321.186 Telehealth -- Authorization -- Types.
622 words·~3 min read·
/ky/chapter-321/321-186A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Telehealth 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
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.