Individual States Throughout the US Have new Legislation Passed and/or Under Consideration for Various Initiatives Impacting Critical Access to Veterinary Care.

WIMBERLEY, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, July 5, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Dr. Murtaugh announces that the needed paradigm shift in the veterinary industry is underway. Individual States throughout the United States have new legislation passed and/or under consideration for various initiatives impacting critical access to veterinary care; universities are opening, proposing, and seeking accreditation for new veterinary schools in Utah, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Arkansas with more to follow; several existing veterinary schools such as Lincoln Memorial and Midwestern Universities have increased their class sizes and others such as Louisiana State will be expanding their veterinary classes; additionally, existing veterinary universities are or will be providing a curriculum benefiting access to care while furthering career options for licensed veterinary technicians.

New Jersey
The State of New Jersey now allows veterinarians to treat new patients virtually without a prior physical examination. Cited: New York Times, by Emily Anthes, April 7, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/health/vet-pet-health-telemedicine.html.
“The legal landscape can be confusing, too, with a patchwork of state and federal laws. But some states are embracing telemedicine. New Jersey, for instance, now allows vets to treat new patients virtually without a prior physical examination, and Arizona lawmakers are considering similar legislation.”

Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Approves Bill HB 719, which took effect on July 1, 2023. Bill HB 719 now allows non-Florida State Licensed Veterinarians to provide canine and feline sterilization and accompanying routine preventive medicine under the supervision of Florida-licensed veterinarians. This legislation enhances the availability of these much-needed services to cover the backlog in Florida. The initiative should be replicated in other States soon.

Arizona
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed it into law on May 15, 2023, Senate Bill 1053. The bill represents the culmination of an effort in the State of Arizona for veterinarians licensed in Arizona to establish a veterinary-client-pet relationship (VCPR) through telemedicine akin to this practice which is routine nationwide in human healthcare. This legislative bill will provide thousands more pets ready access to veterinary care.

California
Similar to the successful telemedicine initiative recently passed in Arizona, California Assembly Bill 1399, sponsored by Assembly members Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, and Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, would change California law to make veterinary care more accessible for all pet parents and other veterinary clients. The proposed law would enable licensed California veterinarians to establish the veterinarian-client-patient relationship through the use of video technology, enhancing clients' ability to access and veterinarians to provide needed initial and ongoing care.

Nationwide
News coverage regarding companion and large animal veterinarian shortages surface on the internet by the day!

Embracing new technologies addressing the VCPR via telemedicine and eventually the use of AI equates to meeting the required mission to:

• Provide solutions for current and future veterinary shortages.
• Accept growth initiatives that benefit the VCPR experience.
• Support stability for the next generation of veterinary graduates.
• Generate opportunities for “Access-to-Care” for all veterinary stakeholders and clients.

Veterinarians nationwide are very focused on capturing the full potential of licensed veterinary technicians working at the top of their license.

Access to Care Opportunities for Licensed Veterinary Technicians -
Tennessee
The Lincoln Memorial University-College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM) has established a Master of Veterinary Clinical Care (MVCC) degree for licensed veterinary technicians. This specific course of study includes diagnosis and treatment of small and large animals, practice management, and research with a One Health emphasis. This program, and others like it at the University of Missouri and under consideration in States like Colorado and Pennsylvania, opens the roadmap to various career paths as veterinary providers for licensed veterinary technicians, ultimately filling a warranted and vital role as Veterinary Professional Associates (VPA/mid-level practitioner) in all facets of veterinary medicine from the stable and farm to the shelter, and to the family. The VPA position will be similar to the immensely successful implementation of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in human medicine in primary care, urgent care, and specialty care.

Enriching and investing in our veterinary profession is and always must be our number one goal collectively. This is an incredible and exciting time for veterinary medicine, and it's time for everyone in our profession to embrace these new paradigms to benefit all our stakeholders.

More
Dr. Bob Murtaugh has served as President of VECCS, President of ACVECC, and Chair of the ABVS. He has trained over 40 residents, authored two veterinary textbooks, and published 30-plus peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Murtaugh is currently Chair of Veterinary Medicine - National Academies of Practice. While at Tufts University, Dr. Murtaugh founded the School's world-renowned emergency and critical care program, which spurred him to band with other like-minded internists, surgeons, and anesthesiologists to petition the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) in the late 1980s to provide provisional recognition for ACVECC. Publisher of one of the original veterinary textbooks devoted to veterinary emergency and critical care. Dr. Murtaugh was selected as the first veterinarian to be admitted to the ACCM, a physician organization focused on excellence in the specialty in the realm of human medicine. Dr. Murtaugh also spearheaded collaborative efforts to enhance standards of care, access to care, mentoring of new graduates, and educational externship opportunities for the increasing number of distributive model Colleges of Veterinary Medicine. Visit www.murtdvm.com.

STEVEN L MAY, CVJ, VRCE
SLM
s.may@stevenlmaycvj.com

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