UPDATE: FTC Extends Red Flags Rule Enforcement To 2010November 3, 2009 The Federal Trade Commission is delaying enforcement of the Red Flags Rule, a section of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003, until June 1, 2010. The FTC posted a notice on its website Friday stating that the delay is at the request of Members of Congress. Enforcement was to begin Nov. 1. The rule is an anti-fraud regulation requiring creditors and financial institutions with covered accounts to implement programs to identify, detect and respond to the warning signs, or “red flags,” that could indicate identify theft. Veterinarians fall into the category of creditors, which is defined as any entity that regularly extends or renews credit—or arranges for others to do so—and includes all entities that regularly permit deferred payments for goods or services. However, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 3763 proposing to exempt certain businesses, including veterinarians, with less than 20 employees from having to comply with the rule. The bill replaces H.R. 2345 and now goes to the U.S. Senate. Since the bill has not been passed into law, veterinarians are still expected to comply with the rule before the current enforcement date, according to the American Veterinary Medical …
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Obesity Is Just As Bad As SmokingNovember 1, 2009The fact that obesity reduces lifespan is a well established fact in dogs and several other animal species. Dr. Kealy1 and others have shown, in a classic study, that thin Labs outlive overweight Labs by almost two years (13 years vs. 11 years on average). I've always wondered when physicians would show a similar correlation in people. They finally have. A recent article in the Lancet2 made the point. This is a gigantic study: The researchers reviewed 57 studies, for a total of 900,000 human patients in the US, Europe, Japan, etc. These results should therefore be reliable. Moderate obesity (about one third overweight, or 50 to 60 pounds over the ideal) reduces human lifespan by about three years. Severe obesity (double the ideal weight), reduces lifespan by 10 years, or about as much as smoking. The body mass index (BMI) helps describe overweight and obesity. BMI is the weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of the height (in meters). A BMI greater than 50 kg/m2 defines obesity. Mortality is the lowest for a BMI between 22.5 and 25 kg/m2. For each 5 kg/m2 increase of the BMI, mortality increases by 30 percent. The most common causes …
How (In)competent Are You?November 1, 2009Some vets are constantly questioning themselves--not because they lack confidence, but rather because they wonder how they could have done better. Are you confident in your diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities? Here is an interesting way to look at competence: There are four stages in every endeavor, whether you are doing a laparotomy, learning photography, perfecting your golf swing or landing a plane on the Hudson River. They are: Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence. Unconscious incompetence is when you have no clue what you're doing. But worse, you don't even realize that you are incompetent. Ouch. This is the baby trying to crawl. Or the toddler learning to eat with a spoon. Sadly, this is also the case of many people learning the ropes, including in medical professions. Of course the good news is that babies, toddlers and medical professionals have someone to guide them. In time, they will climb the ladder … of incompetence. Conscious incompetence is when you have no clue what you're doing, but at least you're aware of it. I think we can honestly say that this is how many of us felt when we first started working "in the real world." Conscious competence is hopefully …
Reminder: Drug Reports Must Be Submitted Online Starting Nov. 1October 30, 2009 Beginning Nov. 1, California veterinarians, practitioners, pharmacies and other drug prescribers will be required to submit drug reports online. Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reports previously could be mailed or faxed in, but now the reports must be submitted through an online reporting application hosted by Sacramento-based Infinite Solutions Inc. (ISI). The new system will make it much easier for authorized prescribers to quickly review controlled substance information via the automated Patient Activity Report in an effort to identify and deter drug abuse and diversion through accurate and rapid tracking of Schedule II through IV controlled substances, according to the Office of the Attorney General. ISI validates submitted controlled substance prescription data using a validation criteria established by the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. ISI performs the validations and accepts data that meets the established criteria and rejects data that doesn’t. Errors and warnings are generated if the submitted data does not meet the validation criteria. Veterinarians and others are required to register with ISI prior to submitting their reports. Each registered user can sign up for a user name and password. Click here for registration …
Harrisons’ Pet Products Case Report Contest Under WayOctober 29, 2009 Harrisons’ Pet Products of Lake Worth, Fla., is hosting a clinical case report contest in which veterinarians can compete for a chance to win $1,000. The contest involves photographic documentation of an animal case in which Harrisons’ Pet Products (AVIx, HEALx or Harrison’s Bird Foods) were used alone or in conjunction with other products to resolve a disorder. To qualify, veterinarians must photograph the original presentation and continue to photograph various progressions in treatment. Close-up digital images must be taken at a resolution high enough for a 4” by 3” image to be printed at 300 ppi. Click here to view a sample clinical case report. Text (Word document) and images (.jpg, .tif or .psd) should be emailed to info@exoticdvm.com with “Clinical Case Report” as the subject line by Dec. 1. The winner will be announced at the North American Veterinary Conference in January. Click here for details on the company. <HOME>
