3AEE9FB5F7F00B3587258A27006E1BAE Hearing Summary

Dr. Michael Blackwell, Director, AlignCare Health, Inc., and the Program for Pet Health Equity at the University of Tennessee, presented on pet health equity. He discussed his research on households that struggle to access veterinary care. He continued to discuss the One Health model, an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and the shared environment, and its implementation in AlignCare Health.

Dr. Lori Teller, Professor, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine, presented to the committee about veterinary telehealth. She explained that tele-advice and tele-triage can be implemented without any changes to the veterinary scope of practice, while telemedicine can require legal changes. She distinguished telehealth provided as part of a patient-centered medical home from direct-to-consumer telehealth. Dr. Teller also discussed the veterinary workforce generally and some research on the field.

Dr. Teller answered questions from the committee about Texas A&M's veterinary medicine programs and access to care. Dr. Blackwell responded to questions about the implementation and funding of AlignCare, and about the role of veterinary social work in the program. Discussion continued on the risks of diagnosing conditions through telemedicine and the benefits of incorporating telemedicine into veterinary practice.