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FTC Takes Second Action Against Private Equity Firm, Increased Scrutiny of Veterinary Hospital Acquisitions

June 30, 2022 Admin

The FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC), which seeks to protect consumers and promote competition, has recently taken a SECOND ACTION (within…

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Posted in: FTC, Hospital Groups, JAB, PRIVATE EQUITY, Veterinary

Federal Trade Commission Intervenes in Private Equity Firm’s Acquisition of Veterinary Hospitals, Citing Antitrust Concerns

June 18, 2022 Admin

The FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, which seeks to protect consumers and promote competition, has ordered JAB Consumer Partners, to divest veterinary…

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Posted in: FTC, Hospital Groups, JAB, PRIVATE EQUITY, Veterinary

New Data Shows Increase in Number of Dogs and Cats Killed in U.S. Animal Shelters for First Time in 5 Years

June 11, 2022 Admin

Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization that promotes pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter, recently RELEASED…

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Posted in: Adoption, Animal Shelters

INVESTIGATION: Texas Veterinary Disciplinary Records Missing on TBVME Public Lookup Tool

June 6, 2022 Admin

INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY: Six years ago, lawmakers called on the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME), the state agency tasked…

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Posted in: Veterinary, Veterinary State Boards

NAPHIA Releases State of the Industry Report 2022

May 30, 2022 Admin

The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) recently RELEASED its annual State of the Industry (SOI) Report for 2022.…

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Posted in: Insurance

BluePearl in Phoenix AZ becomes First-ever brick-and-mortar AAHA Accredited End-of-Life Care practice

May 15, 2022 Admin

BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital (BluePearl), one of the largest specialty and emergency veterinary practices in the U.S., recently…

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Posted in: Mars Petcare, Veterinary

Customers and Staff Blindsided after Vet Hospital in Oakland, CA Abruptly Closes

April 29, 2022 Admin

Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, California shut down last week, leaving clients scrambling to find care for their pets according…

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Posted in: Closure, Hospital Groups, PRIVATE EQUITY, Thrive Pet Healthcare, Veterinary

Pet Paradise Veterinary Care Rebrands Itself as ‘NewDay Veterinary Care’

April 15, 2022 Admin

Pet Paradise, a comprehensive pet care provider offering daycare, overnight boarding, grooming and veterinary care recently ANNOUNCED a change of…

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Posted in: Hospital Groups, Veterinary

PetSmart Announces Exclusive Partnership with Nom Nom

April 8, 2022 Admin

PetSmart which operates approximately 1,660 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, recently ANNOUNCED an exclusive partnership…

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Posted in: Mars Petcare, Pet Food, PetSmart

DTC Dog Food Brand Spot & Tango Raises $38.5M Series B Funding Round

March 23, 2022 Admin

Spot & Tango, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) dog food brand, recently ANNOUNCED that it raised $38.5 million Series B funding round…

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Posted in: Pet Food, PRIVATE EQUITY, Startups

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  • VCA Animal Hospitals Shrinks its Urgent Care Footprint March 1, 2025

THE CORPORATIZATION OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

The acquisition of private-owned animal hospitals by corporate entities such as veterinary consolidators has grown exponentially since 2011, and accelerated in 2017 -- market share has tripled in the last 6 years. Its largely invisible to most pet owners because consolidators view the corporatization of a practice as a marketing liability. Today, nearly 1 out of 3 general practices in the U.S. are owned by consolidators -- operate larger practices and account for 50% of all client visits. Corporate practices will not return to being independently owned again -- irreversible unless consumers push back against industry consolidation.
Are Consolidators Helping or Hurting Veterinary Medicine?

MAJORITY OF CORPORATE PRACTICES LED BY NON-VETERINARIANS
Study conducted by CARE for Pets™ reveals that the majority of consolidators are led by non-veterinarians. Doctors are more often managed by non-veterinary professionals with no experience in the pet medical world. Consolidators require significantly greater revenue to be profitable due to its large infrastructure of managers and support teams -- multiple levels of management that are highly incentivized. The support center is often located in a different state, far from its individual practices -- support staff often lack industry experience.
CEOs of Veterinary Consolidators and Hospital Groups

 

IS PATIENT CARE IMPACTED BY COMMISSION-BASED PAY?
Today, approximately 2 out of 3 full time associate veterinarians are paid on "production" -- how much revenue they bring into the practice. Compensation models for veterinarians consist either of a fixed salary, salary plus commission, or 100% commission -- doctor pay up to 25% of sales. A new full market investigation abroad will focus on incentive-based compensation of veterinary professionals.

 

IS INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM?
In the next decade, less than 10 large corporate groups will own, operate and control 6 out of 10 general practices based on current u.s. trends and abroad -- reaching at least 70 to 80% without opposition. A consolidated market with many complaints of higher prices and lower quality of care. Major consolidators plan merger to create giant network of more than 730 veterinary hospitals -- industry expert says it’s unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission would block the merger.

 

AFFORDABILITY CRISIS: VETERINARY CARE PRICES RISING RAPIDLY
Today, news media reports cost of vet care increased 8% in past year -- historically 3%. Many practices raised prices 20 to 40%. Insurance companies seek premium increases up to 56% -- provider drops coverage for 100,000 pets citing high vet costs. Corporations often offer higher salaries, benefits and substantial signing bonuses -- retention bonus up to $250k.
What's Behind the High Cost of Veterinary Care?

