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5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0647 |
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6 | 6 | | ======== |
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7 | 7 | | LC002328 |
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8 | 8 | | ======== |
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9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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13 | 13 | | |
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14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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15 | 15 | | RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- VETERINARY PRACTICE |
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16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Murray, Sosnowski, Britto, Gu, DiMario, Kallman, Urso, and |
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17 | 17 | | Lauria |
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18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: March 07, 2025 |
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19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture |
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20 | 20 | | |
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21 | 21 | | |
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22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Section 5-25-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-25 entitled "Veterinary 1 |
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24 | 24 | | Practice" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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25 | 25 | | 5-25-2. Definitions. 3 |
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26 | 26 | | As used in this chapter: 4 |
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27 | 27 | | (1) “Animal” means any animal other than humans and includes, by way of illustration, 5 |
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28 | 28 | | not limitation, fowl, birds, fish, livestock, and reptiles, wild or domestic, living or dead. 6 |
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29 | 29 | | (2) “Department” means the Rhode Island department of health. 7 |
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30 | 30 | | (3) “Director” means the director of the Rhode Island department of health. 8 |
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31 | 31 | | (4) “Division” means the division of professional regulation within the department of 9 |
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32 | 32 | | health established in chapter 26 of this title. 10 |
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33 | 33 | | (5) “Veterinarian” means a person who practices is licensed to practice veterinary medicine 11 |
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34 | 34 | | in the State of Rhode Island. 12 |
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35 | 35 | | (6) “Veterinarian/client/patient relationship” means a relationship where all of the 13 |
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36 | 36 | | following conditions have been met: 14 |
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37 | 37 | | (i) The veterinarian has assumed the responsibility for making medical judgments 15 |
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38 | 38 | | regarding the health of the animal or animals and the need for medical treatment, and the client has 16 |
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39 | 39 | | agreed to follow the instructions of the veterinarian; 17 |
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40 | 40 | | (ii) The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the animal or animals to initiate at least a 18 |
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41 | 41 | | general or preliminary (e.g. tentative) diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal or animals. 19 |
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42 | 42 | | |
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43 | 43 | | |
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44 | 44 | | LC002328 - Page 2 of 4 |
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45 | 45 | | This means that the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping 1 |
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46 | 46 | | and care of the animal or animals, and/or by medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises 2 |
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47 | 47 | | where the animal or animals are kept, or obtained current knowledge of the animal through 3 |
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48 | 48 | | electronic means, including via audio-only telephone or a video-based communication medium, 4 |
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49 | 49 | | subject to the limitations and requirements of § 5-25-18; 5 |
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50 | 50 | | (iii) The veterinarian is readily available for follow-up in cases of adverse reactions or 6 |
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51 | 51 | | failure of the regimen of therapy; and 7 |
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52 | 52 | | (iv) The veterinarian maintains records that document patient visits, diagnosis, treatment, 8 |
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53 | 53 | | and other relevant information. 9 |
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54 | 54 | | (7) “Veterinary dentistry” means that part of veterinary science that deals with the 10 |
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55 | 55 | | prevention and treatment of diseases, developmental conditions, and injuries of the teeth, gums, 11 |
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56 | 56 | | and oral cavity in animals. 12 |
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57 | 57 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 5-25 of the General Laws entitled "Veterinary Practice" is hereby 13 |
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58 | 58 | | amended by adding thereto the following section: 14 |
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59 | 59 | | 5-25-18. Veterinary telemedicine client patient relationship. 15 |
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60 | 60 | | (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation or rule to the contrary, a 16 |
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61 | 61 | | veterinarian may establish a client-patient relationship in Rhode Island through electronic means, 17 |
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62 | 62 | | subject to the limitations and requirements set forth in subsection (b) of this section. 18 |
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63 | 63 | | (b) Before establishing a veterinarian client-patient relationship through electronic means, 19 |
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64 | 64 | | a veterinarian shall: 20 |
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65 | 65 | | (1) Be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Rhode Island pursuant to this 21 |
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66 | 66 | | chapter; 22 |
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67 | 67 | | (2) Establish a veterinarian client-patient relationship in person; 23 |
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68 | 68 | | (3) Obtain from the client verbal consent to establish the veterinarian client-patient 24 |
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69 | 69 | | relationship through electronic means, including an acknowledgement that the same standards of 25 |
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70 | 70 | | care under state law and regulations apply to telehealth and in-person visits; and 26 |
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71 | 71 | | (4) Maintain such documentation for at least one year. 27 |
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72 | 72 | | (c) A veterinarian shall make a good faith effort to determine whether care service should 28 |
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73 | 73 | | be provided through telemedicine instead of in-person. The veterinarian shall use clinical judgment 29 |
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74 | 74 | | in considering whether the nature of the services necessitates physical interventions and close 30 |
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75 | 75 | | observation and the circumstances of the patient, including diagnosis, symptoms, history, and age. 31 |
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76 | 76 | | (d) Veterinarians may prescribe after establishing a virtual veterinary client-patient 32 |
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77 | 77 | | relationship under the following conditions: 33 |
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78 | 78 | | (1) Prescriptions based on a virtual veterinary client-patient relationship shall be issued 34 |
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79 | 79 | | |
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80 | 80 | | |
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81 | 81 | | LC002328 - Page 3 of 4 |
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82 | 82 | | initially for no more than thirty (30) days and shall not be renewed for more than thirty (30) days 1 |
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83 | 83 | | without an additional virtual or in-person examination. 2 |
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84 | 84 | | (2) A prescription renewed once and based upon only virtual examinations shall not be 3 |
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85 | 85 | | renewed again without an in-person examination. 4 |
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86 | 86 | | (d) Services provided through veterinary telemedicine are subject to this state's laws and 5 |
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87 | 87 | | regulations governing the veterinary provider's scope of practice. 6 |
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88 | 88 | | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 7 |
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89 | 89 | | ======== |
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90 | 90 | | LC002328 |
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91 | 91 | | ======== |
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92 | 92 | | |
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93 | 93 | | |
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94 | 94 | | LC002328 - Page 4 of 4 |
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95 | 95 | | EXPLANATION |
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96 | 96 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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97 | 97 | | OF |
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98 | 98 | | A N A C T |
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99 | 99 | | RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- VETERINARY PRACTICE |
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100 | 100 | | *** |
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101 | 101 | | This act would authorize a veterinarian to establish a client-patient relationship in Rhode 1 |
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102 | 102 | | Island through electronic means, subject to certain limitations and requirements such as by first 2 |
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103 | 103 | | establishing a veterinarian client-patient relationship in-person and making a good faith effort to 3 |
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104 | 104 | | determine whether care should be provided through telemedicine instead of in-person. The act 4 |
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105 | 105 | | would also provide that the veterinarian shall be licensed in Rhode Island, obtain client consent to 5 |
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106 | 106 | | establish the veterinarian client-patient relationship through electronic means, and maintain such 6 |
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107 | 107 | | documentation for at least one year. 7 |
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108 | 108 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 8 |
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109 | 109 | | ======== |
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110 | 110 | | LC002328 |
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