As of February 13, the proceedings of the 2017 AASV Annual Meeting are available at www.aasv.org/annmtg/proceedings for members to download to their computers and mobile devices.
You’ll find the proceedings available in the following formats:
- The “big book” of all the regular session papers in a single PDF file with a linked table of contents,
- Seminar booklets: a PDF file for each seminar,
- Offline Web app to provide searchable access to papers on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or other mobile device (similar format to the CD ROM we provided in the past),
- Individual papers in the Swine Information Library (https://www.aasv.org/library/swineinfo/).
To access, make sure your AASV membership has been renewed for 2017. You’ll need your AASV Web site username and password to log in – if they’re not handy, contact the AASV office or use the “Reset Password” link in the upper right of the AASV Web site (www.aasv.org) to have them e-mailed to you.
Understanding the VFD and potential liability risks
Any veterinarian who treats food animals must be familiar with the new Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rules and product labels. With these changes in marketing status, some veterinarians are concerned about potential liability. Widespread, significantly increased liability is not foreseen (source: AVMA PLIT Risk Awareness Alert, Fall 2016).
Veterinarians make therapeutic product selection decisions on a daily basis in their practices, and potential liability for such decision-making in a healthcare context is a fact of life. To reduce your risk, remember some of the basic risk- mitigation steps that are applicable any time a veterinarian is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Issue orders, prescriptions, or VFDs, in the context of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) as required by federal and (or) state authorities where you are licensed. Maintain clear and complete records supporting your diagnosis, treatment decisions, and the establishment of a VCPR. Fill out prescription or VFD orders correctly and accurately.
Because extra-label use of VFD drugs is not authorized under the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, VFDs must be in compliance with the product label. Using an electronic VFD service is a good way to reduce the potential for authorizing a VFD in a manner inconsistent with the label. Failure to write VFDs in compliance with the product label will weaken the defense of a veterinarian in litigation or before a state board of veterinary medicine. For those who treat minor species, FDA is aware of the paucity of available therapeutic drugs. The FDA is expected to provide a new Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) addressing the use of VFD drugs in minor species. Once this is finalized, veterinarians should follow the conditions set forth in the CPG when authorizing VFDs for minor species. The FDA issued this revised CPG on December 2, 2016, and it is available at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074659.htm. For additional information about liability concerns with the VFD, visit the Fall 2016 issue of AVMA PLIT Risk Awareness Alert.
VFD Accreditation Module posted
If it is time to renew your veterinary accreditation or you’re just interested in learning a little more about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently posted online the 29th module of the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP), entitled “Veterinary Feed Directive.” This module was designed to familiarize accredited veterinarians with the recent updates to the VFD. The module can be found at the bottom of the NVAP page at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/nvap/ct_aast. This training is targeted at the 65,000 US accredited veterinarians, but is free and available to anyone with internet access.