Confused About ACA? So Are The Insurance ExpertsDecember 3, 2013 When it comes to the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, there has been a lot of confusion of late. But there are some options that small businesses, such as veterinary practices, can explore. Gary Glassman, a CPA who works for Burzenski & Co. in East Haven, Conn., advises veterinary clinics and hospitals to look carefully at health plan options and try and find benefits among the sweeping changes being ushered in by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. "Hospitals with under 50 employees have lots of options,” Glassman said. "The issue is the uncertainty related to the cost. Unfortunately, no one at this point knows how this will turn out, so employers can continue to do what they have done in the past and continue to provide health coverage with coverage purchased through their past carriers, or they can buy employer-provided coverage through the employer-provided exchanges.” He also encouraged employers who want to receive tax credits for health insurance coverage to continue providing coverage or those credits will lapse. "For those that have received small-employer tax credits for health insurance coverage, the only way to …
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Wellness Plans Allow Vet Clients To Budget For Pets’ Preventive CareDecember 3, 2013 In the minds of most veterinarians there’s a plan for just about every pet they see to ensure that pet’s immediate and long-term medical needs. But the reality, according to proponents of wellness plans, is that those details too often go unrelated to pet owners. "We really do have a full-year plan for their pets in our head,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary medical officer with Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif. "When a pet comes in you look at the age, where they live, and other factors, and you formulate a plan.” It’s a detailed plan, Dr. McConnell said, adding, "But we’re clearly not good an explaining it to clients.” VPI in January launched a wellness service for veterinarians to offer clients called "Preventive & Wellness Services, which McConnell pronounces as "paws.” "We are basically positing ourselves as a silent partner with veterinarians,” McConnell said. She said the service is proving popular, with between 2,000 and 3,000 plans across the U.S. in place through more than 100 practices. Jeffrey S. Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, senior vice president and …
Monitoring The Monitor MarketNovember 15, 2013 The veterinary monitor market seems to be steering away from aging human hand-me-downs, and there are more choices today than ever before. Variety is usually a good thing, but not always, warned Andrew W. Schultz Jr., director of business development for Midmark Animal Health in Versailles, Ohio. "Quality [can be] an issue because there are no regulatory requirements or manufacturing standards that must be adhered to,” Schultz said. When Schultz talks about monitor quality today he’s referring to not just how well those products are made but the quality of everything in the monitor market from the sales experience to the user interface. While some monitors may fall short of Schultz’s expectations, he does believe some recent monitors provide an ever-improving experience for the buyer. Neonatal medicine has contributed greatly to improvements in veterinary monitors. SystemVet The better companies continue to improve the customer experience, Schultz said, "from intuitive menus, better functioning accessories and veterinary-specific instructions, to professional clinical technical support that helps to train staff on monitor set-up and more quickly diagnose and fix trouble when it occurs.” Monitor Hand-Me-Downs The market …
Obamacare Brings Changes To AVMA’s GHLITNovember 15, 2013 The starting gun for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, sounded Oct. 1, but the race began in earnest months earlier for the American Veterinary Medical Association. Set up in 1957 to manage "insurance coverage for veterinarians by veterinarians,” AVMA’s Group Health and Life Insurance Trust (GHLIT) learned in late 2012 that underwriter New York Life would soon cease medical coverage to AVMA members because of what the insurer called "evolving market conditions and the regulatory environment.” As a result, AVMA GHLIT has a new mission today: steering members toward a medical insurance exchange—a process millions of Americans are simultaneously experiencing. "While we are saddened at the prospect of ending medical insurance as a benefit to our members, our top priority is ensuring that they do not experience any gaps in coverage,” said AVMA GHLIT chairman James H. Brandt, DVM. Libby Wallace, CEO of the Tampa, Fla.-based trust, responded to questions about what AVMA members can expect because of changes wrought by Obamacare. How many AVMA members are affected by the discontinuation of the medical plan? "Approximately …
They Ate What? Pet X-Ray Contest 2012 WinnersNovember 5, 2013 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews It’s that time of year again. Veterinary Practice News puts out the call for radiographs relating to animals that have eaten weird things. And veterinarians have responded in kind. As usual, the entries didn’t disappoint. Veterinary Practice News team members, who judged the contest, selected Gary Sloniker, DVM, of Spooner Veterinary Clinic in Spooner, Wis., as this year's grand prize winner. He submitted a radiograph of a Lab puppy who chowed down on a fishing pole. "This year’s entries show once again how important radiography is to the veterinary practice,” said Greg Stoutenburgh, director of marketing for Sound-Eklin of Carlsbad, Calif., contest sponsor. Dr. Sloniker wins a digital single lens reflex camera and the two runners-up each win a digital point-and-shoot camera. Be sure to check out all of the winners below. And if you enjoy this article, please check out these other contest winners: They Ate What? 2011 Pet X-ray Contest Winners 2013 Pet X-ray Contest Winners: They Ate What? Grand Prize Winner Gary Sloniker, DVM Spooner Veterinary Clinic Spooner, Wis. The clients …
