Kentucky Statutes 321.186 – Telehealth — Authorization — Types
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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 (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.
Effective: June 29, 2023
History: Created 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 95, sec. 3, effective June 29, 2023.
(1) Telemonitoring, mHealth, or mobile health applications and wearables which are: (a) Designed to augment animal health care within VCPRs; or
Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 321.186
- Animal: means any member of the animal kingdom other than a human, whether living or dead. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Board: means the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Client: means the owner, owner's agent, or other person presenting the patient for care, who has entered into an agreement with a veterinarian or allied animal health professional on behalf of a patient for the purposes of obtaining veterinary medical services or allied animal health professional services in person or by any means of communication or telehealth. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- connected care: means the integration of digital technologies to enhance and support the VCPR and facilitate proactive and ongoing care through improved communication, diagnosis, and monitoring. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Credential: means :
(a) Any license, certificate, permit, registration, or other credential issued or approved by the board. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181 - Emergency care: means immediate treatment that is necessary to sustain life or end suffering of an animal that is in a life-threatening condition. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Federal: refers to the United States. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- In-person: means physically in the same physical space. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- mobile health: means remote monitoring of a patient who is not at the same location as the health care provider. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Owner: when applied to any animal, means any person having a property interest in such animal. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Patient: means any animal or group of animals receiving care from a veterinarian, veterinary technician, veterinary assistant, animal euthanasia specialist, or allied animal health professional. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Person: means any individual, firm, partnership, association, joint venture, cooperative, corporation, governmental body, or any other group, legal entity, or combination acting in concert, and whether or not acting as a principal, trustee, fiduciary, receiver, or as any kind of legal or personal representative, or as the successor in interest, assignee, agent, factor, servant, employee, director, officer, or any other representative of the person. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Practice of veterinary medicine: means any person who practices veterinary medicine when performing any one (1) or more of the following on an animal:
(a) Directly or indirectly diagnoses, prognoses, corrects, changes, relieves, prevents, supervises, recommends, or performs medical or surgical treatment, including complementary and alternative veterinary medicine therapies, obstetrics, dentistry, oral surgery, acupuncture, laser therapy, manipulation, and all other branches or specialties of veterinary medicine, for the diagnosis, prevention, cure, or relief of a wound, defect, deformity, fracture, bodily injury, disease, or dental, physical, behavioral, or mental condition. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181 - Registered veterinary facility: means a veterinary facility that is registered with the board. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Teleadvice: means the provision of any health information, opinion, guidance, or recommendation concerning prudent future actions that are not specific to a particular patient's health, illness, or injury. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Teleconsulting: means telehealth in which a veterinarian, veterinary technician, AAHP, or other credential holder uses telehealth tools to communicate with a specialist or another professional to gain insights and advice on the care of a patient. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Telehealth: means all uses of technology to remotely gather and deliver health information, advice, education, and care. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Telesupervision: means the supervision of individuals using media such as audio or audio/video conference, text messaging, and e-mail. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Teletriage: means the safe, appropriate, and timely assessment and management of an animal patient via electronic consultation with its owner, regardless of whether there is an immediate referral to a veterinarian and where a diagnosis is not rendered. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Veterinarian: means an individual who is licensed to engage in the practice of veterinary medicine under this chapter. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
- Veterinary technician: means a person who has completed an approved veterinary technology program, is licensed in accordance with this chapter, and meets the requirements in KRS §. See Kentucky Statutes 321.181
(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.
Effective: June 29, 2023
History: Created 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 95, sec. 3, effective June 29, 2023.