Florida lawmakers in the 2024 Legislative Session have a chance to pass two bills that will increase access to veterinary care in the Sunshine state.
The Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act (SB 1038/HB 1245), which would create a veterinary professional associate position, and The Providing Equity in Telemedicine Services Act (HB 849/SB 1040) which would update Florida law so that the veterinarians like me can use telehealth to effectively treat more animal patients.
I thank Polk County Rep. Sam Killebrew, R-Winter Haven, who is one of the bill’s sponsors, along with Sen. Jen Bradley, R-Fleming Island, for filing this important and timely legislation.
As a semi-retired veterinarian and part-time spay/neuter surgeon with the Humane Society of Polk County, I see firsthand how many pet owners struggle to access veterinary care, especially at a time of continued critical workforce shortage of veterinarians. Many of the pets I spay or neuter have never seen a vet, and due to the lack of vets, there is a serious backlog of spay/neuter surgeries throughout Florida.
The Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act would create a “PA” position, like a human health care physician assistant, allowing individuals with a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care to work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian to expand affordable care to more patients, including performing pet sterilizations. The bill language reflects Florida’s proven physician assistant law to help fill gaps in veterinary care in the same way that the physician assistant role has helped extend health care to more people.
The PETS Act also replicated Florida’s existing human telehealth provider law, allowing veterinarians to use virtual technology as an additional tool to treat pets that may not have been seen recently in a clinic for any number of reasons, including lack of available appointments, financial or transportation difficulties, or because they live in rural or underserved areas.
As any pet owner knows, there are times when a pet needs a veterinary consultation at the weekend or at night when most clinics are closed, and owners are left to one of two options: waiting until Monday to see if they can get an appointment — and taking time off work — or take the pet to an expensive emergency hospital to be evaluated. Telemedicine is tailored to help petkeeping families access care when their pet needs it most.
Unfortunately, Florida’s outdated regulations hinder veterinarians’ ability to use telehealth technology as an additional tool to reach more patients. Florida law currently prevents veterinarians from practicing telemedicine for pet patients unless they have recently examined the animal in person — a burdensome and unnecessary requirement that undermines a veterinarian’s professional judgment.
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According to a recent poll, 90% of registered voters in Florida support legislation to create a veterinary PA role and 89% support expanding access to veterinary telemedicine. When the old ways of operating are not serving the public enough that more than one-third of our pets are not receiving regular veterinary care, it’s time for a change.
I urge all Polk County legislators to help ensure that the PETS Act and the Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act become law this session.
Mr. Robert Weedon is a semi-retired veterinarian and part-time spay-neuter surgeon at the Humane Society of Polk County. He is also on the board of directors for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs.
