Telemedicine

Telehealth is defined as the use of technology to remotely deliver health information or education. With the reality of Covid, this modality has become more practical, accepted, and in some cases warranted. There are very specific rules that must be followed for us to offer you this service as well as some practices we have put in place to ensure we provide you with the best possible experience and outcome for your horse.

First, it is required by law that a valid Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) be in place prior to any virtual examinations. This means we need to physically see your horse, have examination histories, etc. on file and in the horse’s record prior to any telehealth sessions. Additionally, each telehealth session must be “bookended” by physical farm call exams, meaning there cannot be two telehealth sessions in a row, without a hands-on examination of your horse in between. This is necessary to maintain the quality of practice. Lastly, we are not able to provide this service outside of the states we are licensed in. If you are not in New York, Ohio, or Florida, we are unfortunately unable to assist you. That’s the legal stuff.

Why a virtual vet visit?

Virtual visits have pros and cons to their use. The amount of information that we are able to gain via a video or picture is not always ideal but frequently will provide enough information for us to develop an acceptable plan to continue a previous therapy, adjust a treatment plan or assess a potential emergency. Though not free (exam fees will remain) the virtual visit does not require a farm call charge or the coordination of schedules.

How will it work?

Cell phone cameras have an amazing ability to capture high-quality video, but they are only as good as the operator. Capture video capable of being sent over email, that shows the problems you are seeing, with narration as appropriate. Contact us to “alert” us to be expecting your information. E-mail the information to FLEPVets@Gmail.com. At our earliest convenience, we will review the information you sent us. We then have the ability to make recommendations from the information we have, or we can escalate the exam to a live zoom meeting. In a live meeting, we can adjust the exam to provide us with more information and discuss the findings as they are happening.

I am excited to see if this modality will be of benefit, particularly to our clients a good distance away. This will be a learning experience for us all, but I think the convenience and cost savings will become a win-win.