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The strong practice network
Arndt Small Animal Centre in Karlsruhe receives computer tomograph - CT
Arndt Small Animal Centre in Karlsruhe receives computer tomograph - CT 150 150Sven Jan Arndt
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The small animal centre now has a computer tomograph specially developed for small and pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs etc., which, due to its technology (digital volume tomography), requires 60% - 90% less radiation than conventional 16-line computer tomographs with up to 30x higher resolution. This protects the animals and improves the diagnostics enormously.

Computer tomograph CT from Vimago
CT from Vimago

This enables us, among other things, to produce 3D images of our patients and at the same time print them out on a 3D printer. This opens up completely new ways, for example in the preparation for surgery:

3D cat head CT dental diagnostics
3D print cat head
3D print cat head for dental diagnostics

Other areas of application for the new computer tomograph at the small animal centre in Durlach are

- dental radiography, e.g. FORL in cats
- but also dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs can be examined very well in detail by means of computer tomography
- diagnosis of tumours and metastases
- setting up of fractures
- preoperative planning of fracture treatment
- imaging of vessels, bile ducts and
gastrointestinal sections with corresponding
contrast media
- placement of probes
- observation of dynamic processes
- heart movement
- swallowing movement (oesophagus imaging)
- integrating implant control during
of the surgical procedure (function similar to a C-arm)
- biopsies
- positioning control before the CT examination

Now: Corona and the video consultation
Now: Corona and the video consultation 1024 1015Sven Jan Arndt
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doc4pets Karlsruhe/Karlsbad offers its customers - especially risk groups and people with animals in quarantine - a daily video consultation hour from 15-21 pm. There, the pet owner has the opportunity to present the problems of his animal using his mobile phone and Google Hangout.

Since we know the previous illnesses of these animals, we then have the possibility to assess whether and to what extent the animal must be brought to one of our practices. If necessary, we also make it possible to pick up the animals. In simple cases we can also deliver prescriptions or medication directly.

How can I use the video consultation hour?

To use this service you can register directly via Google or on our website an appointment which will then be confirmed.

15 minutes of the video consultation hour cost 22.56 EUR according to the GOT (fee schedule for veterinarians).

We wish all our customers that they and their loved ones come through this crisis healthy!

Your doc4pets team

New emergency service GOT in force from today
New emergency service GOT in force from today 150 150Sven Jan Arndt
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As already written before, the new Ordinance on Fees for Veterinary Surgeons - the part concerning emergency services - will come into force as soon as it is published. he publication is today - on 13.02.2020 in the Federal Law Gazette. This new Fourth Ordinance amending the Veterinary Fee Ordinance is therefore directly applicable.

You can download the specific wording here: BGBL Publication Emergency Service GOT

The digital veterinarian
The digital veterinarian 580 720Sven Jan Arndt
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Recently, a "new sow has been driven through the village" - the digital veterinarian. They call themselves Dr.Sam, Pfotendoctor.de etc.

What's a person to think?

First of all, here are some excerpts from the promises of these platforms:

online veterinarian / digital veterinarian
Dr. Sam makes some promises here. The first four points are immediately apparent to us and are certainly correct.

But what about point 5? Immediate certainty!

Certainty about what?

  • that my animal is sick or not?
  • that maybe I should take my pet to a registered veterinarian after all?
  • that I'm paying a fee now for some vague information?

Pfotendoctor.de - Your digital vet goes even further:

  • "Our veterinarians can instantly determine how best to help your pet."
  • "The Fees are based on the official scale of fees for veterinarians. The height is therefore equivalent to any normal visit to a veterinary practice."

In order to be able to assess these statements a little, here is our experience from the daily operation of four small animal practices with well over 40 thousand cases per year:

  • a sick animal can only be examined in a very limited way, if at all via telephone or video chat - primarily it requires the physical inspection of an animal, palpation, fever measurement, control of vital functions, possibly smelling etc.
  • then often further diagnostic measures such as x-rays, ultrasound, CT, MRT and blood count follow
  • only these measures usually allow for a competent diagnosis and the corresponding therapy

Against this background, the following questions about the digital veterinarianarise:

  • how can he measure fever or examine vital functions (e.g. listening to a cat with pulmonary embolism etc.)?
  • how can he tell if a leg is just sprained or even broken?
  • even if he should be recklessly carried away to a remote diagnosis, which is actually forbidden by his professional ethics, what happens next?
  • How can he administer a painkiller or medication?
  • How does he write prescriptions?
  • How does he dress a wound?
  • How does he sew a bite?

One could spin these examples any further. The actual benefit of such a digital veterinarian therefore seems very limited:

The digital veterinarian, if he takes his training and professional ethics seriously, can, in case of doubt, always advise to consult a registered veterinarian or to find a suitable veterinary clinic.

Then the question does indeed arise - what is the advantage of the digital veterinarian?

