You feel awful. You don't want to drive. HR or the registrar wants documentation from a doctor. You search "online doctor's note" because the idea of a waiting room when you can barely hold your head up is its own kind of cruelty. The good news: a real online doctor visit really does exist, and it really does end with a real signed note in your inbox. Here's how it actually works at CodyMD.

The 3-Step Process: 1-Hour Doctor's Notes

1. Chat with Cody, our AI doctor, 24/7/365. You open the chat and Cody opens with something like, "Hey — I'm Cody. What's going on?" From there it's a conversation, not a form. Cody asks one question at a time, paced and warm. Your name, date of birth, state. What you're feeling. When it started. What you've tried. Any other medications. Any chronic conditions. Then the specifics for the note — what dates you need covered, who the note is for (HR, professor, registrar, court clerk, airline). The vibe is closer to texting a knowledgeable friend who happens to know exactly what doctors need to know than to filling out a clipboard. By the end, Cody summarizes the case in a clean clinical sentence — something like "27-year-old with 36-hour viral GI illness, no red flags, requesting note for two days of missed work" — and sends it to the reviewing doctor.

2. A US-licensed doctor reviews and signs within 1 hour. A named, board-certified physician — for example, "Dr. Iris Maruska, your reviewing physician" — reads your case and replies in the same chat thread. If your case warrants treatment too, the doctor writes you an Rx (sent to your pharmacy) and explains the plan. Then the note itself arrives in your inbox as a PDF. Sign-off comes from the doctor by name, on behalf of the Cody Team. Not a chatbot. Not a template. A clinician making a real assessment of your specific case.

3. Note delivered to your inbox. The PDF is clean, professional, and complete — patient name, date of visit, excused dates, return date, doctor's name and credentials, state license number, signature, clinic contact info. You forward it to HR, your professor, the registrar, your travel insurer, or the court. Done.

The visit is $49 flat. No insurance required. HSA and FSA eligible under IRS Publication 969.

What Cody's Intake Actually Feels Like

Cody is built to be conversational, not clinical-sterile. The AI's job is the gather — your symptoms, your history, the documentation you need — paced as a real conversation. One question lands. You answer. The next one follows naturally.

When you describe the fever and the body aches that hit overnight, Cody might say something like, "Sounds rough — let's get this sorted. Any chronic conditions or meds the doctor should know about?" When you mention you need the note dated for yesterday and today, Cody confirms: "Got it — so excused for [date] and [date], and you'd like to be cleared to return [date]. Is that right?" By the time the doctor sees the case, every detail the clinician needs is in one tight summary. Yours to confirm or correct.

That intake is the part that lets the rest happen in 1 hour. A doctor reviewing a clean, structured case can make a decision in minutes. A doctor reviewing a clipboard form they got handed in a waiting room cannot.

What the Actual Note Looks Like

A CodyMD note is a single-page PDF that includes:

• A clinic letterhead

• The patient's name and date of birth

• The date the patient was seen (the visit date)

• A short clinical statement — "The above patient was evaluated on [date] for [presenting illness]"

• Excused absence dates

• Return-to-work / return-to-school / fitness-to-travel date, with any restrictions

• The doctor's full name (e.g., "Iris Maruska, MD")

• The doctor's state medical license number

• The doctor's signature

• Clinic phone and email for verification

That format meets what HR departments, registrars, travel insurers, and court clerks are looking for under the documentation standards they follow. The note is verifiable because the doctor's license number is on it; anyone can check the license against the relevant state medical board (the network of which is coordinated by FSMB). Verifiability is the whole point.

Is This a Real Note? Yes.

The honest answer to the "is this real" question: every CodyMD note is signed by a US-licensed, board-certified physician. State-licensed (under each state's medical practice act), board-certified per ABMS standards, practicing under AMA online-care guidance. What we are not: a PDF generator, a fill-in-the-blank form, or a service that writes notes for absences that didn't happen. Every note documents a real online doctor visit with a real licensed physician. If HR or a registrar wants to verify, they can call the clinic line listed on the note.

The reason that matters is because the alternative — generic note templates floating around the internet — is fraud, and using one can end an employment relationship or an enrollment. More on the people who actually sign these notes is in our licensed doctor's note post.

Plus 14 Days of Unlimited Follow-Up

Your $49 includes 14 days of unlimited messaging with Cody and the care team. If the illness lasts longer than expected and you need the note extended, if HR comes back with a question, if your Rx isn't working and the doctor needs to adjust it — you reply in the same chat thread. The doctor can update the note or write a follow-up letter if your symptoms genuinely warrant it. That's the part most one-off "note services" skip.

Portland Delivery, If You're Local

If you're in the Portland metro area and the doctor also wrote you an Rx, you can have your medications delivered. Just ask Cody about Portland delivery during your visit and the care team will set it up alongside the standard pharmacy pickup.

When This Is the Right Fit — and When It Isn't

Good fit: common acute illness (cold, flu, GI bug, sinus infection, migraine), a known chronic condition flaring, documentation needed for a specific set of dates, no need for imaging or a hands-on exam. If you can describe what's going on in a chat, this is the right tool.

Not the right fit: emergencies (chest pain, severe shortness of breath, signs of stroke, severe head injury) — those are 911 or an ER. Ongoing disability documentation that requires a continuous care relationship may also need a longitudinal provider. The reviewing doctor will tell you if your case isn't right for this format.

For the urgent-care-vs-online comparison, see our same-day doctor's note guide. For the cost breakdown, see our doctor's note cost post.

What This Day Looks Like

You open the chat at 11:14 AM. By 11:30, the intake is done. By 12:30 PM, the note's in your inbox and the Rx is at your pharmacy. You forward the note where it needs to go. You go back to bed. The visit is over. The note is real because the visit was real. That's the whole product.