SB 60

As Passed by the Senate
136th General Assembly
    Regular Session  Sub. S. B. No. 60
       2025-2026
  Senators Wilkin, Huffman
  Cosponsors: Senators Antonio, Blackshear, Brenner, Chavez, Cirino, Craig,
  DeMora, Gavarone, Hicks-Hudson, Ingram, Koehler, Landis, Liston, Manning,
   O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Reynolds, Roegner, Romanchuk, Smith, Timken,
  Weinstein, Wilson
  To amend section 4741.04 and to enact section  1
  4741.041 of the Revised Code to establish  2
  requirements and procedures for veterinarian  3
  telehealth visits.  4
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
     Section 1. That section 4741.04 be amended and section  5
4741.041 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:  6
     Sec. 4741.04. A veterinary-client-patient relationship  7
serves as the basis for interaction between veterinarians, their  8
clients, and their patients. A veterinary-client-patient  9
relationship exists when all of the following conditions have  10
been met:  11
     (A) A veterinarian assumes responsibility for making  12
clinical judgments regarding the health of a patient and the  13
need for medical treatment, medical services, or both for the  14
patient, and the client has agreed to follow the veterinarian's  15
instructions regarding the patient.  16
     (B) The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the  17
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patient to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis  18
of the medical condition of the patient. In order to demonstrate  19
that the veterinarian has sufficient knowledge, the veterinarian  20
shall have seen the patient recently and also shall be  21
acquainted personally with the keeping and care of the patient  22
either by examining doing any of the following:  23
        (1) Examining the patient or by making in person;  24
        (2) Examining the patient in real time via telehealth  25
services in accordance with section 4741.041 of the Revised  26
Code;  27
        (3) Making medically appropriate and timely visits to the  28
premises where the patient is kept.  29
        (C) The veterinarian is readily available for a follow-up  30
evaluation, or has arranged for emergency coverage, in the event  31
the patient suffers adverse reactions to the treatment regimen  32
or the treatment regimen fails.  33
        Sec. 4741.041. (A) As used in this section:  34
        (1) "Human food product" means livestock raised for human  35
consumption or livestock whose products are used for human  36
consumption.  37
        (2) "Livestock" means porcine animals, bovine animals,  38
caprine animals, ovine animals, and poultry.  39
        (3) "Tele-advice" means the provision of any health  40
information, opinion, or guidance by a veterinary professional  41
that is not intended to diagnose, treat, issue certificates of  42
veterinary inspection, or issue prognoses of the physical or  43
behavioral illness or injury of an animal or issue. A  44
veterinarian-client-patient relationship as required under  45
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As Passed by the Senate
section 4741.04 of the Revised Code is not required to provide  46
tele-advice.  47
       (B) A licensed veterinarian may conduct the practice of  48
veterinary medicine via telehealth services if all of the  49
following apply:  50
       (1) The veterinarian obtains the informed consent from the  51
client, including an acknowledgement that the standards of care  52
prescribed by this chapter equally apply to in-person and  53
telehealth visits. The veterinarian shall maintain documentation  54
of the consent for at least three years after receiving the  55
informed consent.  56
       (2) The veterinarian provides the client with the  57
veterinarian's name and contact information and secures an  58
alternate means of contacting the client if the telehealth visit  59
is interrupted. Following the telehealth visit, the veterinarian  60
shall make available to the client an electronic or written  61
record of the visit. The electronic or written record shall  62
include the veterinarian's license number.  63
       (3) Before conducting an evaluation of a patient via a  64
telehealth visit, the veterinarian advises the client of all of  65
the following:  66
       (a) The veterinarian may ultimately recommend an in-person  67
visit with the veterinarian or another licensed veterinarian;  68
       (b) The veterinarian is prohibited under federal law from  69
prescribing certain drugs or medications based only on a  70
telehealth visit;  71
       (c) The appointment for a telehealth visit may be  72
terminated at any time.  73
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       (C) A licensed veterinarian may prescribe drugs or  74
medications after establishing a veterinary-client-patient  75
relationship via telehealth services, except that all of the  76
following apply:  77
       (1) The veterinarian may issue an initial prescription for  78
not more than fourteen days. The veterinarian may issue one  79
refill for not more than fourteen days if the veterinarian sees  80
the patient for another telehealth visit. For additional  81
refills, the patient shall visit the veterinarian in person.  82
       (2) The veterinarian shall notify the client that certain  83
prescription drugs or medications may be available at a pharmacy  84
and, if requested, the veterinarian will submit a prescription  85
to a pharmacy of the client's choosing;  86
       (3) The veterinarian shall not order, prescribe, or make  87
available a controlled substance, as defined in section 3719.01  88
of the Revised Code, unless the veterinarian has performed an  89
in-person physical examination of the patient.  90
       (D)(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this  91
section, a licensed veterinarian whose client is engaged in the  92
raising of livestock for human food products may not use  93
telehealth services for those livestock unless the veterinarian  94
has established a veterinary-client-patient relationship in  95
person with respect to those livestock prior to the use of  96
telehealth services.  97
       (2) A licensed veterinarian whose client is engaged in the  98
raising of livestock for human food products may conduct tele-  99
advice services for those livestock prior to the veterinarian  100
establishing a veterinary-client-patient relationship in person  101
with the client.  102
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       (E) Division (D) of this section applies to the extent  103
permitted under federal law.  104
       (F) Nothing in this section shall be construed to  105
invalidate or overrule the provisions of Chapter 956. of the  106
Revised Code.  107
       (G) For purposes of this section, the practice of  108
veterinary medicine occurs in the state in which the patient is  109
located.  110
       Section 2. That existing section 4741.04 of the Revised  111
Code is hereby repealed.  112