Florida must ensure access to veterinary telemedicine
Telehealth has become a routine method for delivering health-care services for people, and an important tool that helps our medical system bridge gaps in care to safely provide people with convenient access to medical professionals. Unfortunately, veterinary telehealth is not yet broadly available in Florida, because an outdated, unclear regulation causes veterinarians to believe they may risk their licenses if they treat a pet over telehealth without first performing an in-person examination of the pet in a clinic.
In this post-pandemic world, it’s unthinkable that state law could mandate licensed physicians to conduct unnecessary clinical patient examinations if they felt they could use telehealth technology to safely treat a condition—such an onerous, intrusive requirement would cripple our health-care system, already burdened by workforce shortages. But that’s exactly what Florida’s current state regulations are doing to the similarly short-staffed veterinary profession.
That’s why we are joining with Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. James Buchanan, as well as additional co-sponsors from both political parties, to back state legislation to expand access to telemedicine for Florida pets, The Providing Equity in Telehealth Services (PETS) Act (HB 849/SB 1040). As an organization that employs a large number of veterinarians and veterinary technicians, the ASPCA knows firsthand how critical this tool can be in the face of such shortages.
A December 2023 public opinion poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy revealed that 89% of registered Florida voters support expanding legal options for veterinarians and pet owners to use telemedicine and 88% of respondents support legislation to give pet owners and veterinarians more flexibility to use telehealth video services to establish a relationship with a veterinarian. This overwhelming public support for legislation to expand access to veterinary telehealth was consistent across political party, race, gender and regardless of whether the respondent lived in a rural or urban setting.
As any pet owner knows, taking pets to a clinic can be stressful for both pets and owners: it may mean missing work and can be difficult for those without reliable transportation, senior citizens, and owners of large, potentially aggressive, or difficult to transport animals. Many Floridians already struggle to access veterinary care because of financial or logistical barriers, or because they live in rural areas or communities without adequate veterinary services. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, the cost of veterinary services rose 10.8% last year.
Telehealth technology provides another tool in the veterinarian’s toolbox to reach more pet patients. If a licensed veterinarian believes they can effectively diagnose and treat a pet’s routine veterinary ailment using telemedicine, regulations should not stand in the way by requiring the vet to conduct an arbitrary in-person pet examination — nor should outdated regulations force owners to haul pets into clinics unnecessarily.
Veterinary medicine is experiencing a serious shortage of veterinarians and other veterinary professionals in the workforce, with a recent study finding that 75 million pets in the United States could be without healthcare by 2030. The Veterinary Care Accessibility Score for Florida is a 43 out of 100, placing Florida near the bottom third of states in access to care.
We can do better. The millions of pet-owning families in Florida and the more than one-third of pets in the United States who do not regularly see a veterinarian deserve better access to safe, convenient veterinary healthcare, and our veterinarians deserve the professional freedom to determine when to use telemedicine technology in their practice and business.
The PETS Act recently passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support, and if approved by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, this legislation will modernize our laws to expand access to veterinary telehealth. We urge the Florida Senate to pass this lifesaving bill to provide more flexibility to Florida’s licensed veterinarians and increase health-care options for pets and the families who care for them in the Sunshine State.
Rep. Sam Killebrew lives in Winter Haven and serves Florida’s 48th House District. Jennifer Hobgood is based in Tallahassee and serves as the senior director of state Legislation for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.