Insights
Federal Oversight Comes for Veterinary College Accreditation
In a column for Today’s Veterinary Business, Mark Cushing examines the escalating controversy surrounding the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education (COE), the accreditor of veterinary colleges in the United States and Canada, arguing that the body’s authority is…
Legislation Updates Across the Animal Health and Veterinary Space
In the March 2026 issue of Animal Health News & Views, Mark Cushing and Loren Breen share what Animal Policy Group is seeing in statehouses this session. Each year the firm sifts through more than 10,000 bills across the veterinary,…
Connecting Workforce Shortages, Costs, and Access to Care
In a column for Today’s Veterinary Business, Mark Cushing examines how veterinary workforce shortages, rising costs, and access to care are intertwined rather than isolated challenges. Cushing traces the debate over whether a true veterinarian shortage exists and how economic…
Let’s Act Quickly on These Critical Issues
In a recent column for Today’s Veterinary Business, Mark Cushing makes a case that the veterinary profession is hampered by two fixable policy failures: restrictive license portability rules and the absence of a Spanish-language version of the North American Veterinary…
A Year to Remember (and Forget)
In a wide-ranging year-end analysis for Today’s Veterinary Business, Mark Cushing reviews the regulatory, legal, and economic developments that shaped the veterinary industry in 2025 and outlines what remains unresolved as the profession moves into 2026. Cushing examines several major…
Spectrum of Care Looms Large in Debate over Access to Care
Mark Cushing of the Animal Policy Group explores the growing relevance of “Spectrum of Care” in veterinary medicine in his latest column for Animal Health News and Views. While nearly every organization now acknowledges the term, Cushing argues that few…
A Must-Read for Pet Care Providers
In his latest piece for Animal Health News and Views, Mark Cushing of the Animal Policy Group breaks down the findings of PetSmart Charities’ new State of Pet Care Study, conducted with Gallup. The report underscores just how deeply Americans…
Denver’s New Pet Deposit Program Helps Renters and Their Roommates…with Tails
The city of Denver’s District 10 is making it easier for renters to keep their four-legged roommates—no job, no rent money, but suddenly very expensive. The new Denver Pet Deposit Assistance Program was initiated by APPA with its focus on…
Denver’s New Pet Deposit Program Helps Renters and Their Roommates…with Tails
The city of Denver’s District 10 is making it easier for renters to keep their four-legged roommates—no job, no rent money, but suddenly very expensive. The new Denver Pet Deposit Assistance Program was initiated by APPA with its focus on…
The Latest Policy Issues on the Veterinary Horizon
Mark Cushing of the Animal Policy Group recently outlined three critical policy shifts reshaping veterinary care in his May column for Animal Health News and Views. He highlighted Colorado’s trailblazing move to license Veterinary Professional Associates (VPAs)—a mid-level role akin…