Taking Medicine To Reservations Without Agenda: Ted Robinson, DVMOctober 28, 2009 The New Mexico dust storm pounded at their backs. Visibility dropped to a few feet. Grit and dust powdered Ted Robinson, DVM, and his crew. But the horse wrangled into the middle of the field was ready for gelding and it would likely be another six months before the veterinarians could return to this remote and hard-scrabble Native American reservation. So the team tied raincoats together, created a temporary tent, made a cocoon over the patient and carried on. “That was pretty interesting,” says Dr. Robinson, in his typically understated way of describing the work and adventures of his twice-a-year treks to the Hopi, Santa Domingo and Zuni reservations near Albuquerque, N.M. Interesting, indeed. Robinson’s work and dedication have so impressed the American Veterinary Medical Assn. that it chose Robinson for its 2008 Meritorious Service Award. The award will be presented this month at the AVMA convention in New Orleans. The trips are service projects of Americans for Native Americans (ANA) and the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Assn. ANA is a Bucks County, Pa., organization dedicated to serving First American communities. Robinson, who also donates …
Restoring Animal Health In Afghanistan: David Sherman, DVMOctober 28, 2009 By late morning, when David Sherman, DVM, arrived at the veterinary field office in a remote part of Afghanistan, a crowd was waiting. At least 20 farmers had come from the surrounding countryside to see the paraveterinarian, a specially trained Afghan who had been set up in a spartan but modern clinic by the group Dr. Sherman works for. The farmers quickly organized. Soon, working together, they’d mapped out a schedule based on who needed a farm visit to have an animal vaccinated or diagnosed, or who could be sent away with medicine—a crucial plan, since this paraveterinarian was the only source of veterinary help for miles in any direction. Sherman was delighted: Here was proof that the multi-national effort he worked with to restore veterinary services to Afghanistan was succeeding. “This is an agrarian culture that depends on livestock for its existence,” says Sherman, a Massachusetts veterinarian who is an international expert on goat health. As much as 70 percent of the Afghan population earns a living from animals, at least in part. But by the early part of this decade, years of war, the 1994 Taliban takeover and the …
Filling A Critical Need: Pet AmbulancesOctober 28, 2009 Annie Davis' PT Cruiser is no ordinary automobile. Upholstered with heating pads in the lining and equipped with an oxygen system and technology for fluid and airway control, it serves as one of two pet ambulances at VetCab, Davis' emergency pet transfer service in Yucaipa, Calif. These souped-up automobiles can't drive in Code 3 mode-which entails flashing red lights, sirens and often high speeds-but they can save the life of a pet whose life may be dependent on just a few critical minutes. Unlike most mobile clinics, pet ambulances are usually available on a 24-hour basis, and unlike most 24-hour clinics, they're willing and able to travel. And while the ambulances may also function as pet taxis, it's the emergency situations that inspire the creation of these businesses. Seeing the need, Davis, owner and creator of VetCab, opened her business in September 2005. After working as a technician at an emergency clinic, she noticed that the current system of pet transportation via the pet owners didn't always work. A.M.E.R.S. Animal Ambulance's fleet of emergency vehicles lined up in San Leandro, Calif. "I recognized the need because I saw [the pets] coming in …
Sons Rise To The Challenge: Drs. Jacob And Nick MathiasOctober 28, 2009 Dr. James Mathias, DVM, welcomed two new veterinarians into his 27-year-old practice a little more than a year ago. That’s hardly extraordinary, considering that Mathias was eager to build his staff and free up time to pursue other projects. But the new doctors weren’t just any new grads from his alma mater, Ohio State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. They were Drs. Jacob and Nick Mathias, twin brothers and Mathias’ sons. Can there be too much family under one shingle? Maybe for some, but not for them, the family members say. After years of homeschooling and playing countless pickup basketball games and tennis matches together, the doctors say working together seemed like a natural move. “We’re a very, very close family,” says James, 55. “It’s wonderful.” The brothers, 26, agree. “This past year has been great. I’ve been learning a ton. I don’t think I’d change a thing,” Jacob says. “I couldn’t think of a better mentor than my dad.” Besides, adds Nick, “It’s fun.” Proving Skeptics Wrong Many friends advised against such a venture and were skeptical that family members could practice together. Some schoolmates who’d …
Like Daughter, Like Mother: Sharon And Angelina GerardoOctober 28, 2009 Blame it on rain, ice and snow. Sharon Hunt Gerardo was days away from accepting an offer to enroll in Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, her impending announcement doubling the excitement level at the family’s Easter gathering. Daughter Angelina also was heading to veterinary school. Angelina planned to stay in her home state and attend the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, on an Army scholarship. Everyone loved the novelty of mother and daughter venturing into veterinary medicine and appreciated that it was a legacy of Michael Gerardo, DVM, Sharon’s late husband and Angelina’s father, who died in 2000. Then Sharon, curious, hit the weather websites to get a glimmer of what she might see during a typical school year in Massachusetts. Rain. Snow. Ice. More rain. Oh, dear. “You grow up in Southern California like me and you face those harsh winters, and you think, ‘Oh, just suck it up.’ But then I really thought about it and I knew I couldn’t do it,” Sharon recalls. So, like her daughter, Sharon chose Davis. Mom and daughter fretted a bit about being classmates, but …
