During the summit, leaders from the veterinary industry and Mars Petcare ecosystem discussed challenges and opportunities to help chart a path toward a more sustainable future for veterinary medicine through innovations in education systems, team care and technology.
Educational systems
“The veterinary landscape is rapidly evolving, creating unique headwinds that require a unified and thoughtful approach to ensure the profession can meet the needs of companion animals who deserve high-quality care,” said Molly McAllister, chief medical officer of Mars Veterinary Health. “The creation of new innovative educational models is at the heart of this challenge. I am encouraged by how industry, academia, and the Mars ecosystem have come together today to help move the profession in a positive direction.
A key advancement in veterinary medical education discussed today at the summit is spectrum care, or the idea that veterinary care exists along a continuum. Spectrum of Care asks a crucial question: how can we train veterinary professionals to see pets everywhere, in a way that accounts for the diversity of pet owners who need to be seen, while still providing quality veterinary care?
Team care
“Team-based care expands access to care for pets and their owners through more hours of coverage and shorter wait times, without additional burden on hospital teams,” said declared Mony Iyer, president of Banfield Pet Hospital. “It also allows for more effective and efficient care delivery, including better client education.” For hospital teams, this promotes a more positive work environment, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention.
One example Banfield uses to bring team-based care to life is its Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) appointments, which allow technicians to provide services under the direction and supervision of a veterinarian. Banfield has delivered 2.7 million CVT appointments since 2019 and found that participating technicians are 12 times more likely to stay with the practice.
Technology
“Technological innovations have the potential to positively impact access to care by advancing fundamental areas of veterinary medicine, from prediction and prevention to monitoring, diagnosis and treatment,” said Nefertiti Greene, president of Mars Science & Diagnostics. “Mars Petcare has a unique opportunity to lead the way in many of these areas, with a comprehensive diagnostic offering, a first-of-its-kind biobank for cats and dogs, and a commitment to sharing what we learn with the industry.”
Another example of how Mars is fostering technology that advances pet health is by providing funding and mentorship to accelerate startups working to unlock access to care through animal-based solutions. artificial intelligence (AI).
And then: invest to improve access to care
As the veterinary profession works to address access to care issues, Mars Veterinary Health and Banfield Pet Hospital announced at the Summit a $25,000 grant to the Veterinary Innovation Council to help create a dynamic website or repository of information about services, programs and resources that already exist in the access to care space.
“This new grant and resource will help veterinary professionals and pet owners more easily explore their options when providing and seeking care for their pets,” said Aléa Harrison, chief medical officer of Banfield Pet Hospital. “This is part of Banfield and Mars’ ongoing commitment to leveraging our size and scale to invest in and deliver tools and resources that benefit the profession as a whole.” »
At last year’s summit, Mars Veterinary Health and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced the creation of a task force to implement the Guide to Positive Pet Care – a resource aimed at strengthening the relationship between veterinary teams and clients in order to provide the best possible care to pets. Since its release in April this year, the Guide has been viewed more than 6,000 times, with hospital teams sharing it with customers on their websites and in their hospitals.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global family business, Mars transforms, innovates and evolves to positively impact the world.
Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food and pet care products and services, we employ more than 140,000 dedicated associates. With over 47 billion dollars in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s most loved brands, including Ben’s Original™, CESAR®Cocoavia®DOVE®ADDITIONAL®KIND®M&M’s®snickers®PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®and WHISKEY®. We are creating a better world for pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™ – using cutting-edge technology to develop groundbreaking programs in genetic screening and DNA testing.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn And Youtube.
About Banfield Pet Hospital®
Banfield Pet Hospital was founded in Portland, ore. in 1955 and today is a pioneer in preventative veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in 42 states, Washington, D.C., Porto RicoAnd Mexico. More than 3,600 Banfield veterinarians are committed to providing high-quality veterinary care to more than three million pets each year. Banfield collects data from each of these visits into the largest electronic veterinary medical records system in the United States. Our goal is to be there for pets, people and society. As a member of the Mars Veterinary Health family of practices, Banfield is committed to its goal: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.® – because pets create a better world for us. Press wishing to obtain additional information are encouraged to call the Media Hotline: (888) 355-0595.
SOURCE Banfield Pet Hospital