Beyond the recent announcement and buzz surrounding the Veterinary Virtual Care Association (VVCA) platforms and methods, connecting veterinary teams and animal owners is fast becoming a positive outcome from pandemic limitations. Whether pet or human, telehealth is quickly moving from obscurity to mainstream.
Elaine K. Howley shares perspective from three veterinarians while describing telehealth as broad term for using technology to deliver information, education or health care remotely. She describes telemedicine and teletriage and references VCPR guidelines in this context.
Source: U.S. News and World Report, May 21, 2020. Link. Howley shares some tips for preparing for a virtual visit just as if having a virtual doctor’s visit for yourself or your child for the first time.
Also see: Telemedicine: more than just video chats, DVM 360, May 11, 2020. Link.
INSIGHTS: If you are not familiar with VVCA, review its objectives here. Link. Its scope of services begins with a focus on the pillars of virtual care: telehealth, telemedicine, telemonitoring and teletriage. It includes, but is not limited to how to add telemedicine services to a practice, cost analysis compared with traditional care, and legal and regulatory issues.