At Old Dominion Veterinary Services, our primary goal is building strong client relationships to maximize patient health while minimizing the risk of avoidable emergencies. Occasionally situations arise when a client needs medical advice or attention for their livestock and due to client or veterinarian constraints, a same-day, in-person visit is not possible. In these circumstances, we are able to offer telehealth services as a means of providing veterinary care remotely.
While telehealth calls are convenient, they cannot always replace an in-person visit. When you call us, we’ll assess your needs and determine if an in-person visit is needed. If we cannot resolve your needs during the call, we will schedule an in-person appointment. Here are some benefits and limitations of telehealth:
We try to be as available as possible when clients call. While we are happy to provide this valuable service, which often saves the client time and possibly a farm visit, there is a cost to providing telehealth services. Here are rough guidelines of when phone, email or text conversations are billed as telehealth:
While most telehealth consultation fees are minimal, it is not always clear at the beginning of a phone conversation how prolonged or complex the medical advice may become. If you receive a bill for telehealth that raises concerns, please feel free to contact the office.
Telehealth can only be provided by a licensed veterinarian and is available only to existing clients. If you are not a current client, we can establish a relationship to allow telehealth, but only through real-time face-to-face interaction via videoconference. Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine guidance requires a timely, in-person follow up visit when a relationship is established virtually for livestock species to ensure animal and human health and safety.
Telehealth fees are not intended to discourage clients from calling with questions so please do not hesitate to reach out when you are in need of assistance. Thank you for your support as we strive to provide the best possible care for your herd!
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