SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS
Achieving Interoperability
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Speaking the same language to improve pet health outcomes, increase industry optimization, and enhance the pet insurance experience.
Interoperability is the ability of two or more systems to exchange and use health information. Interoperability in animal health care is in its infancy; achieving this goal requires developing efficiencies, technology, and adopting a common language. Achieving interoperability will result in enhanced continuity of pet care, facilitate collaboration between pet health providers, create cost efficiencies, improve responsiveness across the marketplace, and enable better access to pet health information.
Drawing upon lessons from human health, plus efforts already underway in the pet health domain, this panel will explore the challenges, potential benefits, and opportunities of moving towards interoperability within the pet health landscape.
Moderator
Wendy Hauser, DVM
Founder – Peak Veterinary Consulting
Wendy Hauser, DVM is the founder of Peak Veterinary Consulting and has practiced for 35+ years as an associate veterinarian, veterinary practice owner and relief veterinarian. She has worked in the animal health industry as a pet health insurance executive and as a technical services veterinarian. As a strong believer in ‘giving back’, she has served on the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Board of Directors and in the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) governing body, the House of Delegates. She is a member of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee.
Dr. Hauser, passionate about education and innovation, partners with both industry partners (established and start-up/early stage) and individual veterinary hospitals. As a regular presenter at veterinary conferences and frequently published author, she is a thought leader in topics encompassing hospital culture, communication, operations and leadership.
Dr. Hauser lives in the Denver Metro area with her husband Edmond and their black Lab Oliver. She has two grown children; her son is a consultant in the energy field and lives in the Denver Metro area. Her daughter graduated from Tulane School of Medicine and is in the second year of an OB-GYN residency.
Panelists
Jules Benson, BVSc MRCVS
Vice President, Pet Health, and Chief Veterinary Officer – Nationwide
Dr. Jules Benson is Nationwide’s Chief Veterinary Officer and a strategic industry leader focused on ways technology and data can transform the veterinary profession and the lives of animals. A 2004 graduate of the University of Liverpool’s School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Benson practiced clinically in the Philadelphia area before transitioning to roles within the animal health industry. He has spent over a decade in executive roles in the pet health insurance industry.
Dr. Benson brings his experience in marketing, start-ups, and data insights to his role as Nationwide’s chief veterinary officer. He can speak with insight and experience on animal health industry trends, innovation, strategic planning and, of course, veterinary medicine. In addition to leading the Pet Health team at Nationwide, Dr. Benson serves on the Executive Board of the Veterinary Innovation Council (VIC) board, and the MentorVet Advisory Board.
Alex Cohen, MEng
Chief Technology Officer – ABC Intelligence Inc.
Alex Cohen has over a decade of expertise in Data, Analytics, and AI, including five years working with Pet Health Data.
As the Chief Technology Officer of ABC Intelligence, Alex spearheads a team that creates innovative products designed to unlock the full potential of Pet Health Data.
Through their VetGenus platform, Alex and the team harness the power of Data to drive significant advancements in Research, Marketing and Operations, ultimately enhancing the well-being of animals worldwide.
Julie Green, DVM, MS
Director – Veterinary Terminology Services Lab, Veterinary Medical Informatics, Virginia Tech | Va-Md College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Julie Green is a research assistant professor in Veterinary Medical Informatics and lab director of the Veterinary Terminology Services Lab at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. With more than 20 years of experience emphasizing terminology management and standards development, Dr. Green is the lead developer of the Veterinary Extension of SNOMED CT (VetSCT). Her projects include maintaining terminology standards for the USDA Veterinary Services, as well maintaining subsets of diagnostic terms for use in general and specialty practice.
Dr. Green has a DVM from VMCVM and an MS in veterinary informatics from Virginia Tech. She’s published articles in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, and has been a regular speaker at the AVI Talbot Symposium on Informatics. She and her husband own a small animal practice in Virginia where she maintains her skills as a veterinarian while raising two daughters.
Jared Scarbrough
Vice President of Integrations and Analytics – Vetsource
As VP of Integration & Analytics at Vetsource, Jared leads a diverse team of software engineers, quality engineers, and data specialists of all sorts, responsible for delivering cutting edge, high quality, and secure analytics and data-driven services for internal stakeholders, customers, and partners.
Jared began his career serving the veterinary profession over 25 years ago as a software developer, and eventually lead architect, building practice management software at DVM Manager. He has since held technical and business leadership positions with VetData, Covetrus, VetSuccess, and now Vetsource. Jared is a passionate advocate for the secure, ethical, and effective use of data in the veterinary industry.