MEMBER RESOURCES

NEWS

MVMA Report to the GSLVMA

March 5, 2015

The MVMA Executive Board met on January 22, 2015 in St. Charles, Missouri.

The AVMA is undertaking a strategic planning initiative and will be contacting members. The AVMA asks that you please respond to any emails sent to you. AVMA is continuing ot work on defeating the "Fairness To Pet Owners Act," otherwise known as the "Walmart Bill." This piece of legislation would require practitioners to provide a written prescription to pet owners on any medications dispensed (including medications dispensed in clinic). There is also an online practice management course available on the AVMA website.

A number of bills affecting veterinary medicine were discussed. Missouri House Bill 79 seeks to change the laws regarding confiscation of animals. Unless the language in the bill addresses the issue of a veterinarian's protection from liability for the care and safe keeping of confiscated animals, the MVMA opposes this bill. Senate Bill 39 would move oversight of the Animal Care Act & Canine Cruelty Prevention Act from the Department of Agriculture to the Division of Registration. The MVMA is concerned with the lack of expertise in animal care of the Division of Professional Registration and therefore opposes the bill at this time. Several versions of bills calling for prescription drug monitoring programs were discussed. The MVMA remains neutral on these bills as long as veterinarians continue to be exempt.

Veterinary Day at the Capitol is scheduled for March 3, 2015. Attendees are encouraged to talk to their respective legislatures and speak with them as a source of information on vetgerinary medicine and legislative issues.

The continuing education requirement of 20 hours was discussed. The board is currently working on ways the CE hours can be acquired. The MVMA encourages members to submit ideas for webinars were are available through the MVMA.

The 2016 MVMA Convention is scheduled to take place at TanTarA resort in Lake of the Ozarks. The 2017 MVMA Convention is tentatively scheduled to take place in Columbia, Missouri.

The newly appointed Board of Governors to the MVMA are:

  • Dr. David Prigel (Republic) Board Chair

  • Dr. Charles Barry (Warrensburg) President

  • Dr. Mel Falk (Independence) Vice President

  • Dr. Cliff Miller (Moberly) Vice-President Elect

  • Dr. Sheila Taylor (Springfield) Secretary

The MVMA continues to provide members with valuable benefits. These include: legislative and governmental representation, public relations, rabies vaccination and titer programs, discounts to the CVC, continuing education and the new MWI Advantage Program (see the MVMA website).

Respectfully,

Mark J. Lux, DVM
mlux@stlouisvma.org

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An Invitation to Recent Graduates: AVMA Leadership Conference

August 18, 2014

The MVMA sends a limited number of young veterinarians (graduated 7 years or less) to join the MVMA officers and delegates at the AVMA Leadership Conference in Chicago, January 8-11, 2015. If you are a young veterinarian with an interest in developing your leadership skills and getting more involved in organized veterinary medicine, please send an email expressing your interest to Richard Antweiler (rantweiler@movma.org).

- MVMA Executive Report (August 2014)

Missouri Farming Rights Amendment

May 8, 2014

The GSLVMA supports the Missouri Farming Rights Amendment. If passed, the measure would add a section to the Missouri state constitution allowing people to raise livestock in a humane manner without the state imposing an undue economic burden on animal owners. The following language will appear on the ballot:

This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributed to the original source.

Official Ballot Title:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed?

The potential costs or savings to governmental entities are unknown, but likely limited unless the resolution leads to increased litigation costs and/or the loss of federal funding.

Fair Ballot Language:

A "yes" vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to guarantee the rights of Missourians to engage in farming and ranching practices, subject to any power given to local government under Article VI of the Missouri Constitution.

A "no" vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding farming and ranching.

If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Visit the Missouri Farmers Care website for more information: http://mofarmerscare.com/farming-rights-amendment/

Farming Rights Amendment (as viewed on the 2014 ballot): http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2014ballot/

Missouri Farm Bureau Informational Website: http://www.keepmissourifarming.com/

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MVMA Updates

February 12, 2014

Your Executive Board met Thursday January 30, 2014 during the MVMA Convention in Tan-Tar-A. Some highlights of the meeting include:

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Missouri Governor Jay Nixon's Response to the State Rabies Bill

January 3, 2014

Please CLICK HERE to download a copy of Gov. Jay Nixon's response to the state rabies bill.

Veterinarians Not Eligible for NPIs, CMS Clarifies

November 5, 2013

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has become aware of cases in which veterinarians are told, incorrectly, that they must provide a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number for prescriptions they have written to be dispensed. The agency has issued a clarification, stressing that veterinarians do not meet the regulatory definition of "health care provider," and thus may not obtain NPI numbers.

The clarification also states that "Any entity that insists veterinarians obtain an NPI [is] attempting to require veterinarians to obtain NPIs fraudulently." CMS also notes that "if a veterinarian fulfills the definition of 'health care provider' in a profession other than furnishing veterinary services," such as if they are also a nurse practitioner, "the veterinarian would be eligible for an NPI but would select a Nurse Practitioner code (not a Veterinarian code) from the Healthcare Provider Taxonomy Code Set when applying for an NPI."

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MVMA Updates

October 8, 2013

The Missouri Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board met in Columbia, MO on September 29th. The Executive Board is comprised of the President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Board Chairperson and a Delegate from each of the 9 districts in the State.

Meeting Highlights:

  • Changes to the By-Laws were presented to the board for approval. The proposed changes will be published in the Quarterly and a ballot will be sent to membership for approval.

  • There is a proposed increase in dues. Association policy states that dues increases should average 1.5% per year. As of May 2014 (when dues are collected), it will have been three years since the last increase. Current dues for active members are $272 per year. The proposed increase is $12 ($284 per year).

  • Please update your profile on the MVMA website. We are especially in need of legislative contacts (relatives, friends, clients, etc.). There is a box to check on your profile for this purpose.

  • The MVMA is looking for recent graduates who are interested in becoming more involved in organized veterinary medicine. There are leadership conferences available. Please contact Dr. Marziani (bmarziani@stlouisvma.org) or myself (mlux@stlouisvma.org) if you are interested.

  • The 2014 MVMA Convention is scheduled for January 31 – February 2 at Tan-Tar-A in Lake of the Ozarks . In addition to some great CE opportunities, this is a great way to see how your state association is working for you.

  • The MVMA has a number of webinars available for CE. Mr. Gregory Dennis, MVMA general counsel, will be presenting some new and interesting topics.

  • Dean Neil Olsen discussed the current state of the College of Veterinary Medicine and revealed that over the last 2 years, 100% of graduates from UMC-CVM are employed.

  • There is current discussion on increasing the recommended number of CE hours from 10 to 20 hours per year. Please let me know your opinions on this.

Respectfully,

Mark J. Lux, DVM
mlux@stlouisvma.org

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