Services
An English-speaking doctor in Puerto Rico, by video
Looking for an English-speaking doctor in Puerto Rico? Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, a general practice physician licensed in Puerto Rico (license 24027), does your whole video visit in English. Your doctor's note and forms can be in English too. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit; there is no membership.
Is it an emergency? Call 911.
Pay now, then choose your time right away. Full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more ahead.
See the cancellation policy
You can cancel for a full refund or change the time up to 24 hours before your visit. Within 24 hours you can't cancel and there's no refund. If you don't join in the first 10 minutes, there's no refund.
If you choose a time less than 24 hours away, it can't be cancelled or changed.
If the clinic can't see you, for example because of a technical problem on our side, we refund you in full.
Video visit
- Doctor licensed in Puerto Rico (24027) Verify (opens in a new tab)
- Children and adults of all ages
- In Spanish or English
- Secure video link
- Visits are not recorded
- Full refund if the clinic can’t see you
- No insurance needed
Is this an emergency?
This is not an emergency service. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have:
- Chest pain or pressure
- Trouble breathing
- A drooping face, weakness on one side or trouble speaking
- A serious injury or bleeding that won't stop
Help lines
On this page(12)
An English-speaking doctor in Puerto Rico: who we see
Anyone on the island who would rather see a doctor in English:
- People who moved here, including Act 60 relocators and mainland transplants still finding their way around local healthcare.
- Military and remote-worker families living on the island.
- Students at Puerto Rico universities who come from the mainland or abroad.
- Tourists and cruise passengers: see care for visitors.
- Bilingual families, where some prefer English and some Spanish. The doctor can switch languages in the same visit.
Before you leave home
Why a video visit
For anything that isn’t an emergency, compare what each option takes.
| Comparison | Video visit | Emergency room | CDT or doctor’s office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting there | From home: join from your phone, tablet or computer. | Drive and find parking. | Drive and find parking. |
| Waiting room | Skip the waiting room: join from wherever you are in Puerto Rico. | Yes, a waiting room. | Yes, a waiting room. |
| Hours and time | Every day, any time (Puerto Rico time). Video doctor visits 24/7 — book online and choose your time right away. | In Puerto Rico, a median of 4 h 52 min from arrival to departure for patients sent home (US: 2 h 42 min; Oct 2024–Sep 2025).1,2 | An in-person visit takes about 2 hours on average, including travel.3 |
| Price | $79 visit · $49 follow-up · $35 forms. You see it before you pay; no insurance needed. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. | Depends on your insurance and on what is done. |
| Language | Spanish or English, with the same doctor. | Depends on the place. | Depends on the place. |
| Prescriptions | If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. | Yes, if needed. | Yes, if needed. |
| When to go in person | If the doctor needs to examine you in person or run a test, she tells you and guides you. | In an emergency: chest pain, trouble breathing, weakness on one side or bleeding that won’t stop. Call 911. | If you need stitches, an X-ray or a test on the spot. |
For problems that are not emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
Table sources
- 1. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – State”, measure OP-18b: median time in the emergency department, arrival to departure, for patients sent home (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 2. CMS Care Compare, “Timely and Effective Care – National”, measure OP-18b (US figure) (opens in a new tab), data for Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (accessed 2026-10-02)
- 3. Ray KN et al., “Opportunity costs of ambulatory medical care in the United States,” Am J Manag Care 2015;21(8):567-74 (US data, 2003–2010) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
We found no published source for what a patient pays at an ER or a CDT in Puerto Rico, so we give no figure.
Your doctor
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD
General practice physician
Several years of emergency-department experience.
Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative.
Your full visit in English
Not a Spanish visit with an interpreter: the doctor takes your history, examines you on camera, explains what's going on and gives you instructions, all in English.
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. Dr. Nieves Castro is a general practice physician with several years of emergency-department experience, and she sees adults and children of all ages.
Your visit in 3 steps
Video doctor visits 24/7 — book online and choose your time right away.
Request your visit and pay by card.
Pick the visit type and let us know you'd like it in English. You are charged when you request it, with a full refund if the clinic can’t see you.