 

IS PRIVATE EQUITY SADDLING VETERINARY SECTOR WITH DEBT?
Since 2017, private equity firms invested more than $60 billion in the veterinary sector -- serial acquisitions. The use of debt financing and arbitrage caused sale prices of vet practices to more than double -- outbid independent doctors. Several larger consolidators have billions of dollars in outstanding debt.

 

THE VETERINARY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS UNDER-REGULATED
First-of-its-kind study conducted by CARE for Pets™ reveals 2 out of 3 independent practices sold are acquired by corporate consolidators -- consolidation continues unabated with minimal federal and no state regulatory scrutiny.

 

THE VOICE FOR COMPANION ANIMALS.™ - ADVOCACY PLATFORM
The BETTER Platform,™ operated by CARE for Pets,™ enables both pet owners and pet care professionals to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions on improving veterinary care, to provide the best care for all companion animals.

 

PETS.CARE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES THE COMPANION PLATFORM™
The COMPANION Platform™ is the internet’s first and only public-facing practice ownership search engine for veterinary practices. Consolidators typically boast on their individual practice websites that their hospital has been part of the community for decades, and fail to disclose any recent changes in ownership to pet owners -- may impact costs, quality of veterinary medicine and culture of the practice.

 

CASE STUDY: Lack of Ownership Transparency in Veterinary Practices

Study conducted by CARE for Pets™ reveals many veterinary consolidators communicate misleading statements about ownership information on their individual practice websites which is most likely to create a false impression to pet owners that the practice is independently owned and locally operated. Most veterinary practices acquired by corporate consolidators often retain their original company name and may purposely avoid corporate ownership identification -- hide ownership.
Is Your 'Local' Animal Hospital Corporate-Owned?

COMMON PERCEPTIONS ABOUT CORPORATE PRACTICES
There is a common perception in the pet care industry that many corporate-owned veterinary practices prioritize profits over patient care -- doctors feel more pressure to generate revenue and see more clients per shift. A common strategy for consolidators is to increase revenue by raising prices after an acquisition -- increase in upselling to clients. Studies in human medicine show that private equity takeovers are linked to rising costs for patients and sinking quality of care. Understanding private equity investments in human medicine will provide insight into its potential impact to veterinary medicine.
Common Perceptions of Corporate Veterinary Practices

WHO OWNS, OPERATES AND CONTROLS THE PRACTICE?
CARE for Pets™ officially launches VERIFIED,™ the first and only veterinary practice ownership verification online tool for the pet care industry -- do you know who owns your vet? Consolidators buying hospitals often require the selling doctor to stay at the veterinary practice for 1 to 4 years post-sale and may fail to disclose change of ownership to pet owners -- "golden handcuffs." Advertising is ethical when there are no false, deceptive, or misleading statements or claims.

 

HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OF PRIVATE EQUITY M&A DEALS
Today, 3 out of 4 specialty and emergency hospitals in the U.S. are owned by corporate consolidators -- state legislator asks Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to scrutinize closure of emergency hospital. Private equity firms increasingly engage in roll up strategies that allow them to accrue market power off the commission’s radar -- senators urged the FTC and congress to take stronger action against consolidation in the veterinary care industry.
FTC Intervenes PE Acquisition Citing Antitrust Concerns

 

EXIT-DRIVEN STRATEGY: BUYING UP HOSPITALS TO SELL
Roll-ups, a common strategy for consolidators, buys many veterinary practices and combines them into a larger organization to obtain a higher valuation -- grow rapidly. The entity is typically resold within 3 to 5 years to another consolidator for a substantial profit. Hospital groups sell for 100s of millions of dollars -- many times over $1 billion.
Flipping Hospitals Reap Large Profits for Consolidators

CONSOLIDATORS PRIORITIZING PROFITS OVER PATIENTS
Our research shows that common complaints among employees of corporate-owned veterinary practices say their employers prioritize short-term profits -- numerous red flags. Reading company reviews at popular job websites about the corporate consolidator that owns the individual practice can provide greater insight into the company's true priorities, work conditions, culture, and leadership. However, gag clauses are on the rise which may silence doctors and staff -- stifle public debate about the effects of rapid veterinary consolidation.
Common Employee Complaints of Veterinary Consolidators

 

ARE CONSOLIDATORS EXACERBATING VET SHORTAGE?
First-of-its-kind study reveals that veterinarians working in corporate practices reported feeling more pressure than those in private practice to generate revenue and see more clients per shift. There is a large mismatch between employees' purpose and consolidators -- employees and clients blindsided by abrupt closure of hospital. Consolidators primary focus on profits is negatively impacting the workplace culture -- cause burnout and drives workers away from the profession.

 

CONSOLIDATORS ENDLESS PURSUIT OF PROFITS
Large consolidators often make hundreds of millions of dollars a year while many of its employees struggle to earn a livable wage and owners deal with high vet bills -- consolidator launches sale process. The prioritization of profits will continue indefinitely unless workers and consumers pushback.

 

ACCELERATE POSITIVE CHANGE IN PET CARE INDUSTRY
As "the internet's most trusted consumer advocate for the pet care industry,"™ CARE for Pets™ seeks to empower pet owners to effect positive change in the pet care industry in order to provide the best care for all companion animals.
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