To note... I am on my second term on the LAC (where your AVMA aspirations go to die)... I am talking 4 times at the convention (let's meet up) and going to the Fly In... sure, let's talk loan repayment and xylazine AGAIN... it has worked so well these other dozen years (loan repayment) and 3 (xylazine).
I cannot believe LMU is doing this. Please lower the standards so we look better... is not how I as a Medical Director would approach this.
"Please lower the standards so we look better" captures it perfectly. It's asking the teacher to grade on a curve instead of studying for the test.
See you at the convention? if you want to catch up afterward. Always good to hear from someone actually in the policy trenches rather than lobbing grenades from the outside.
The xylazine comment got me. Some conversations really do have nine lives in our profession.
What this article reminded me—something life keeps teaching me—is that when you look closely at anything, it starts to unravel. You notice the snags, the holes, the missing threads.
The LMU lawsuit feels like a biiiiig stretch. Even if we assume their “conspiracy” theory is true, I always try to follow the logic to its endpoint. Let’s say the AVMA really is working to artificially inflate the cost of veterinary care. Why would they? You could argue it’s to make the profession more profitable—so veterinarians earn more. Fair enough. But long-term? If prices keep climbing while visits keep dropping, what happens to the profession in five or ten years? Will people still take their pets to the vet?
To me, this all reads like sour grapes from LMU. And I agree: the most likely outcome is damage to their own credibility. As Michelle Pfannenstiel put it, “lower the standards so we can look better” isn’t exactly a winning strategy for earning respect—or reform.
Finally, I couldn’t help noticing the mention of catastrophic A/R—just a gentle reminder that I might be able to help with that and I will also be at AVMA.😉
The AVMA conspiracy angle doesn't even make sense. What is in the AVMA's most direct financial self-interest? More vets = more dues = richer AVMA. Threatening accreditation of the largest vet school would arguably be the opposite of what they would want if this is a shadowy cabal operating for money.
Besides, as both Bill and I have written, the largest drivers of vet med prices are not related to vet salaries per se, it's the cost charged for drugs, diagnostics, overhead, etc
Just one point of clarification. According to BLS data on CPI inflation and veterinary services inflation, veterinary services inflation as exceeded CPI for the last 25 years by approximately 2X. For example, from the year 2001 through 2007 CPI averaged 2.8% per year and veterinary services inflation averaged 5.7% per year. From 2008 through 2011 CPI averaged 1.7% per year and veterinary service inflation averaged 4.9% per year. Add so forth for the more recent years.
Veterinary services inflation is driven by a myriad of factors. One of those factors is the improving quality and effectiveness of veterinary care, although this is hard to demonstrate through hard data, other than indirectly through the increasing average lifespan of pets who pass away under the care of a veterinarian. Even this objective metric could be the result of factors unrelated to the quality of veterinary care.
You’re right, of course, and I think it’s worth a future essay on the rising cost of veterinary care.
The diagnostic company I called out has contributed to the rising cost of veterinary care, but has also contributed to the rising quality of veterinary care. I couldn’t do what I do (or do it nearly as well) without them.
OK... you said that WAY better than I did.
To note... I am on my second term on the LAC (where your AVMA aspirations go to die)... I am talking 4 times at the convention (let's meet up) and going to the Fly In... sure, let's talk loan repayment and xylazine AGAIN... it has worked so well these other dozen years (loan repayment) and 3 (xylazine).
I cannot believe LMU is doing this. Please lower the standards so we look better... is not how I as a Medical Director would approach this.
Michele, thanks for the perspective!
"Please lower the standards so we look better" captures it perfectly. It's asking the teacher to grade on a curve instead of studying for the test.
See you at the convention? if you want to catch up afterward. Always good to hear from someone actually in the policy trenches rather than lobbing grenades from the outside.
The xylazine comment got me. Some conversations really do have nine lives in our profession.
What this article reminded me—something life keeps teaching me—is that when you look closely at anything, it starts to unravel. You notice the snags, the holes, the missing threads.
The LMU lawsuit feels like a biiiiig stretch. Even if we assume their “conspiracy” theory is true, I always try to follow the logic to its endpoint. Let’s say the AVMA really is working to artificially inflate the cost of veterinary care. Why would they? You could argue it’s to make the profession more profitable—so veterinarians earn more. Fair enough. But long-term? If prices keep climbing while visits keep dropping, what happens to the profession in five or ten years? Will people still take their pets to the vet?
To me, this all reads like sour grapes from LMU. And I agree: the most likely outcome is damage to their own credibility. As Michelle Pfannenstiel put it, “lower the standards so we can look better” isn’t exactly a winning strategy for earning respect—or reform.
Finally, I couldn’t help noticing the mention of catastrophic A/R—just a gentle reminder that I might be able to help with that and I will also be at AVMA.😉
The AVMA conspiracy angle doesn't even make sense. What is in the AVMA's most direct financial self-interest? More vets = more dues = richer AVMA. Threatening accreditation of the largest vet school would arguably be the opposite of what they would want if this is a shadowy cabal operating for money.
Besides, as both Bill and I have written, the largest drivers of vet med prices are not related to vet salaries per se, it's the cost charged for drugs, diagnostics, overhead, etc
Just one point of clarification. According to BLS data on CPI inflation and veterinary services inflation, veterinary services inflation as exceeded CPI for the last 25 years by approximately 2X. For example, from the year 2001 through 2007 CPI averaged 2.8% per year and veterinary services inflation averaged 5.7% per year. From 2008 through 2011 CPI averaged 1.7% per year and veterinary service inflation averaged 4.9% per year. Add so forth for the more recent years.
Veterinary services inflation is driven by a myriad of factors. One of those factors is the improving quality and effectiveness of veterinary care, although this is hard to demonstrate through hard data, other than indirectly through the increasing average lifespan of pets who pass away under the care of a veterinarian. Even this objective metric could be the result of factors unrelated to the quality of veterinary care.
You’re right, of course, and I think it’s worth a future essay on the rising cost of veterinary care.
The diagnostic company I called out has contributed to the rising cost of veterinary care, but has also contributed to the rising quality of veterinary care. I couldn’t do what I do (or do it nearly as well) without them.
(Also, THE Jon Ayers?! I’m honored, sir.)