How can the telemedicine feature help my practice?
As we all continue to adjust to new ways of working, continuity of care remains important for your staff, clients and their pets.
Remote video/audio examination of animals will give your practice the ability to stay connected with pet owners during these challenging times of social distancing and is supported by the AVMA.
It can also provide a measure of personal touch when doing curbside workflows, by allowing the pet owner to see a video while their pet is in the building.
What is the cost of the telemedicine feature?
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we escalated the availability of telemedicine to ensure you and your staff can care for your clients’ pets and protect yourselves.
Given today’s environment, telemedicine will be available to all customers at no cost. At some point in the future, this feature will only be available to practices on the Standard or Premium tiers. Note that existing customers not yet on the new tiered plans will continue to have the telemedicine feature available at no cost.
What if I am interested in this feature but I currently use a different telehealth app?
You are welcome to use the telehealth service that best meets your needs. It may make sense to use a combination of both.
What if I have Rapport? Which telemedicine feature should I use?
The preference is ultimately up to you. For customers who are using Rapport for their client communications, you can facilitate telemedicine through Rapport, and utilize all the built-in client engagement features including:
- Online scheduling for in-office and telemedicine appointments
- Email campaigns alerting your clients of telemedicine capabilities
- Automated reminders for upcoming appointments
- Two-way texting to connect with clients in an instant
Your announcement calls the capability a “virtual visit”. What is the difference between a virtual visit and telemedicine?
- Telemedicine involves use of a tool to exchange medical information electronically from one site to another to improve a patient’s clinical health status and may only be conducted within an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship, with the exception for advice given in an emergency care situation until a patient can be seen by or transported to a veterinarian.
- Virtual visits involve the use of audio and/or video technology so people (provider/pet owner, provider/specialist, etc.) can conduct a remote, real-time interaction. Virtual visits can be used for all telehealth services as a way of communicating.
Is it legal to do phone consults? What does the AVMA say about that?
The AVMA encourages the development of smart-device applications, other platforms and technologies that appropriately help connect current or lapsed clients and patients with veterinarians. In addition, veterinarians may utilize emerging technologies to enhance their accessibility and client communications, and support exceptional patient care.
Given the current state of technological capabilities, available research, and the current state and federal regulatory landscape, the AVMA believes that veterinary telemedicine should only be conducted within an existing Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR), with the exception for advice given in an emergency until that patient can be seen by a veterinarian.
For more information regarding AVMA’s telemedicine policy, please refer to https://www.avma.org/policies/telemedicine.
What browsers are supported for video conferencing?
- Windows: IE 11+, Edge 12+, Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+
- Mac: Safari 7+, Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+
- Linux: Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+
Do I need to buy a camera for my device? How do I know which one?
There are no specific requirements for hardware, if the camera is compatible with your device.
Who do I contact for telemedicine support?
All support options are available at
https://software.covetrus.com/help/
Since the telemedicine feature uses Zoom video conferencing capabilities, we suggest referencing Zoom documentation: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
Can I link my Zoom Pro account to the veterinary software integration with Zoom?
All integrations for telemedicine that partner with Zoom cannot be linked to external zoom pros accounts, at this time.