Veterinary Lenders Eager To Do BusinessJune 28, 2010 Veterinary Lenders Eager to Do Business Veterinary Lenders Eager to Do Business cover stories, practice mgmt By Jessica Tremayne Practice owners hoping to purchase, construct or expand in this economic environment won’t have much trouble finding a lender if they present a favorable portfolio. And for some applicants this year, 100 percent financing isn’t out of the question. How Do You Compare? Veterinarians interested in knowing how they compare financially to colleagues locally and nationally can use a benchmarking tool on the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues website, NCVEI.org. Jim Stephenson, DVM, president of Simmons Northeast, a Maine company specializing in veterinary practice appraisals and sales, recommends the service. “Any veterinarian who is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association or the American Animal Hospital Association can enter their financial information on the NCVEI site and find where they stand financially.” Packaged Facts’ U.S. Pet Market Outlook 2010-11 study projected that growth in the veterinary industry over the next five years will outpace that of the …
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Free Clinics Fill Big NeedJune 28, 2010 Some pet owners are in such financial straits today that they might not even seek care for their pets. Reaching those individuals has become a priority for a number of veterinarians nationwide who have hosted free clinics. Owners and their pets line up in Atlantic City, N.J., at a free clinic offered by Suzanna Brown, DVM. “There has been a growing popularity of low-cost spay and neuter clinics and those kinds of things,” said David Kirkpatrick, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association. Veterinarians who have offered services for free at special events find the experience as rewarding as it is hard work. Suzanna Brown, DVM, of Best Friends Animal Hospital in Mays Landing, N.J. recently held her fourth free clinic in two years. She and her staff provided maintenance care and vaccines and distributed pet food. “We’re at least an hour from Philadelphia and two hours from New York, so we’re still semirural,” she said. “However we do have Atlantic City, and the casino industry is what fuels a large part of our economy. With the recession, the casinos took a real beating.” Emmery Villada and …
In Clinics All Over, It’s Now Show TimeJune 2, 2010 What are you waiting for? TVs showing cartoons for the kiddies or educational videos for clients are no longer the standard fare in veterinary waiting rooms. Web Links emebaVet LLC www.emebavet.com Veterinary News Network www.myvnn.com PetCare TV www.mypetcaretv.com VetVid www.vetvid.com AVTV Networks www.healiumtv.com American Society of Veterinary Journalism www.asvj.org Today, online and digital signage can transform a waiting room into a profit center and offer customized promotions for nutrition, surgical options, dental procedures and other modalities offered at the practice. While some veterinarians use their waiting room television systems for education or entertainment alone, vendors say any captive audience allows for enhanced client communication. “It used to be that vets would just buy a TV and play a video or cable [stations],” says David Titchenal, principal and vice president of operations at emebaVet LLC of Modesto, Calif., which operates a nationwide network of information systems for veterinary clients. …
U.K. Suicide Study Prompts Calls To ActMay 4, 2010 Researchers in the United Kingdom reported in March that the suicide rate of veterinarians there is four times that of the general public and double that of other health professionals. While similar research doesn’t exist for the U.S., authorities believe there is a parallel. An Issue Close to Home Jerome Williams, DVM, chairman of the Alabama Wellness Committee and owner of Red Mountain Animal Clinic in Birmingham, Ala., has been in practice since 1969. He says his recovery from an opiate addiction has been extremely difficult and remains a challenge. He believes that professional mental health assistance is essential for a meaningful recovery. Alabama’s wellness program, overseen by the state medical board, assists veterinarians and veterinary technicians in need. An addiction/occupational medicine specialist directs the wellness program. Dr. Williams says a study looked at what became of physicians disciplined for psychiatric problems rather than supported and treated. That group had a very high suicide rate—more than 20 percent killed themselves over 10 years. “Later studies have shown that physicians with psychiatric problems, when supported and referred …
Women In Veterinary MedicineMay 4, 2010 The concept is mystifying to some. How and why has the veterinary profession shifted so dramatically from a male-dominated field to one where women are edging ahead? Consider these facts: This year, women hold 78 percent of veterinary school seats, according to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. . As of 2009, the American Veterinary Medical Association reported, female veterinarians outnumbered their male counterparts for the first time: 44,802 to 43,196. Bonnie V. Beaver, DVM, Dipl. ACVD, a professor at Texas A&M University and a past AVMA president, credits Title IX, which in 1972 abolished gender discrimination in federally funded education. “The thought was that women would get married, start families and drop out of the program,” Dr. Beaver says of the mindset before 1972. “The profession needed veterinarians and it was thought that it wasn’t worth the risk to have a woman take a seat that could be occupied by a man. This was the thought in many industries.” Since then, university administrators have tried to encourage a more diverse applicant pool, which in turn makes for a profession that more closely matches the community …
