Instructor and Chief of Staff (South Clinic)

Dr. Pavlovsky is a 2003 graduate of Ontario Veterinary College of the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada). He spent 17 years in general practice before joining the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine faculty team in 2020. Dr. Pavlovsky currently serves as the Chief of Staff for the Dr. John A. Coyne South Clinic, which is part of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and as head of the Small Animal Primary Care Service. In 2023, he achieved board certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Canine and Feline Practice. His clinical interests lie in behavior, anesthesia/analgesia, management of chronic diseases and nutrition.

Optimizing the Referral Process: Review of Updated AAHA Referral Guidelines

Having been a primary care veterinarian for many years and, more recently, being part of a large specialty hospital, I have frequently found myself on both sides of the referral process. I have experienced both the benefits and pitfalls of the relationship between referring veterinarians and specialists. In 2023-2024, I served on the AAHA Referral Guidelines Task Force and helped write the Guidelines which were published earlier this year. The document was the culmination of many hours of deliberations between various AVMA-recognized veterinary specialists and primary care veterinarians that produced a consensus based on practical experience and expert opinion. In this presentation, I hope to outline the major recommendations made by the authors of the Guidelines.