They Ate What? 2011 Pet X-ray Contest WinnersNovember 5, 2013 Veterinary Practice News would like to thank everyone who sent radiographs in for this year’s competition. Each year we’re amazed at the images and stories that come in. We would also like to thank the judge, Matt Wright, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, who had the tough task of selecting a winner. And If you enjoy this article, please check out these other contest winners: They Ate What? Pet X-Ray Contest 2012 Winners 2013 Pet X-ray Contest Winners: They Ate What? This year’s winner, Vanessa Hawkins, DVM, will receive a digital single-lens reflex camera courtesy of contest sponsor Sound-Eklin of Carlsbad, Calif. The runners-up will receive a point-and-shoot camera. Grand Prize Winner Vanessa Hawksin, DVM Bayshore Animal Hospital Warrenton, Ore. Vanessa Hawksin, DVM The dog was presented for lameness in a hind leg, and while taking radiographs looking for musculoskeletal abnormalities, nine handballs were discovered as an incidental finding. Runners Up Lisa Anne Attanasi, DVM Eaglewood Cliffs Veterinary …
PIJAC Sets Care Standards for Feeder Rodent IndustryOctober 21, 2013 Looking to avert government oversight, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council today released best management practices for breeders and distributors of feeder rodents. Nearly 10 months of work by PIJAC’s Herp Committee led to what the Washington, D.C., trade group called “the first nationwide set of standards” governing rats and mice raised as food for reptiles and birds of prey. Feeder rodents do not fall under the Animal Welfare Act, giving individual breeders the freedom to determine cage, transportation and handling guidelines. Most producers adhere to professional standards, the committee emphasized, but “there have been a few operations with unsanitary conditions and substandard care and housing.” PIJAC President and CEO Mike Canning helped recruit the 29 committee members, who were drawn from breeders, retailers, equipment suppliers and other expert groups. “As an industry, we need to set the bar high,” Canning said. “These best management practices are another step in an ongoing effort to develop voluntary, industry-driven practices as an alternative to obtrusive government regulation.” The best practices, available at www.pijac.org/FeederRodentBMP, cover everything from enclosures and bedding to nutrition and euthanasia. The most common feeder rodents …
‘Endangered’ Label Restricts Sales of Blue-throated MacawOctober 18, 2013 Selling blue-throated macaws across state lines will be outlawed as of Nov. 4, three weeks after the bird was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The rule is part of an effort by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to save a parrot species whose numbers in its native Bolivia are estimated at less than 500. Opponents, however, argue that the sales restrictions will have no impact in Bolivia given that the South American country already bans the bird’s capture and export. Not all movements of the blue-throated macaw will be illegal in the United States. Private and commercial breeding efforts and the bird’s sale to a resident of the same state may continue unabated, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council reported. In addition, a permit may be issued for a bird’s sale or commercial use if the activity is for scientific research or to enhance “the propagation or survival of the species,” the Fish & Wildlife Service stated. The blue-throated macaw is both rare and expensive. Breeders and pet stores typically price individuals at $2,000 or more. David Lombard, owner of Bird Farm in Poland, Ohio, lists a male for $2,295. …
South Dakota Livestock Deaths Revised DownwardOctober 18, 2013 Upward of 10,000 head of livestock died in a blizzard that ravaged South Dakota the weekend of Oct. 4, the state’s Animal Industry Board reported today. The count was far below earlier estimates of 60,000 to 100,000 dead animals but still a significant hit to South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers. The state has a cattle population of 3.85 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A spokeswoman for State Veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven, DVM, placed the latest casualty count at 7,396 cattle, 250 sheep and 96 horses, based on reports from 94 producers. The deadly storm whipped up 70 mph winds and dropped 3 to 4 feet of snow. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack dispatched Under Secretary Michael Scuse to South Dakota to collect more information. “We appreciate the devastation that these storms have basically caused in livestock operations [and] we would love to be able to provide help and assistance,” Vilsack said in remarks released Thursday. “At this point all we can do is collect information, make sure that we have accurate information, so when and if the Congress reinstates the Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs, makes them retroactive to when they lapsed …
3 Pets Turn Misfortune Into TriumphOctober 16, 2013 A dog with a taste for onions, a cat who survived a washing machine and a dog who couldn’t outrun a bicycle were the top finishers in Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.’s fifth annual Hambone Award contest. Pet lovers cast more than 6,000 votes to determine the most unusual insurance claims from a pool of 11 nominees. Contest sponsor Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., insures 500,000 pets and processes more than 1.1 million claims a year. Announced today, the Hambone Award for the most usual claim went to Winnie, a mixed-breed dog from Barnstable, Mass., who broke open a forgotten bag of frozen onion rings and consumed all 2 pounds. Given that onions are toxic to dogs, urgent veterinary care was necessary. Second place: Natasha “In extreme cases of onion poisoning, the pet may need a blood transfusion,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary officer at Veterinary Pet Insurance. Winnie’s owners, the Bowser family, learned of the threat after telling Facebook friends about her odd diet. “I did some quick investigating and found out that
