Not ALL Of Your Clients Are Crazy!December 12, 2013 It’s easy to dismiss "unusual” clients as "different.” They may have strange requests or describe bizarre signs in their pets. They may seem extravagant or eccentric. But sometimes, just sometimes, their description is perfectly truthful. Such was the case with Ms. Smith, who brought Joshua for a consultation. The 3-year-old male beagle has some strange neurological signs. Or so Ms. Smith said. She had been dismissed as "crazy” by three previous colleagues. Ms. Smith main complaint was that Joshua could not wag or lift his tail. That seemed hardly an issue. But Ms. Smith wasn’t happy with that situation and wanted an explanation. After quizzing the owner at length, a few interesting facts came up: • Joshua sometimes had difficulty urinating and/or defecating. • He occasionally would bite his right hind leg. • At times, he would have tremors "because he is in pain,” the owner insisted. • Despite tramadol and prednisone, and in spite of seeing three different vets, Joshua kept getting worse over time. Ms. Smith became increasingly frustrated that nobody took her seriously. And then we met. Joshua was a happy, healthy, 3-year-old beagle. His physical exam was unremarkable. The neurological exam revealed …
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Simple Service Ideas That Enrich Vet Clients’ ExperiencesDecember 4, 2013 Here are simple service ideas that will strengthen client relationships and generate referrals. Wendy S. Meyers Give welcome bags filled with goodies to new clients. Get canvas bags imprinted with your clinic logo, phone number and website (courtesy The Cat Specialist, Castle Rock, Colo.). Stuff bags with slip leashes, pet food measuring cups, magnets, emergency clinic info, and other giveaways Set up new client records during scheduling calls. Imagine a new client visiting with her fussy toddler and Jack Russell tugging at the leash. You hand her a clipboard with a new client registration form. You’ll likely get incomplete and illegible information. Instead, enter her contact information in your practice-management software during the scheduling call. Provide driving directions and offer to contact her previous veterinarian to get medical records before her pet’s visit. If phone lines are ringing and clients are lined up, offer to email her a link to your website where she can complete your new client registration form online. Completing paperwork in advance will let you start the first visit on time rather than having 15 minutes of valuable exam time eaten up with …
A Complete Vet Appointment On WheelsDecember 3, 2013Modern veterinary practice continues to become more centralized and veterinarians have increasingly more options for deciding where the center of their practice resides. Whether you move your practice from room to room or farm to farm, flexibility in workflow and the demand for complete services are undergoing a similar evolution and it is broadening the opportunities for profitable mobile practice. Your goal for any appointment is as close to complete service as possible. This can be difficult under any circumstance, but it’s particularly challenging with mobile services. How does one deliver everything the client and patient need from the confines of a vehicle? Your Goals For many veterinarians who dream of the freedom and independence of mobile practice, answering this question can be the main obstacle to their working on the road. Remember, the goal is a complete appointment. You want to be able to diagnose, treat, prescribe, document, charge and collect payment to the fullest extent possible. To do this you will need quality, easy-to-use equipment and a system of time management. With time and distance you can cover in any one day limited, delivering complete, profitable appointments …
Wellness Plans Allow Vet Clients To Budget For Pets’ Preventive CareDecember 3, 2013 In the minds of most veterinarians there’s a plan for just about every pet they see to ensure that pet’s immediate and long-term medical needs. But the reality, according to proponents of wellness plans, is that those details too often go unrelated to pet owners. "We really do have a full-year plan for their pets in our head,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary medical officer with Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif. "When a pet comes in you look at the age, where they live, and other factors, and you formulate a plan.” It’s a detailed plan, Dr. McConnell said, adding, "But we’re clearly not good an explaining it to clients.” VPI in January launched a wellness service for veterinarians to offer clients called "Preventive & Wellness Services, which McConnell pronounces as "paws.” "We are basically positing ourselves as a silent partner with veterinarians,” McConnell said. She said the service is proving popular, with between 2,000 and 3,000 plans across the U.S. in place through more than 100 practices. Jeffrey S. Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, senior vice president and …
Business Builder: Word Makeovers Can Boost Compliance And Grow RevenueNovember 15, 2013 While consulting at a practice where dental compliance was 17 percent, I shadowed exams to determine why clients weren’t accepting treatment for their pets. The first exam revealed answers. After the veterinarian explained his diagnosis of grade 3 dental disease, he said, "The girls up front will give you an estimate when you check out.” After the client paid, the receptionist said, "Here’s your dental estimate.” The client left without scheduling the procedure. Extreme Makeover A communication makeover would significantly improve client compliance, patient care and hospital revenue. Taking the practice from its current 17 percent dental compliance to the AAHA benchmark of 38 percent 1 could bring $274,561 in additional revenue over the next 12 months (see Table 1). Five communication shortcomings were the cause in this practice. First, employees used the term "estimate” instead of "treatment plan.” Second, treatment plans were handed to clients without interactive conversations. Third, clients received treatment plans in the public lobby. Would you feel comfortable asking medical or financial questions with an audience? Next, front-desk employees gave clients treatment plans. Technicians, who perform dentistry, would be more skilled at explaining treatment plans in exam rooms. …
