Expanding the horizon for veterinary services revenue and product sales
It was not that long ago when some in our industry were claiming that we had too many veterinarians and that the ROI on pursuing a DVM or becoming a Veterinary Technician did not provide a reasonable return. How things have changed!
There are many reasons behind the ‘turnaround’ but clearly a driver was the increasing demand for veterinary care for pets and livestock. And the positive pressure comes in many forms: change of lifestyle for practicing veterinarians, influx of corporate veterinary practice ownership, high demand for specialized food animal practitioners (i.e. Poultry veterinarians).
We know that many people simply cannot afford certain services- nor do they have the ability to purchase necessary drugs for controlling disease or parasites. In the industry, we recognize that we reach saturation points(for example with flea and tick treatments) and as a result, simply battle it out for share.
Recently states are looking at allowing veterinary technicians or other new roles (midlevel veterinary practitioner) to expand their scope of practice acting more as a ‘Physicians Assistant’- like in human medicine. Will this bring down costs and extend care?
Would national licensing for veterinarians and veterinary technicians or decreased cost and time for foreign veterinary graduates to achieve licensure increase supply and service?
Lastly, should we be more aggressive in the development and registration of generic drugs? Reducing costs and increasing affordability?
In my view, we as an industry- along with the profession, need to think strategically together about how to expand the market for both veterinary service and product sales. It will certainly benefit all!
Paul Casady
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