Feline Medicine Sunday, March 14, 2010 Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA The Lodge Conference Center Featuring: Deb Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University 8:30 am – 3:40 pm   7 CE Hours   Click here for more information.

Red Flags Rule to affect veterinary practices delayed until April 2010 For the third time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has postponed the date it will begin imposing its new rule that may affect your veterinary practice. The new effective date is April 1, 2010. The "Red Flags" Rule, 16 C.F.R. § 681.2, requires "creditors" and "financial institutions" to develop written plans to prevent and detect identity theft. The rule is a section of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act ("FACT Act") of 2003, a federal law which requires the establishment of guidelines for financial institutions and creditors regarding identity theft. Any veterinary practice that receives payment after services are provided, even if it's collected in full after the animal is discharged from the hospital, is considered a "creditor" under the law. In addition to the required written plans, the "Red Flags" Rule requires training of all employees to implement the program, and oversight of your vendors and service providers to ensure they also provide sufficient precautions to prevent, detect and mitigate identity theft. The rule also identifies 26 "Red Flags" that are indicators of the risk of identity theft. Not all of the red flags will apply to your practice, and you may identify additional red flags as you evaluate your practice. Click here for more information.

State Veterinary Board Passes Rules that Affect Continuing Education for Veterinarians and Technicians  Veterinarians Required to Have CE in Professionalism, Legal Matters Starting in 2009  Technicians Must Have 10 CE Hours Every Two Years At the meeting of the State Board of Veterinary Medicine on August 27, the Board approved a motion to require all veterinarians to have at least two hours of continuing education in Georgia laws, rules and professionalism. The amendment to Board Rule 700-7-.03 was posted for public comment by the Secretary of State's office in June, and was passed unanimously by the Board. The amended rule will effectively begin on January 1, 2009, as part of the standard biennial veterinary license renewal process, and will be required for relicensure at the end of 2010. Of complaints against veterinarians brought before the State Board, cases involving communications issues are the most common. The Board cited a number of cases where veterinarians have been required to obtain continuing education in ethics as part of the case resolution as an impetus for the new rule amendment. Required education in professionalism, ethics and legal matters is common for licensed professionals. The State Board has also passed a new rule requiring Registered Veterinary Technicians to obtain at least 10 hours of continuing education every two years as part of the technician's biennial licensure renewal process. With a very similar renewal process as veterinarians, veterinary technicians seeking to maintain certification with the state will be required to maintain records of approved continuing education attended between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. RVTs who have not met the minimum CE requirements for the biennial will not be eligible for renewal of certification. A veterinary technician initially licensed during the first year of a biennium must obtain five hours of continuing education. A veterinary technician licensed during the second year of a biennium is exempt from obtaining continuing education for that renewal period.