We wanted to take an opportunity to share with you a quick history of the partnership between PVMA and FocusHRO, how it benefits the veterinary industry today, and how you can join the community of supporters to help. In 2011, PvmaAssure (PVMA’s insurance entity) was created to help veterinary practices in Pennsylvania. During this time an association health plan (AHP) was created where these practices could join this universal plan. Unfortunately, that plan was short lived, as the PA Department of Insurance (DOI) ruled that these plans were no longer allowed in the state. Today, more than 30,000 people are insured through AHPs in 14 other states, so the reality of another association plan does exist if Pennsylvania decides to allow them again, or when a plan is built on a model that is not controlled by the DOI. We won’t get into the weeds on that plan, but we are actively working on alternative AHP options for PA Veterinary Practices. Please stay tuned for more information on this.
In 2018, PvmaAssure partnered with FocusHRO to manage the existing clients and help round out the products and services as part of their membership benefit portfolio. FocusHRO since created insurance plans with special underwriting and participation requirements, all of which are an added benefit of being a Member of PVMA. In addition to this, we have designed a unique delivery model to help the personnel in charge of HR, insurances, and benefits at their practice. We call this model Support+™. Through your membership with PVMA you can gain access to products and services that you simply cannot get directly. In our history of serving the PVMA and its Members, we have seen an emerging trend — the sale of locally and privately owned veterinary practices to larger corporations. Upon investigation of this trend, we learned that in many cases the decision to sell as part of an acquisition was due to the growing demands of human resources (HR), benefit administration, and compliance. These practices generally didn’t have a practice manager—and if they did have one, these employees were not certified and trained in the HR discipline. Support+™ addresses this directly, and is designed to not only provide certified HR support, but also to provide ongoing training, tools, tips, and access to additional HR resources. The mutual goal between PVMA and FocusHRO is to help each and every practice perform better in the areas of human resources, streamline HR processes and functions, and ensure your practice has the best plans at the best cost—we review all options every year for our clients. But we don’t stop there. Our partnership agreement also shares the goal of creating additional revenue for PVMA, so when our company earns revenue through serving you, we send a portion of that back to PVMA; which in turn is spent to support you, their Members, veterinary practices across the state, and the industry as a whole.
You will continue to see ads and flyers for this partnership, so when you see the name FocusHRO, think of PVMA. Think of your practice, your profession, and your colleagues in the industry, and know if you choose to work with FocusHRO for your insurance, benefits, and HR needs, that you are giving back to the veterinary industry with a partner dedicated to your cause.
If you are reading this and you think your practice and the staff managing HR could benefit from Support+™, please contact us. Submit a request and select “Support+™” and someone from our team will reach out to explain the program in more detail, answer any questions you have, and help you enroll if you believe the program is right for you.