Veterinary Professionals: Sign Our Petition Calling for Greater Access to Veterinary Telemedicine!
By signing this petition, veterinary professionals add their expert voices to the many professionals and organizations (such as the Association of Shelter Veterinarians & the Veterinary Virtual Care Association) calling for public policy to enable highly trained, licensed veterinarians to determine when to use telemedicine technology in the practice of veterinary medicine.
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Veterinarians practice telemedicine when they diagnose a condition or recommend a treatment based on a phone or video consult rather than an in-person physical examination of an animal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was essential to minimizing the spread of illness while ensuring access to healthcare.
Telemedicine benefits a wide range of people and their pets across the geographic and economic spectrum—including anxious pets, large animals, and those living in remote and underserved areas—and the COVID-19 pandemic crystallized the need to update state laws and increase access to this vital form of care.
Despite the potential of telemedicine to expand access to veterinary care, some states directly forbid veterinarians from using telemedicine technologies with new patients or with patients who haven’t been seen at a clinic recently, often going so far as to classify such activities as "unprofessional conduct" for which vets can be officially disciplined.
The veterinary industry is facing a critical shortage of professionals in the workforce, and families across the country are struggling to access care for their pets. As we have seen in human medicine, video telemedicine calls help bridge gaps in care caused by workforce shortages or other barriers to healthcare access. Telemedicine has the potential to mitigate financial, geographic, and logistical barriers to veterinary medical treatment, which can reduce animal suffering and may help more pets remain with caring owners.
- Sign the petition above to let policymakers know that you support expanding access to veterinary telemedicine.
- Share the petition with your veterinary colleagues on social media.
- To join the ASPCA’s effort to expand access to veterinary telemedicine, please email us.
Related Resources
- 3 Reasons to Support Veterinary Telemedicine
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DiGangi, Brian, DeClementi, Camille, and Hobgood, Jennifer. "Telemedicine, access to veterinary healthcare, and animal welfare." Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health 2023, 2: 28
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McVety, Dani, DiGangi, Brian, DeClementi, Camille, Hobgood, Jennifer, and Diana Ferguson. "In the Cards: Betting on Veterinary Telemedicine Legal Reform." The Florida Bar Journal Vol. 96, No. 6 (Novemeber/December 2002) Pg 52
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DeClementi, Camille. "Let's Catch Up on Telemedicine." Today's Veterinary Business Vol. 6 Issue 6 (December 2022/January 2023) Pg 30