New Clinic Formats

Veterinary Emergency Group has opened a new style of veterinary hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The new format is designed more like a human hospital, and less like a traditional veterinary clinic. It features an open concept where patients are treated in front of clients, and overnight rooms for clients to stay at the hospital to be close to pets.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and likely addresses a growing need for additional veterinary care in the area. We’re just wondering how the vets working there are feeling about clients looking over their shoulder at every moment.

Read about it here

Insurance Woes

From VIN comes the story of Dr. Janet Riebe who recently treated one of her family pets, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever, and submitted the cost of care through her insurance. Her claim was denied because her insurance provider, Figo, had changed its definition of "veterinarian" to any licensed practitioner except the patient owner or a family member.

The rationale is that veterinarians treating their own pets have a strong emotional connection to their animal and an intimate knowledge of the claims process. They are therefore more likely to over treat the pet or commit insurance fraud (intentional or not).

It’s worth keeping an eye on your policy, if you’re treating your pets or a fmaily member’s.

Student Debt Remains

We all know that student debt is a huge problem in our industry. And a glimmer of hope was presented when the Biden administration introduced a plan to reduce or forgive student loan debt. On June 30th, The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the program - citing it as an unlawful use of power because it had not been approved by Congress.

Although average debt levels among veterinarians have been decreasing since 2020, the decision will still have significant impact on our colleagues - especially those early in their career.

Read more about how this affects veterinarians via the AVMA.

How AI can help us talk to animals

No, this isn’t about being able to have a conversation with your dog. But Axios has the story about how Artificial Intelligence is opening new opportunities for understanding animal sounds that were once inaudible to the human ear. What we’re learning is that animals and plants can communicate in complex "languages”, that we may be able to understand in news than ever before.

If this isn’t about asking a patient about their symptoms (wouldn’t that be nice), then what is the point? Scientists believe acoustics will reveal valuable information that could inform efforts to save vulnerable species from the impacts of climate change.

Here’s what we’ve already learned:

• Flowers can "hear" an oncoming bee that leads them to make sweeter nectar

• Orca whales speak in dialects unique to their pods, but can communicate in different dialects with other species

• Dolphins have names given by their mother which they use in communication, similar to beluga whales and bats

• Elephants have a signal for the herd to help them deflect approaching honeybees, which can be dangerous if they get in their trunk or ears

AI applications in dermatology

Vetscan Imagyst, a dermatology application from Zoetis has added a new AI integration that claims to reduce the time it takes surgeons to analyze skin samples.

The new application analyses samples and swabs to identify yeast, inflammatory cells, and bacteria. It automatically provides results in about ten minutes - half of what it typically takes a GP and comparable to what it would take a specialist. It then automatically creates a report, including images, which can be shared with the client.

Read more here