Section 321.186 - Telehealth - Authorization - TypesTelehealth shall be authorized for veterinary practice. Telehealth is divided into categories based on who is involved in the communication. For communication between veterinarians and other persons, there are distinctions in practice related to whether a VCPR as set forth in KRS 321.185 has been established with the patient. Different types of veterinary telehealth include the following:
(1) Telemonitoring, mHealth, or mobile health applications and wearables which are: (a) Designed to augment animal health care within VCPRs; or(b) Designed and marketed directly to consumers for their education and for animal monitoring without clinical input and outside the context of a VCPR;(2) Telesupervision, which shall be permitted as a part of telehealth practice;(3) Telemedicine or connected care, which provides the delivery of information specific to a particular patient and shall be conducted within the context of an established VCPR to ensure protection for the patient, subject to the following:(a) Telemedicine or connected care is an approach to veterinary practice that is patient- and client-centered, and actively engages the entire veterinary healthcare team. This type of telehealth involves use of one (1) or more tools to exchange medical information electronically from one (1) site to another to improve a patient's clinical health status, which may be utilized to augment the practice of veterinary medicine. The appropriate application of connected care or telemedicine can enhance animal care by facilitating communication, diagnostics, treatments, client education, scheduling, and other tasks;(b) Practitioners providing telemedicine or connected care to patients in the Commonwealth shall be credentialed to practice by the board and operate in association with a registered veterinary facility or registered allied animal health professional facility in Kentucky. Practitioners practicing this type of telemedicine shall comply with all state and federal statutes and regulations, including requirements for access to follow-up care; and(c) Telemedicine or connected care provided to patients in Kentucky shall only be conducted within an existing VCPR as set forth in KRS 321.185 and is required to be reestablished through an in-person visit every twelve (12) months, with the exception of advice given in an emergency care situation or teletriage until a patient can be seen by or transported to a veterinarian. The VCPR for that twelve (12) months shall be deemed to constitute a relationship in Kentucky, regardless of whether the patient or client travels outside the Commonwealth; and(4) Telehealth conducted without a VCPR, which may include only the delivery of general advice, educational information, and teletriage. Telehealth which may be conducted without a VCPR includes: (a) Teleadvice, which is general advice that is not intended to diagnose, prognose, treat, correct, change, alleviate, or prevent animal disease, illness, pain, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical, dental, or mental conditions. If the practitioner providing the teleadvice is a qualified veterinarian, veterinary technician, allied animal health professional, or other board credential holder, the practitioner shall be required to hold a valid credential from the Kentucky board, except as authorized by KRS 321.200, shall comply with all state and federal statutes and regulations, and shall disclose the practitioner's name and Kentucky credential number to the person receiving services;(b) Teleconsulting, in which the established VCPR remains with the veterinarian seeking advice or counsel; and(c) Teletriage, when in assessing patient condition electronically, the assessor determines urgency and the need for immediate referral to a veterinarian, based on the owner's or responsible party's report of history and clinical signs, sometimes supplemented by visual information, such as photographs or video. Practitioners providing teletriage to patients in the Commonwealth shall be credentialed to practice by the board in Kentucky, shall comply with all state and federal statutes and regulations, and shall disclose the practitioner's name and Kentucky credential number to the person receiving services.Added by 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 95,§ 3, eff. 6/28/2023.