
Describe what it stops you doing. "I could not do up buttons" is more useful than "weakness". "I had to hold the wall" is more useful than "dizzy".
Give the shape of it. Where exactly, one side or both, how long each episode lasts, and what brings it on or eases it.
Show it if you can. A short phone video of a tremor, an eye movement, a spell, or your walking, taken when it is happening, often settles what a description cannot.
Set up the room. Prop the camera at eye level with enough space to step back and walk a few paces, face a window or lamp, wear short sleeves, and keep your medication list and prior reports within reach. If someone has witnessed your spells, have them join.

Laptop and camera beside a symptom notebook and a California outline. — A clear story and a prepared room help make the video visit useful.

Where in California we see patients

Anywhere in the state. Beyond being physically in California during the visit, where you live does not matter, and imaging and labs are ordered near you. We publish local pages for Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, and see patients from the Central Valley, the Central Coast, the Inland Empire, and the far north on the same terms.

Cost, and how to book

We are a direct-pay practice and do not bill insurance for visits. That is what pays for 60-minute appointments, same or next-day scheduling, and a neurologist you can message directly. One flat fee is due before the visit, with no facility charges. You receive a superbill afterwards, and most PPO plans reimburse 50–80%, depending on your out-of-network benefits. Prescriptions, imaging, and labs still run through your insurance. More on our billing page, or book a telehealth visit.