The bill amends Section 5-25-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-25, "Veterinary Practice," by introducing new definitions and clarifying the requirements for establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship. It specifies that a veterinarian must be "licensed to practice" veterinary medicine in Rhode Island. The bill allows for the establishment of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship through synchronous audiovisual electronic means, subject to certain limitations and requirements.

Before establishing this relationship through electronic means, a veterinarian must: (1) be licensed to practice veterinary medicine; (2) obtain verbal consent from the client to establish the relationship through electronic means, including an acknowledgment that the same standards of care under state law and regulations apply to telehealth and in-person visits; and (3) maintain documentation of this consent for at least one year.

The bill also outlines specific conditions under which veterinarians may prescribe medications after establishing a virtual veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Prescriptions based on a virtual relationship may be issued initially for no more than thirty (30) days and cannot be renewed for more than thirty (30) days without an additional virtual or in-person examination. A prescription renewed once based solely on virtual examinations cannot be renewed again without an in-person examination. Additionally, a veterinarian may not prescribe a controlled substance unless they have conducted an in-person examination of the animal or made medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal is kept.

Services provided through veterinary telemedicine are subject to state laws and regulations governing the veterinary provider's scope of practice. Each telemedicine provider is required to disclose to consumers a description of services and standard charges in a consumer-friendly display that is easily accessible on the provider's website. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
5555: 5-25-2
5555  SUB A: 5-25-2