Telehealth 2021: The Future is Here

The COVID-19 pandemic created many problems for businesses worldwide, and the veterinary profession is no exception. One year after the World Health Organization formally announced the global pandemic, veterinary practices continue to face unexpected issues month after month. Our profession has long been known for its resiliency, and this past year has been no exception.

One viable tool waiting in the wings to assist practices is known as Telehealth. Telehealth is often thought of as the addition of video technology to use 2-way communication in order to consult with clients outside the walls of the practice, while being compensated for the video consultation. In fact, Telehealth is much more and encompasses phone calls, emails, and text communications, which you’ve probably been using for years with your clients to varying degrees.

Our goal with this publication was to gauge Well-Managed Practice engagement with Telehealth, as well as to provide insight into how these practices are using Telehealth and pass along those insights in the form of “best practices”. This study explores the addition of Telehealth as a formal, scheduled service for which practices are compensated. Many of the resources found within this publication are geared towards utilizing Telehealth to its fullest extent, whether as a paid stand alone service or as part of the overall client experience during curbside service.