Keeping An Eye Out For ZebrasNovember 15, 2013 For many of us, the Veterinary Dental Forum has become a homecoming of sorts, an assurance that we will gather with old friends and meet new ones with similar interests every year. This year’s VDF met in New Orleans, and I am writing as I travel home from the group’s 27th annual conference. It is the nation’s—if not the world’s—largest annual conference dedicated to veterinary dentistry and oral surgery. The three-day educational experience is presented by the Veterinary Dental Oversight Group, VDF conference management, sponsors, exhibitors, lecturers, lab coordinators, instructors and many more. This year’s VDF offered fundamental, intermediate and advanced series, original clinical research, wildlife/exotics, equine and technician tracks. Wet labs were offered in a variety of fields, including canine and feline extractions, endodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics and maxillofacial surgery. Piezoelectric Surgery I taught a laboratory on piezoelectric surgery, a relatively new technology in veterinary dentistry and oral surgery. Ultrasonic surgery’s use in dentistry was first documented in 1953.1 Recent advances have allowed for clinical improvements in cutting and shaping bone with piezoelectric technology. The passage of an electric current across ceramic crystals modifies them and causes oscillations. Voltage applied to a polarized …
They Ate What? Pet X-Ray Contest 2012 WinnersNovember 5, 2013 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews It’s that time of year again. Veterinary Practice News puts out the call for radiographs relating to animals that have eaten weird things. And veterinarians have responded in kind. As usual, the entries didn’t disappoint. Veterinary Practice News team members, who judged the contest, selected Gary Sloniker, DVM, of Spooner Veterinary Clinic in Spooner, Wis., as this year's grand prize winner. He submitted a radiograph of a Lab puppy who chowed down on a fishing pole. "This year’s entries show once again how important radiography is to the veterinary practice,” said Greg Stoutenburgh, director of marketing for Sound-Eklin of Carlsbad, Calif., contest sponsor. Dr. Sloniker wins a digital single lens reflex camera and the two runners-up each win a digital point-and-shoot camera. Be sure to check out all of the winners below. And if you enjoy this article, please check out these other contest winners: They Ate What? 2011 Pet X-ray Contest Winners 2013 Pet X-ray Contest Winners: They Ate What? Grand Prize Winner Gary Sloniker, DVM Spooner Veterinary Clinic Spooner, Wis. The clients …
Hospice: The Last HopeOctober 28, 2013 At the last big conference I attended, I spent some time meandering through the exhibit hall and seeing what was new out there in the veterinary profession. I couldn’t help but notice that there were MANY more companies offering pet insurance than I’d ever seen before, and the policies for each were quite different from the others. I quizzed the representatives about some of my major questions regarding genetic/breed inherited problems, discount for veterinary professionals and claims coverage. A colleague of mine was along, and she was asking about coverage for claims regarding hospice care, as there are insurance companies out there that will not cover hospice services. She received an affirmative answer from a few, meaning they would cover this type of care. But one of the representatives (whose company name will go unmentioned) said that they only pay for hospice services up until the time when a veterinarian recommends euthanasia; so nothing pays beyond the time that statement is issued. In fact, there has to be a written statement from the veterinarian saying that euthanasia is recommended. This made absolutely no sense to me, and if you and/or your practice are looking at pet insurance companies, it’s …
The Silver LiningOctober 9, 2013 Recently, my community was blasted with a windy storm pushing gusts of over 80 mph. We only sustained minor damage to our new fence, while some around us had entire trees blow over, and in other areas many houses and garages were severely damaged. As the people pick up the pieces, literally, and try to move forward through their own personal tragedy, it occurs to me that even in the midst of such loss, there is someone who gains … the fence company who has new repair jobs, the construction crews who will rebuild houses and garages, the tree guy who cuts up and hauls off those fallen trees, for a price of course. Everywhere you look, when someone suffers, someone gains. I sat next to a geologist on a plane once who was hoping for a bitter, icy winter—his company sells ice for the roads. There are always two sides of the story, so to speak, and the most important thing is to remain sensitive to that other side; you don’t celebrate the new job when a family has lost their home, for example, at least not in their presence. Also, their decisions, whether …
Don’t Risk Losing Your Pharmacy IncomeSeptember 30, 2013 When faxing prescription authorization requests to veterinarians, 1-800-PetMeds now asks you to provide the next exam due date. Be cautious; this may be a marketing strategy to get your clients to refill prescriptions before their preventive care exams. If clients already have preventives and other medications, they won’t need to buy drugs from your hospital. Veterinarians own majority market share of the $4 billion pet medication market.1 But Internet and retail pharmacies have tasted success with flea/tick sales, and now they’re hungry for pet prescriptions, which are projected to grow to $9.3 billion in 2015.2 The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reports that pharmacy, food and over-the-counter product income makes up 26 percent of gross income in small animal practices.3 If pharmacy income shifts to retail and Internet pharmacies, most hospitals couldn’t raise professional fees enough to counter the income decline. Follow these proactive strategies to protect your in-clinic pharmacy. Refill medications during exams. Your technician would say, "For your preventive care visit, we will do a nose-to-tail exam, vaccines, intestinal parasite screen, heartworm/tick screen, and refill 12 months of parasite preventives. …
