The Importance of Veterinary Telemedicine Services During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic caused shelter-in-place orders, restrictions, and lockdowns in most regions of the United States. City, county, and state officials scrambled to determine the types of businesses that would carry the classification of ‘essential.’ Veterinary healthcare stood out as an essential business that needed to remain open and available to the community. Veterinarians and their staff strived to develop safe protocols to protect not only themselves but their clients. One of the key things to emerge has been video conferencing with clients. Veterinary telemedicine services during COVID-19 are quickly becoming a necessity for the safety of everyone involved.
The Challenges Faced by Veterinarians During COVID-19
The challenges faced by veterinarians during COVID-19 have been unprecedented in many regards. The last serious global pandemic occurred in 1918 when technology and the knowledge of viral transmission were seriously lacking. At the start of the current crisis, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was dangerously limited for all healthcare workers which put veterinarians and their staff in danger of contracting the virus themselves. Some veterinarians even donated their supplies of PPE to hospitals and other facilities while keeping only an extremely limited supply for themselves and staff. Social distancing was put in place to flatten the curve of the virus spread around the world. In addition, many regional areas directed veterinarians to postpone all non-urgent/elective procedures to reduce the need for PPE and lower the risk of person-to-person contact. Most veterinary clinics were only offering emergency care in urban and rural areas.
Current Status of Veterinary Care in the USA.
By mid-May 2020, most states and regions started to slowly implement reopening plans. However, in many areas, PPE shortages remain a reality. Non-urgent and elective procedures are again being allowed but a serious backlog has been created. Veterinarians are having to find ways to continue to offer such services while still maintaining social distancing to keep their staff and clients safe while doing their part to prevent a resurgence of the virus.
Curbside Veterinary Care Emerges
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is strongly encouraging all veterinary clinics to provide curbside or telemedicine services to their clients and patients. With curbside service, all information such as the patient’s history is taken over the phone. The pet is then picked up by a veterinary staff member who meets the client at their car. The client does not need to enter the veterinary practice for any reason. However, exceptions to this rule are being made for certain things such as euthanasia. During such a heartbreaking scenario, the pet’s owner can remain with the pet if social distancing and proper PPE is practiced.
Large Animal Veterinary Practices.
With large animals, many veterinarians are advising owners to secure their animals before the veterinarian visits the farm or ranch. Once the veterinary team arrives, the owner can call the veterinarian to discuss the case while the team conducts a thorough exam of the animal without any assistance from the owner.
IVEE During Covid-19
Telemedicine and COVID-19 are transforming medicine and how physicians respond. During the pandemic, people are afraid to go to a clinic or an emergency room, so they are turning to telemedicine to conduct ‘virtual’ visits with their physicians. The response to telemedicine has been unprecedented during these historic times. However, telemedicine is not just for human medical care. In fact, veterinarians are discovering the benefits of video consultations with their clients during these dangerous and trying times.
If you are interested in checking out a IVEE demo about our veterinary telemedicine platforms click here,
Using Video Consultations with Telemedicine Platforms
IVEE has found that around 65 percent of people are what is referred to as ‘visual learners. They benefit from visualizations when communicating reasons and whys which makes it difficult to simply have a phone consultation. Instead, they need something more personal and video consultation helps meet those needs nicely.
The Benefits of IVEE
At IVEE, we created a Telehealth video platform to provide Telehealth video services for veterinary clinics. IVEE is not a health provider but a simple and effective platform that lets clients enjoy video consultations with their veterinarians.
We are offering easy and convenient IVEE services for veterinarians to meet and exceed the needs of their client base during the current pandemic and beyond. Sadly, many health experts are predicting that the current threat of COVID-19 will last for the next one to two years unless a successful vaccine is achieved which makes it necessary for veterinarians to change the way their clients operate not only today but also for the foreseeable future. Video consultations are quickly becoming the new reality.
Here are just a few benefits of IVEE:
Easy to Use and Quick: We like to keep things easy and simple. You can connect your staff with your clients in just three easy steps: generate, copy/paste, and email. Nothing is complicated about IVEE which makes our service ideal for staff and clients!
No System Update Required: The economy is in an upheaval and your clinic’s revenue has probably been seriously curtailed due to the restrictions and limits put on most procedures. We understand that you are struggling to make ends meet like every other business in America. However, with our IVEE, you do not have to upgrade your systems. Instead, you can use your current system to operate our platform. You can easily connect our products using any system.
Timesaving: The flexibility of Telehealth services for your veterinary practice is ideal for everyone involved. You can quickly answer your client’s concerns without them ever having to drive all the way to the clinic. It saves time for your clients and for you.
Scheduling: IVEE scheduling works with your patient management or scheduling system. With our eAppt Generator, a virtual appointment is created that can be quickly included in your current scheduling system.
Voice of Authority: Many people are afraid to even leave their homes during the pandemic, so they are using Google and other online search engines to answer their pressing medical concerns. However, with a video consultation, they can ask you their questions, so you quickly become their go-to person and voice of authority.
Affordability: Nowadays, with the unemployment rate hovering at around 20 percent nationwide due to many people being furloughed from their jobs as a result of COVD-19, many people need to save their money and simply cannot afford a costly veterinary clinic visit for their pet. Sadly, the animal might suffer, and the owners feel horrible. However, Telehealth is an affordable option for many.
Privacy: We take your clinic and clients’ privacy seriously with our products.
Easy: Our video services are easy from start to finish. You simply provide us with the names of all the veterinarians and technicians at your practice and their emails. We will send simple-to-follow walkthrough steps. Then a password is sent to your new portal and you are ready to start video conferencing with your clients!
Appointments and Virtual Telehealth Included: With our platform, you will have the eAppt Generator that lets you connect with your clients by setting an actual appointment. Then we provide a Virtual Appointment option which is the appointment held in a virtual room where the veterinarian or technician can meet with a client via private connected links that provide access to video and audio.
The Importance of Expanding to Telehealth
Even after the world emerges from the threat of COVID-19, people are still living busier lives. Dual income households and raising a family send people rushing to make the most of every hour in the day. Also, a lot of older pet owners simply lack the ability to travel to a veterinary clinic as often as necessary to care for their pets. Offering telemedicine services with a strong online presence is an important way to expand your client base and meet the needs of your pet parents.
Why Choose IVEE?
Yes, telehealth platforms are booming but not all are created equal. Our goal with IVEE is simplicity and function. We do not want veterinarians and staff to face the stress of learning a whole new system, so we created a platform that relies on clicking, copy/paste, and email. Honestly, IVEE could not be easier to operate! With our system, when your clients make a telemedicine appointment, they get to see you and your staff with no third-party doctor involvement.
What are the Video Requirements for a Video Consultation?
Many veterinarians are concerned that their clients might lack the ability to embark on a video consultation. However, not only is IVEE, easy to operate but it can be accessed by clients using a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. With so many options for video consulting, you can rest assured that your clients will have the electronic devices needed for a video consultation in most cases.
Nationwide, veterinary clinics are striving to provide safe conditions for their staff and clients. Combining curbside services, social distancing, and telemedicine appointments using platforms such as IVEE are all viable ways to continue meeting the safety needs of clients and animals. The world is still faced with many more months or years of COVID-19 which is forcing groundbreaking changes in how things are handled by healthcare providers and businesses. At IVEE we are committed to offering the latest veterinary tools for veterinarians and pet owners to cope with the ever-changing world. Veterinary telemedicine services during COVID-19 are a must-have tool for any veterinary clinic.
Please contact us today at IVEE to learn more about IVEE and our other veterinary tools.