You choose your time when you book, and we send your secure video link.
It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
See the doctor in English
and leave with a clear plan.
Price
The same price for every age, with no membership: doctor visit, follow-up visit (including a prescription refill of a non-controlled medicine you already take) and school and university forms. A doctor's note after your visit is included at no extra charge. See pricing.
Video visit
Doctor visit
$79
For a new problem, urgent care (non-emergencies), primary care, children, birth control, STIs, skin and acne, and visitors. Includes a doctor's note if you need one.
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the clinic can’t see you
Notes and forms in English
If your employer, university or your kids' school is on the mainland or works in English, the doctor can write your doctor's note in English. School or university forms can be completed in English at a forms visit, if the evaluation supports them. Want to share the visit with your doctor back home? Ask for your visit notes in English.
Refills of medicines you brought from the mainland
Ran low on a medicine your doctor in the States prescribed? A refill of a medicine you already take (non-controlled) is a follow-up visit, even if we've never seen you. Have the bottle or a photo of the label ready, ideally with the generic name, as the CDC suggests for travelers. If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to a pharmacy in Puerto Rico.
US insurance: a superbill, not billing
We don't bill any insurance plan, whether it's an employer plan, a marketplace plan, Medicare or a military plan. On request, we give you an itemized receipt (superbill) to claim from your plan, HSA or FSA yourself. We can't promise your plan will reimburse you.
For Medicare, Puerto Rico is not "outside the U.S.", but private mainland plans set their own network rules. Read does Medicare work in Puerto Rico? before you call the number on your card.
Puerto Rico pharmacies and labs
We send your prescription to the Puerto Rico pharmacy you choose, and your lab order is for a lab near you on the island. At many pharmacies the store keeps longer hours than the pharmacy counter, so call ahead to check the counter is open and has your medicine.
You must be in Puerto Rico during the visit
The doctor holds a Puerto Rico medical license (number 24027), so the law requires you to be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit. If you're back on the mainland for a few weeks, we can't see you from there.
In Puerto Rico the age of majority is 21, not 18. For a patient under 21, including college students aged 18 to 20, a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian stays on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
A regular doctor after you move
Just arrived and don't have a doctor yet? The doctor can look after you over time by video. See virtual primary care. When you're ready, book a visit.
When to go to the ER
Puerto Rico uses 911 too. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke or a serious injury, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
How we care for you
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you.
We see adults and children of all ages. Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian is on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
Real-time video visit. We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy.
You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit (visitors, tourists and cruise passengers are welcome).
In an emergency, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Does the doctor really speak English?
Can you see me while I'm visiting the mainland?
Do you take my US insurance?
Can my 19-year-old see the doctor alone?
Can you refill a prescription from my doctor in the States?
Before you pay
Why do I pay before choosing a time?
Can I cancel or change the time?
Do you record the visit?
Need to see the doctor?
$79Doctor visit
- You’re charged when you request the visit.
- Full refund if the clinic can’t see you
Video doctor visits 24/7 — book online and choose your time right away.
Doctor visit: $79 — BookPay now, then choose your time right away. Full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more ahead.
See the cancellation policy
You can cancel for a full refund or change the time up to 24 hours before your visit. Within 24 hours you can't cancel and there's no refund. If you don't join in the first 10 minutes, there's no refund.
If you choose a time less than 24 hours away, it can't be cancelled or changed.
If the clinic can't see you, for example because of a technical problem on our side, we refund you in full.
About this page
Author: The Health Initiative
Medical care provided by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD (PR license 24027)
Disclosure: Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative
Published: 2026-10-02 · Updated: 2026-10-11
Sources (5)
- Puerto Rico medical license lookup (Department of Health) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)
- NPI record for Dr. Diana Nieves Castro (NPPES, CMS) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)
- Puerto Rico Telemedicine and Telehealth Act, Ley 168-2018 (LexJuris, Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Medicare coverage outside the United States, publication 11037 (Medicare.gov) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-30)
- Traveling Abroad with Medicine (CDC) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-02)
