💻 Telemedicine Goes Live in California

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Telemedicine Goes Live in California

As we mentioned in our 2023 recap edition of Weekend Rounds, telemedicine and its implications on the VCPR was a trending topic in 2023, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

As the calendar flipped over the January 1, new legislation in California took effect that allows Californians to schedule a virtual visit with a veterinarian, even if it’s not the animal’s primary veterinarian.

Airvet was quick to send a press release claiming they made history by “becoming the first veterinary telehealth company to make a fully VCPR compliant remote diagnosis and written prescription in the state of California.” The press release was issued at 4AM on January 1st, so something tells us this was was more marketing-driven than medicine-driven.

But the change in law was big enough news that mainstream media outlets and local branches alike picked up the story, including Axios.

Our take: we appreciate the coverage of the legislation and what it may mean for pet owners but it’s important for an establishment like Axios to represent both sides of the argument on whether or not this is a good thing for pet care, which they neglected to do in their coverage.

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Results from the 2023 AVMA Pet Owner Attitude Survey

In September 2023, TRUE Global Intelligence surveyed 1,000 pet owners in the US. The survey asked the hot button issues that the AVMA is focused on - telemedicine, mid-level practitioners, and the veterinarian shortage. The AVMA has made their opinions on each pretty clear:

• Telemedicine: care for animals should be provided in person

• Mid-level practitioner: hard no

• Veterinarian shortage: there is none

While there is probably a bit more nuance to these positions, you get the gist of it. The AVMA is staunchly opposed to both telemedicine expansion and the mid level practitioner and has made it clear they feel there is no significant shortage.

According to the report, the survey found that most pet owners prefer and recognize the importance of an in-person relationship with their veterinarian, and have high expectations of the medical professional overseeing their pet’s health and safety.

The survey also explored the pet owner’s priorities, preferences, and experiences when seeking veterinary care for their pets, including their views on telemedicine, wait times, emergency care, and affordability.

• Pet owners prioritize their pet’s health and safety above all else when seeking veterinary care

• Most pet owners have high expectations of the medical professional overseeing their pet’s health and safety

• Pet owners have not experienced long wait times to see a veterinarian

• Residents in rural areas and cat owners are not as receptive to telemedicine

• Middle-income pet owners have the highest positive opinion of telemedicine

• Most pet owners regularly take their pets to routine checkups; two-thirds have taken their pet to a checkup in the last 6 months

• Nearly half who have taken their pet in for a medical emergency waited less than an hour; more than half took their pet to their regular veterinarian

• Four in five pet owners agree it would be dangerous for someone other than a licensed veterinarian to make life-or-death decisions for their pet

• Almost half of pet owners say their pet’s health and safety is their number one priority when seeking veterinary care; telemedicine availability is a low priority

Read the report here.

Maybe it’s the skeptic in us, but it always seems a little too good to be true when the results of a survey match perfectly with the views of the surveyor. Or maybe the AVMA holds its positions because of the data. A real chicken or egg situation What do you think? Do these findings align with your experience in the trenches? Let us know by replying to this email.

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Opinion: Veterinary Medicine Is at a Crossroad

This week on Veterinary Practice News, veterinarian Dr. Lauren Jones published an interesting opinion piece called: Veterinary Medicine Is at a Crossroad—Which Direction Will You Go?

The high level overview looks something like this: while the veterinary and pet cares industries boom financially, keeping up with the demands of it all can lead to anxiety, stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. So how how can veterinary practices meet the demands of a fast paced and growing profession while prioritizing the health and well-being of their teams?

Dr. Jones puts forward some good recommends and starts a much needed conversation to help vets embrace change, create a supportive culture at work, and ultimately reclaim their joy at work.

It’s a sponsored article by Shepherd Veterinary Software but the message is a good one and it’s worth a read. Perhaps you’ll pick up something to bring a renewed energy to work and start the year off on the right foot. Have a read here.

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The Modernization of a 150-year-old Veterinary Journal

Leading an institution like the 150-year-old Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) is no simple task. But kudos to the new editor-in-chief of JAVMA and AJVR, Dr. Lisa Fortier who has been shaking things up to keep the journal modern and up to date according to a recent interview with VIN News. Among some of the changes to the journal are the introduction of ePub ahead of print, which is a game-changer for publishing research faster. She’s also brought in a fresh perspective with a focus on social media and engaging the next generation of reviewers by training students.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Dr. Fortier discusses the challenges of maintaining a high impact factor while publishing niche research, like corn snake chemotherapy, which might not get a ton of citations but is still important. To tackle this, she’s shifted the focus to Altmetric scores, which measure engagement rather than just citations.

She’s also spearheading the digitization of past journals, making them freely available to the public. But it’s not just about looking back; she’s got her eye on the future too, with plans to incorporate more digital content like technical tutorial videos.

And through all these changes, she’s maintained a clear mission: to be the voice of veterinary medicine.

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Quick Hits

Here are some of the other stories that caught out eye and we're following this week from around the veterinary world and animal kingdom:

WSAVA Professional Wellness Guidelines [Journal of Small Animal Practice]

2024 Pet Pitch Competition Finalists Announced [DVM360]

2023 in Review [Today’s Veterinary Business]