Prescribing an assistance animal is a multidisciplinary collaboration

As medical professionals, you have the option of prescribing an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), Service Animal (SA) or an Assistance Animal (AA) for your patients. In your use of animals as a treatment option, it is imperative to develop a multidisciplinary healthcare team that collaborates and coordinates the contributions of the veterinary profession to improve your patient outcomes.

In collaborating with Assistance Animals Consulting, our veterinary services can support you and the patients in your care. As contributors to your multidisciplinary healthcare team, our partnership begins the moment you determine your patient’s health can benefit from an ESA, SA or AA.

The specific services Assistance Animals Consulting provides for medical professionals include the following:

1. Collaborate with medical professional and patient to select the best animal for the most impactful therapeutic purpose
2. Partner with patient to provide guidance for any needed training such as basic training and Specialized training for a specific medical task
3. Partner with patient to assess and review the animal’s preventative care health records, prior to authorizing for full public access
4. Partner with patient for behavior and temperament evaluation for selected dog/cat

• We will provide written documentation of the working animal’s needs for additional training, and provide a time frame for re-evaluation
• We will provide written documentation if working animal’s behavior and temperament is appropriate for full public access

Temperament evaluation is imperative for a prescribing medical professional to help reduce liability risk.

Our goal is to be part of your team’s approach to healthcare. During the evaluation of the treatment options and treatment planning, we can collaborate collectively with all medical and allied healthcare professionals in conjunction with the patient and the patient’s family.

The future of healthcare lies in successful collaborations from many different medical disciplines. It is essential for medical and other health professionals to collaborate with veterinarians when the use of an ESA, SA, or AA is involved in the treatment plan.

As veterinarians, we bring a unique skill set and viewpoint to the management of patient care. We will have important issues addressed in a comprehensive and integrated care plan. As medical professionals, you must recognize the need for our referral service once you prescribe an animal as part of the treatment plan for your patient. A strong partnership with Assistance Animals Consulting will promote excellent care and improve patient outcomes.

Contact Assistance Animals Consulting today to schedule a consult and learn how your medical professional team can fully benefit from our services.