  • in fact, we have many calls, especially in the emergency service, that actually do not want to come with your animal, but want an "absolution" by telephone, that everything is only half as bad and that you only have to go to the vet the next day - these pet owners can indeed be helped by such a digital vet - a placebo, which benefits the patient owner, but does not spare the animal suffering in case of doubt
  • if the digital veterinarian takes his profession seriously, then, to be fair, he probably has to send at least every second patient owner to a registered veterinarian, just like we did on our phone calls, because this is the only way to alleviate the suffering of an animal
  • The latter, however, costs nothing at your trusted veterinarian and if he should not be available, at the local veterinary clinic or the local veterinary emergency service as telephone information! This is the daily bread and service of every good veterinarian.
  • There are also veterinary clinics and emergency consulting hours nationwide, which are available 24 hours a day. So this alleged advantage of a digital veterinarian is also omitted.

Much more exciting is also the point - neither of the two mentioned platforms is operated by veterinarians - here the imprint of Dr.Sam:

The two directors are economists and not veterinarians. Also, the company's purpose, which is recorded in the commercial register, is rather vague and actually needs to be checked by the corresponding state chamber of veterinary surgeons:

The thing becomes even more exciting with the offerer your digital veterinary surgeon - Pfotendoctor.de:

digital veterinary surgeon - pfotendoctor.de

"The development, creation, marketing and distribution of telematics software." So where here is the reference to veterinary medicine remains hidden from us.

Against this background it is even more interesting, why such a platform charges according to the GOT (fee schedule for veterinarians) (according to own statement see above)? Here our veterinary surgeon chambers seem to sleep a little bit, the chambers that in some places would like to determine the size of the practice sign. Actually only someone who is a licensed veterinarian is allowed to charge according to GOT, or did we misunderstand something?

Also we do not find any of the veterinarians mentioned at Pfotendoctor.de as free or employed veterinarians on the internet! Also there is the term: "Veterinary surgeon, specialist area ophthalmology" so officially not. Should this possibly be a non-existent additional title or specialist veterinary training?

Our conclusion on the digital veterinarian:

  • The benefit of digital veterinarians seems to us to be very limited - what they can do, they get for free on the emergency phone or in every veterinary clinic as information free of charge.
  • The official operators of these platforms presented here do not come from the field of veterinary medicine and do not state this in their corporate purpose
  • So the question remains - is the term "digital veterinarian" / "online veterinarian" an unprotected professional title?
  • Is anyone allowed to settle accounts with such a platform according to the GOT?
  • When will the Federal Veterinary Association or the State Veterinary Associations review this apparently unregulated activity?

Addendum:

In the meantime, the first foreign providers (outside Europe - from Switzerland) are also setting out to cultivate the German market - we saw the following advertisement from pet-care.ch today:

Here the question arises whether and to what extent a non-European company may offer services in the field of veterinary medicine / online veterinarian in the EU, as these are subject to completely different admission criteria than their German colleagues. Behind this specific case is a large Swiss corporation - the Migros Group, which is known for everything, but little or not at all for veterinary medicine.

From when does the new emergency service GOT (fee schedule for veterinarians) apply?
From when does the new emergency service GOT (fee schedule for veterinarians) apply? 150 150Sven Jan Arndt
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The new fee schedule has been approved by the Bundestag and Bundesrat. However, it only comes into force with its publication in the Federal Law Gazette.

In the first two issues of this year from 7.1. and 10.1.2020 nothing has been published yet. Therefore, nobody should yet charge according to the new emergency service fee ordinance.

We'll keep you posted.

New Emergency Service Ordinance / fees from January 2020 (Emergency Service GOT)
New Emergency Service Ordinance / fees from January 2020 (Emergency Service GOT) 1024 722Sven Jan Arndt
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From January 2020, new tariffs for the emergency service of veterinarians (Emergency Service GOT) will apply in accordance with the law passed by the Bundesrat on 20.12.2019.

Justification: Comprehensive emergency service provision in veterinary medicine increasingly at risk

Until now, the costs could hardly be covered by practices or clinics. In order to comply with the Working Hours Act, increased personnel expenditure is necessary and this must be paid for. Therefore, increased fees should help to increase the contribution margin.

In human medicine, collective agreements provide for night and on-call services of up to 36 hours and are compatible with the Working Hours Act. This does not apply to salaried veterinarians - even in emergency service they may only work eight or ten hours at a time and must then take eleven hours of rest. This is also controlled by the trade supervisory authority and violations by veterinary practices/clinics are punished with heavy fines. However, this means a clear lack of personnel, the costs and the specialists are difficult for many practices and clinics to cope with.

Key points of the update of the emergency service GOT

So what concrete legal changes should take place from January 2020?

