Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.
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42 Today's Veterinary Business Community The first example you'll recog- nize, but it's worth a reminder. The second one you've never heard of, but you'll read about it to the end and take away lessons for your own business or organization. Let's jump in. 1 Fairness to Pet Owners Act The animal health industry knows the story of the ill-named Fairness to Pet Owners Act, dropped on Congress in fall 2010 by big-box retailers and online pharmacies hoping to lure Congress into tilting the playing field so that pet owners stop buying medications from vet- erinarians. I first met with American Veterinary Medical Association lobbyists in their D.C. offices in September of that year, and betting odds were that the veterinary pro- fession would not beat Walmart or 1-800-PetMeds on Capitol Hill. Many of you heard this from colleagues: "It's just a matter of time. Those guys have too much money, and influence. We don't stand a chance." Well, seven years have rolled by and "those guys" haven't had a single hearing on their bill in either the House or Senate. The number of sponsors hovers in single digits, and enthusiasm wanes. Walmart's social media call for pet owners to rise up was the tree falling in the forest that no one heard. What happened? Veterinary medicine rose up instead through organizations like AVMA and state VMAs and through companies like Banfield and Zoetis (then Pfizer Animal Health). They reminded Congress what veterinarians do for America's families and pets. These small businesses provide great jobs, play by the rules and don't Good things happen when you fight back The veterinary profession scored two big victories thanks to old-fashioned lobbying and one company's court battle. need Congress steering pet owners to pharmacy clerks to get ques- tions answered about pet medica- tions. Old-fashioned lobbying with a strong message worked, and the little guy won. 2 State Pharmacy Board Bullies Veterinary medical boards govern veterinary practice in each state and pharmacy boards govern pharma- cies. Makes sense, right? Except when state pharmacy boards decide to cross agency borders and start making rules for veterinarians. Why would they do that? It's simple, yet profoundly dis- turbing and unlawful. Many phar- macy boards do not understand the veterinary model and don't like it. In human medicine, doctors Whatever side you're on in politics, it's safe to say most people believe that money rules the day. The guy with the big wallet wins, the little guy loses. With a lifetime of politics under my belt, I'll concede these maxims often prove true. But it's not always so, and two veterinary pharmaceutical cases prove that the little guy can win when he fights back and refuses to accept that he's supposed to lose. Community POLICY & POLITICS By Mark Cushing, JD Pushed by big retailers and online pharmacies, the Fairness to Pet Owners Act never advanced to a congressional hearing or a vote.