Ohio Becomes 8th State to OK Virtual Vet Visits Without In-Person Visit First

Ohio pet parents will be able to get telehealth appointments for their pets starting Oct. 1 thanks to the state’s recently passed appropriations bill. The Buckeye State becomes the eighth state to expressly allow veterinarians to provide virtual care without first seeing an animal in person, according to VIN News.

Ohio joins Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, Vermont, and Virginia in allowing vets to provide care through a telehealth appointment. But restrictions vary by state on just what veterinarians can and can’t do during virtual appointments.

The other 42 states either require vets to treat patients in person or restrict how and when they can conduct telehealth appointments, according to the Veterinary Virtual Care Association (VVCA).

Ohio’s telehealth vs. in person debate

Telehealth for people and pets first gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. While virtual visits have remained common for human patients across the country, states have mixed approaches when it comes to telehealth for animals. Opinions vary among veterinary practitioners as well.

Ohio’s legislation “has generated debate within the veterinary community, in particular over the provision that would allow practitioners to establish a veterinary-client-patient relationship by virtual means,” the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) said in a May 16 statement on its website.

The OVMA said it worked with legislators to add provisions in the bill that are “crucial to protecting Ohio’s pets, food supply, and veterinarian liability.”

Ohio’s bill allows vets licensed in Ohio and conducting a telehealth visit to prescribe medication for just 14 days with one 14-day refill before they must see the patient in person, according to the OVMA. And it bans the use of virtual visits for animals used in commercial food production.

Still, because the OVMA “has found that veterinarians have a wide range of opinions” on the use of telehealth, the organization said, it “chose to neither oppose nor support the bill, but rather take the position of [an] interested party to best reflect the overall view of the membership.”

Little consensus among states on telehealth for pets

State veterinary telehealth rules typically hinge on what the state requires to establish a “veterinarian-client-patient relationship,” or VCPR. The VCPR is “a foundational legal and ethical requirement,” according to the VVCA. It requires vets to become familiar with a pet’s medical needs so they can effectively diagnose and treat the animal.

Most states require in-person exams for veterinarians to gain sufficient knowledge of an animal to make a diagnosis and judge an animal’s health, according to the VVCA.

Nine states have veterinary practice laws that expressly forbid establishing a VCPR through telemedicine. In 21 states, vets can see patients for telehealth appointments if they’ve already seen or become acquainted with a pet. A dozen states require vets to physically examine pets to establish a VCPR, and nine states limit the duration of a VCPR to one year after a vet first physically sees a patient.

Rules also vary even among states that allow the establishment of a VCPR with a virtual visit. For example, New Jersey and Virginia allow telehealth visits to establish a VCPR but prohibit vets from using telemedicine to prescribe opioids or controlled substances.

What’s next? Pet insurance and telehealth

Some opponents of veterinary telehealth point out that in-person care can yield valuable information that a virtual visit can’t. But others see telemedicine as a way to broaden access to costly veterinary care.

Americans share their homes with nearly 90 million dogs and almost 74 million cats, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The average family spends $580 per year on vet care for their dogs and $433 annually for cats, the AVMA reported.

But costs can vary widely based on a pet’s health issues. For example, treating a dog’s slipped kneecap (patellar luxation) with surgery and pain medications can cost more than $4,000, according to pet insurer Trupanion. Chemotherapy can cost upwards of $5,000, and costs for diabetes can top $10,000, according to the insurer.

The sheer number of pets in the country and the high cost of veterinary care likely contributed to the nearly 21% growth that the North American Pet Health Insurance Association says occurred in the pet insurance industry last year.

Generally, pet insurance pays for veterinary care due to unexpected accidents or illnesses. And some insurers offer wellness plans that, for an additional cost, help pay for routine care like checkups and vaccinations.

The national average cost of pet insurance is $43 per month for dogs and $23 monthly for cats, according to Insurify data. But not all pet insurance policies pay for telehealth visits.

“There’s a lot of variation in how pet insurance companies handle telemedicine,” said Matt Brannon, a data journalist with Insurify. “Some may pay for a telehealth visit if it’s to treat a condition they would cover for an in-person visit. Others might require you to use their network of telehealth providers or limit how much they’ll pay for telemedicine in a year. And some won’t pay for telehealth at all.”

“With such broad differences in state regulations and insurer coverages, it’s important to check what your policy covers, and what it won’t, before you make a telehealth appointment for your pet,” Brannon said.

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