19 Mar Telemedicine Requirements For GA
PLEASE NOTE: The GA State Board of Veterinary Medicine HAS relaxed the VCPR requirement for telemedicine.
Telemedicine is (still) permissible in Georgia. Consider in your COVID-19 response how you can implement telemedicine, with the following limitations:
1) Telemedicine, like all veterinary medicine, requires a valid VCPR. This means that:
• You are able to have sufficient information in order to initiate a preliminary diagnosis, following the minimum standard of care. Refills, rechecks, and similar activities are presumptively in this category.
• You must gain informed consent- let your client know about the limitations of telemedicine, and continue to offer in person consults if they are not comfortable or do not provide consent.
• Create and maintain a full medical records for each telemedicine (SOAP and more), just as you would for in person cases, including whether they consented.
• Have seen the animal in the last year 18 months (See GSBVM Temporary Rule Change); or
• Had medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal is kept or by medically appropriate and timely visits by the licensed veterinarian to premises within an operation or production system where the animal or groups of animals are kept;
As a reminder, in Georgia informed consent means – “…presented treatment options, and made reasonable efforts to inform the client, verbally or in writing, of the diagnostic and treatment options, risk assessment, and prognosis, which are appropriate and probable for the case in the veterinarian’s judgment following the standard of care… “
Within these confines most activities other than surgeries, physical manipulations, physical exams, and other things that require touch and smell may be performed with Telemedicine and a valid VCPR.
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The GVMA is actively updating COVID-19 resources for our members. Our office is open and we can be contacted at GVMA@gvma.net or (678) 309-9800 should you need assistance.