Reducing Noise Helps Animal Health, Worker SafetyApril 30, 2010 Listen up. Architects report that they are getting more and more requests to control unwanted noise in veterinary hospitals they’re designing. Photo courtesy of Rauhaus Freedenfeld Sound panels installed at Plymouth Animal Hospital in Plymouth, Mass., improve acoustic performance. Acoustic controls make working in and visiting a veterinary practice more pleasant, they say, and new theories on evidence-based design (EBD) suggest physiological benefits for patients as well. “Animals boarding or staying in kennels are not psychologically calm when they are surrounded by noise, and their circadian rhythm is disrupted,” says Wayne Usiak, AIA, CEO of BDA Architecture in Albuquerque, N.M. “Adding a window with a view and natural light in an ICU has benefits. There’s also a balance that can be achieved when designing the arrangement of caging. All this can reduce noise.” First and foremost, architects say, kennel rooms should be designed to allow conversations. It’s not uncommon, they say, to find kennel workers wearing headsets to muffle the barking. Some older facilities and workplaces built without consideration of noise reduction can be unsafe. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires veterinary and animal care …
Shelter Crosses Line, Some Vets ContendDecember 30, 2009 Stanislaus County, Calif., is laying claim to the nation’s first private veterinary practice and government alliance, a project that some veterinarians see as unfair competition in the world of low-cost spay/neuter clinics. The county has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the nation, with a 35-year-old shelter that was built to house 200 animals but accommodates more than 400 on an average day. Photo courtesy of Dr. Kwane Stewart. Dr. Kwane Stewart oversees the Stanislaus County animal shelter in Central California. Of the 21,000 animals taken to the Stanislaus County Department of Animal Services from June 2008 through June 2009, 14,357 were euthanized. This rate, 68 percent, was emotionally draining for the 30 staff members and cost taxpayers $1.7 million. “We euthanize 80 to 90 animals a day in peak season,” says Kwane Stewart, DVM, the Stanislaus County veterinarian. The euthanasia rate caused public outcry for years, but 2009 was the year the county Board of Supervisors folded to the community’s request. The board approved an $8.7 million, 33,360-square-foot facility, a fully equipped hospital and housing for 567 animals. The new facility, set …
Trends In Clinic DesignDecember 30, 2009 Hydrotherapy equipment? Check. Bereavement room? Check. TVs in the waiting room? Check. Bland design? No. Building a veterinary hospital today requires detailed planning that accommodates all of a practice’s clients and modalities while leaving options for future specialty services. And it should be done, architects say, in a visually appealing and practical way while keeping individual budgets and practice needs in mind. Photo Courtesy of BDA Architecture Architecture of Albuquerque, N.M., designs post-surgical areas in which patients can recover in the open for closer monitoring. “General practitioners are trending toward offering more and more services like those found in human medicine,” says Warren Freedenfeld of the architectural firm Rauhaus Freedenfeld and Associates of Boston and Laguna Hills, Calif. “Hydrotherapy, CAT scans and MRIs all need to be considered in new designs. Basically everyone wants to pack a lot into a small envelope.” While some equipment requires a lot of room, new technology can save space. Digital radiography, for example, has eliminated the need for a darkroom and X-ray storage. Sustainable Design Thoughts of LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) often cross the minds of …
Equine Wellness, Compliance Remain Works In ProgressDecember 30, 2009 The 4,000 veterinarians expected to attend the 55th American Assn. of Equine Practitioner convention are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to discuss wellness concerns and equine issues with colleagues. Though observations vary region-ally, even those practicing in affluent areas are seeing clients pull back on preventive care for horses and are chalking it up to economic concerns. Some are concerned because the proactive approach is the best for staying ahead of potential disease, parasite and viral issues. “People are doing more of their own routine care [because] of the economy,” says Christi Garfinkel, DVM, of Equine Veterinary Services Inc. in El Cajon, Calif. “This makes preventive care difficult.” Wellness is defined differently by veterinarians, varying by region, client compliance and beliefs, says Harry W. Werner, VMD, of North Granby, Conn., president of the AAEP. “I define wellness as practicing preventive medicine,” Dr. Werner says. “Biannual physical examinations provide baseline findings that tell us what is normal for the patient. Exams help determine which vaccinations, parasite control and care are appropriate and help us identify diseases and problems early. Exam findings can also be valuable comparison points if the horse has health problems in the future.” Preventive …
Survey: Pet Owners Aware Of Insurance, Balk At CostDecember 30, 2009 More than nine of 10 surveyed pet owners (94 percent) know that pet insurance exists but are likely to avoid buying plans because of cost concerns, according to a survey of pet owners and veterinary professionals. The online survey, conducted by the marketing firm LePoidevin Rickinger Group of Brookfield, Wis., polled 806 veterinary professionals and 4,626 pet owners in September to gauge their awareness of pet insurance providers. Results were provided exclusively to Veterinary Practice News. “The most significant finding was the relatively high number of veterinarians who had no opinion or a low opinion of the facts of pet insurance,” said Dean LePoidevin, strategic director at LePoidevin Rickinger Group. He referred to a finding that 40 percent of veterinary professionals surveyed do not recommend pet health insurance. “We see pet insurance as more likely to help save a pet’s life by allowing the owner to avoid decisions based solely on economic euthanasia,” he said. “Armed with information, vets and pet owners should embrace the benefits of pet insurance. After all, it’s about being able to practice better medicine.” Despite the high awareness of insurance in general, the survey found that 78 percent of …