  • "Emergency service fee": In the future, a mandatory, flat-rate basic fee of 50 euros will be charged for a veterinary emergency outside regular consultation hours.
  • Minimum rate for veterinary services: Emergency services must be billed at least twice the fee rate from the time the law comes into force; optionally, they can be billed at a maximum of up to four times the rate, depending on the amount of work involved (previously a maximum of three times the rate)
  • Changed emergency duty times: The "night time" is extended, it is now on weekdays between 6pm (previously 7pm) in the evening and 8am (previously 7am) in the morning. In addition, new weekend times now apply - previously Saturday was defined as a weekend from 1 pm to Monday 8 am. Now the weekend is extended from Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 8 a.m., for this period the new emergency service fees must be settled. (To be considered for employed veterinarians: These "emergency service times" are not identical with the basic times, from which a night/weekend service surcharge is to be paid according to working hours law).

Especially the last point led to unrest and misunderstandings - our good news for you:

The Federal Veterinary Association makes it clear that with regular consultation hours on Saturday and in the evening until 19 o'clock we are allowed to continue to carry out these consultations without these surcharges and will continue to do so!

The obligation to charge an emergency service fee and at least twice the fee rate shall not apply to services provided during the regular office hours of a veterinary practice, veterinary clinic or other veterinary institution. If a practice offers regular consultation hours on Friday evenings until 20:00 or Saturday mornings, this is not an emergency veterinary service. There is therefore no change to the regular consultation hours.

What's the emergency?

It was important to the German Veterinary Association to also once again record what is an emergency and what should and should not be done in the emergency service. You can find comprehensive information on this in the attached flyer of the Federal Veterinary Association:

Flyer emergency service GOT
Flyer emergency service GOT
Welcome to Karlsruhe Veterinarian Daniel Koch
Welcome to Karlsruhe Veterinarian Daniel Koch 150 150Sven Jan Arndt
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Mr. Koch is German, but has practiced for over 10 years together with his Venezuelan wife in Venezuela (also a veterinarian) and Portugal at various clinics and practices.
The political circumstances of his wife's home country have forced the small family (two adorable daughters) to look for a new home. We are very happy to have Mr. Koch on board and welcome him and his family in cold and rainy Germany!

Welcome Dr.med.vet. Silke Kühne at doc4pets Renchen
Welcome Dr.med.vet. Silke Kühne at doc4pets Renchen 150 150Sven Jan Arndt
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We are very pleased to have won Dr. Kühne, an experienced small animal specialist, for our team in Renchen.

Dr Kühne is no stranger to the region. Before she worked for Dr. Schwing in Friesenheim for many years, she practiced in the practice of Elke Welberts in Lahr.

With Dr. Kühne, we now have three very experienced and highly motivated veterinarians in Renchen, who are available for you in the region of Offenburg, Achern, Bühl and Baden-Baden, both as good family veterinarians with extensive diagnostic possibilities and for more complicated operations.

You can find more information on our Renchen website.

 

doc4pets launches My.pet
doc4pets launches My.pet 1024 603Sven Jan Arndt
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"As veterinarians, we experience it again and again that patient owners come to us with their animals in an emergency and in the excitement have forgotten all documents about the animal. This is humanly understandable. But with chronically ill animals it is often difficult in this situation to find out the pre-treatment or medication. We wanted and want to solve this problem with My.pet - of the digital animal health record among other things," says veterinarian Susanne Arndt.

Mein.pet is a digital patient file primarily for dogs and cats. By means of the microchip ID of the animal and the call name deposited with Tasso, every veterinarian can determine the pre-treatment, existing illnesses and the current medication in an emergency - even if found. This can save lives.

For the pet owner, the digital animal health record has the advantage that he has all the documents about his animal in one place and can access them at any time, even when mobile. They can easily obtain a second opinion or referrals to specialist veterinarians or veterinary clinics are thus made easier and faster.

"What has already proven to be excellent in the human sector is in our opinion also a useful addition in veterinary medicine" says Sven Jan Arndt, Managing Director of doc4pets.

Because we believe in the usefulness/necessity of such a digital animal health record as presented by Mein.pet, we make it available free of charge to both pet owners and veterinarians.

Mein.pet is operated by doc4pets GmbH from Karlsbad and is subject to the strict data protection regulations of Germany. For this reason, no personal data is requested during registration - only an email address is required to activate the service. The further anonymity of the individual patient file, which can only be accessed when logged in, is then under the control of the patient / pet owner himself, for example by blackening laboratory results, findings etc. at the appropriate places. But even without this measure the data securebecause the entire page SSL is encrypted.

Mein.pet explicitly does not offer any veterinary services - it only serves the central administration of data of patient owners!

About doc4pets GmbH:
doc4pets operates several owner-managed small animal practices in southwest Germany. We are independent of investors or chains and are pleased to be able to offer veterinary medicine at a high level with Herz & Verstand at extensive emergency times. You can find our small animal practices at the moment in: