Washington: Oppose Limitations to Veterinary Telehealth!

Woman and dog sitting on couch looking at tablet

Proposal to Restrict Access to Veterinary Care

ASPCA Position: Oppose

Update—November 20, 2024: On December 9, the Washington Veterinary Board of Governors will take a final vote on this restrictive proposal. Please urge the Board to set aside the proposal and instead take measures to expand access to veterinary telehealth.

Washington is facing an unprecedented veterinary shortage and pet owners from all walks of life are having difficulty accessing veterinary care. Despite these challenges, a proposal before the Washington Veterinary Board of Governors aims to restrict the use of veterinary telemedicine—leaving pet owners with limited options for obtaining care.

Encourage the Washington Veterinary Board of Governors to use their power to increase access to vet care. Rather than further restricting the use of remote appointments, Washington-licensed veterinarians should be empowered to use telemedicine technology for new and existing patients.

More About the Board and Veterinary Telemedicine
The Washington Veterinary Board of Governors is a division of the state's Department of Health. Its mission is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and their animals by regulating the quality of Washington's healthcare providers and facilities.

Veterinary telemedicine is a critical tool for the veterinary field. Using this tool, licensed veterinarians can easily connect with clients, and it benefits a wide range of people and pets. Video calls enable veterinarians to provide excellent medical care when clinics are short-staffed; they offer flexibility for pet owners who are unable to take time off work or make a long drive to the clinic; and they allow pets who have anxiety, mobility problems, and other medical conditions to stay comfortable at home.

People are taking advantage of telehealth for their own medical care, and it’s time for Washington to allow the benefits of this technology to extend fully to the veterinary field, including new patients.

What You Can Do

Please use the form below to send an email asking the Washington Veterinary Board of Governors to reject this proposal and instead expand access to veterinary care in Washington.

Advocacy Alert

Your Message

Subject VCPR Rules Comment - Please Expand Access to Veterinary Telemedicine

Message

As a Washington resident concerned about access to timely and equitable veterinary care, I respectfully ask that you amend the current VCPR rules proposal to increase access to veterinary telemedicine and allow for a Veterinarian-Client-Patient-Relationship to be established using telemedicine.

The veterinary industry is facing a serious shortage of professionals in the workforce, and Washington pet owners are left facing the consequences. Increased wait times and lack of appointment availability can cause some pet owners to delay and even forego veterinary care all together. As we have seen in human medicine and in veterinary care in seven other states, telemedicine is a safe and effective tool that can help bridge gaps in care created by workforce shortages and the many other logistical barriers that have limited regular veterinary care for one in three pets.

Veterinary telemedicine can be the difference between obtaining care or not for Washington residents who may need to use video technology when they face challenges getting their pets to a clinic due to disability, transportation issues, limited appointment availability, or because they live in rural or underserved areas.

As drafted, the current VCPR rules proposal would codify Washington’s existing outdated regulations that permit telehealth for very few and limited circumstances, with minor exceptions that fail to account for the severity of the problem and instead take illogical lateral steps. If veterinarians practicing at the same clinic can share a VCPR due to access to relevant medical records, why can’t a VCPR be safely established using telemedicine with a requirement to review a patient’s medical history? Washington-licensed veterinarians should be empowered to use their professional discretion to determine when telehealth visits are appropriate and when an in-person appointment is necessary. The current proposal will do little to nothing to address the access to care crisis facing Washington.

California, Florida and Arizona have recently enacted laws to allow veterinary telemedicine – Washington should not take this regressive step by entrenching the status quo and accounting only for pet owners able to obtain an in-person appointment.

Once again, I ask that you please consider rejecting the current proposal and revising the proposed rule change to permit a virtual VCPR so that more pets can receive the care they need. The status quo is not enough.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my position.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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