The 2025 Veterinary Innovation Summit has come and gone, but what was said in Kansas City in early September will echo for a while. Whether it was a thought-provoking line from keynote speaker Dave deBronkart (“e-Patient Dave”) or a tell-it-like-it-is statement from Dr. Beth Venit of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, attendees got their fill of insight and advice during the three-day event. Here are a few sound bites, relayed verbatim.
- Matt Salois, Veterinary Management Groups CEO and former AVMA economics guru, on the push for midlevel professionals in veterinary medicine: “The U.S. health system has relied on midlevels for decades, yet costs continue to rise and productivity remains elusive. Copying that model in veterinary medicine ignores both history and economics.”
- Animal Policy Group founder Mark Cushing on the same topic: “The marketplace spoke up in one state. (Colorado) voters and pet owners said, ‘We need more care, and we need more care that’s accessible, and this will help.’”
- Vetsource Vice President Sheri Gilmartin on 2025 trends: “The top 25% of patients make up 51% of visits and 65% of revenue.”
- MyBalto Foundation CEO Dr. Robert Parkins on technology: “The nice thing about technology is it is leveling the playing field for everyone. Now you, as an individual practice, can be faster, you can have your AI notes, you can have a pharmacy that does compounding for you. You don’t need to be part of a corporate group to do so.”
- Keynote speaker and self-described nurse economist Shawna Butler on artificial intelligence: “I hear this all the time: ‘AI is going to replace me.’ It’s not, it’s not. It’s a tool to help you do your jobs better, to do the things that really, really, really matter. It’s not going to replace any clinician. It’s just going to replace the things that clinicians shouldn’t be doing.”
- Nationwide Pet chief veterinary officer Dr. Emily Tincher on leveraging team members: “Practices that have a greater than 1-to-3 vet-to-technician ratio are more profitable. They, per doctor, bring in more revenue.”
- Emancipet CEO Cheryl Katon on low-cost veterinary clinics: “There is a stigma around nonprofits. (At Emancipet), our incident rates are lower than industry standards. The training is pretty rigorous for all our new doctors. Nonprofit does not mean low quality by any stretch.”