When you text CodyMD about a sore throat, the message goes to a US-licensed, board-certified physician. Not a chatbot. Not a nurse practitioner screening you for a future appointment. A licensed doctor who can apply Centor/McIsaac scoring, evaluate your case, and prescribe antibiotics if clinically indicated — all by text, all in 1 hour.

Doctor-owned and operated

CodyMD is a physician-founded, physician-led practice. Many telehealth platforms are technology companies that contract physicians as independent providers, and the pressure to prescribe quickly can shape what gets written. At CodyMD, the doctors set the clinical protocols. When business decisions and clinical decisions conflict, medicine wins. For strep specifically, that means following IDSA guidance — prescribing when Centor scoring supports strep, declining to prescribe when it doesn't.

Built by the ZoomCare team

CodyMD was founded by the team that built ZoomCare, one of the Pacific Northwest's most established healthcare brands. ZoomCare pioneered the walk-in, same-day care model. CodyMD applies that operational philosophy to conditions — like strep evaluation — where the clinical decision is primarily history-based and the visit doesn't require in-person physical exam in most cases.

Physician credentials

Every prescribing physician on the CodyMD team is US-licensed in the states they practice in, board-certified by a recognized American medical specialty board, and experienced in primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, or urgent care — the specialties that see and treat strep daily in traditional practice. The AMA's physician licensing standards are the same standards every CodyMD doctor meets. Credentials can be verified through the Federation of State Medical Boards physician directory.

Antibiotic stewardship is part of the protocol

CodyMD physicians follow the IDSA Group A Strep guidelines. They only prescribe when the Centor/McIsaac score and clinical picture support strep. They will not write you a script for a sore throat that looks viral just because you want one. This isn't a vending machine — it's a clinical service. For the diagnostic logic, see strep vs viral sore throat.

Built-in follow-up at no extra cost

Every $49 visit includes follow-up. If you're not improving 48–72 hours after starting antibiotics, text the doctor back. They can reassess the diagnosis, switch antibiotics if needed, or recommend in-person evaluation. There's no additional charge for the follow-up window — it's part of the protocol, not an upsell.

Licensure, credentialing, and what actually matters

The question patients sometimes ask is whether telehealth physicians have the same credentials as the doctor they'd see in person. The answer is yes. CodyMD physicians are MD or DO graduates, residency-trained, licensed in the states they practice in, and board-certified. The standard of training, the licensure requirements, and the clinical practice guidelines that govern prescribing are identical between an in-person visit and a CodyMD text consultation.

How to start a visit

Text Cody, describe your sore throat symptoms and timeline, and a licensed physician reviews your case. If you meet Centor/McIsaac criteria for strep and don't have red flags, your prescription is sent to your pharmacy in 1 hour. For the full visit process, see online strep throat treatment, and for why treatment matters even though most untreated strep would still resolve, see why treat strep with antibiotics.