Four steps to improved veterinary client complianceJuly 6, 2018Approaching veterinary client compliance is a multipronged process that includes determining who your client is, assessing your team, assessing the practice, and more. As a veterinary practice management consultant, I regularly meet veterinary professionals who struggle with client compliance. Why won't they accept our recommendations? Why don't they get it? How can I make them understand? They just don't want to pay. These are all common problems I am asked to help solve. Determine who your client is Before you attempt to increase client compliance, you have to figure out who your clients are. What does your target audience look like? What demographic are you serving? How does that compare to the mission and goal of the practice? If there is a disconnect between the type of pet owner coming in to your practice and what your practice is trying to deliver, success is going to be harder to achieve. Assess your team The second part of increasing client compliance is having a team that is well trained in interpersonal skills, communication styles, and fostering relationships with clients, pets, and each other. Creating a supportive culture and fostering comradery are the first two steps to having team members who …
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Supreme Court ruling gives veterinarians victory over online retailersJuly 3, 2018The U.S. Supreme Court made a major ruling in favor of veterinarians and other brick-and-mortar businesses last month, allowing states to require online retailers to collect sales tax. A 1992 Supreme Court ruling does not require online retailers to collect sales tax unless they have a physical presence in-state, giving them an unintended tax loophole and providing an unfair tax advantage of up to 10 percent over brick-and-mortar operations. Many veterinary practices offer a range of products to clients; however, veterinarians, like other small, local business owners, must collect sales tax on those products. Last month's ruling, issued in the case of South Dakota v. Wayfair, is a first step in ending that disadvantage. The ruling allows—but does not require—states to begin having online retailers collect and remit sales tax in the same way that brick-and-mortar businesses already do. The AVMA asked the court to take this position in legal briefs filed twice in the past year. Laws will still vary by state, and Congressional action is likely needed to set a tax collection framework.
Million Cat Challenge receives $2.5M grant from Maddie's FundJuly 3, 2018Maddie's Fund, a national nonprofit that supports the status and well-being of companion animals, is granting more than $2.5 million to support the Million Cat Challenge as it expands to into its next phase of animal lifesaving in shelters across North America. The challenge, a campaign to save the lives of one million shelter cats, met its goal one year early, thanks to the grant. The next stages of the challenge will focus on communities where cats are still at risk and helping to make lifesaving the norm across shelters through its five key initiatives: alternatives to intake, removing barriers to adoption, managed admission, return to field, and capacity for care. "The challenge has revolutionized animal sheltering for cats," said Mary Ippoliti-Smith, Maddie's Fund executive leadership team. "Moving forward, initiatives such as making adoptions easier and managing the admission of cats to match the shelter's ability to assure humane care will become everyday practices for all animals in shelters." "One of the great benefits of the Million Cat Challenge was that it taught us how much progress was truly possible," said Challenge co-founder Kate Hurley, DVM, of the University of California, Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. …
Henry Schein launches new AVImark, ImproMed PMS versionsJuly 3, 2018Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions, a provider of practice management software programs, has launched new versions of its AVImark and ImproMed platforms. Based on feedback from veterinary professionals, the new versions "enhance the visibility of patient diagnostic information and improve the user experience and platform functionality," said the company in a statement. Among the new features is AXIS-Q LENS, a cloud-based open system that gathers trended diagnostics results from multiple point-of-care instruments or reference laboratories connected through Henry Schein's practice management software systems. This open architecture allows practices to use preferred diagnostic instruments and reference laboratories, as well as change equipment without losing patients' diagnostic histories. "The new AXIS-Q LENS is an excellent tool to help doctors see trending test results for patients," said Roger Riel, practice manager of Companion Pet Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon. "It gives you quick results and allows you to compare previous test values with current ones, even when the test results were imported from an outside lab. You are even able to filter the results down to just the abnormal values or pick and choose the tests you want to compare, making it easy to see only those specific values you …
Nestlé in talks to buy Champion PetfoodsJuly 2, 2018Nestlé, the Swiss food and beverage conglomerate, is in talks to buy a majority stake in Champion Petfoods for $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-based Champion, maker of Orijen and Acana superpremium dog and cat food and treats, is owned by Toronto-based Bedford Capital and others. Its products are sold through pet specialty shops and retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada, veterinary clinics in Canada, and distributors in the U.S. and internationally. Nestlé owns Castor & Pollux, Merrick, Beneful, Friskies, and Purina pet food brands, among others. Nestlé is currently under pressure from investors—activist investor Dan Loeb, in particular—to fix its overall corporate strategy. In a statement today, Nestlé said it's on track to meet its 2020 goals for margin improvement, operating profit, and structural cost savings. Champion, too, is currently under fire. Consumers from California, Minnesota, and Florida filed a class-action lawsuit early this year for "false advertising" and "feed law" violations, among other charges. The suit states that its dry dog food contains BPA, which typically is not associated with dry pet foods.
Easyvet announces first walk-in veterinary clinic franchiseJune 29, 2018With the launch of the nation's first walk-in veterinary franchise, easyvet aims to offer "veterinary medicine built to meet the needs of owners and veterinarians, lowering the costs of quality care for pets while allowing more vets the freedom to start their own practice," the company stated. Easyvet stated that its clinics will help establish balance between accessible pet care with an improved work-life balance for the veterinarian franchise owners. "This model allows veterinarians the ability to manage their clinic with predictable hours," the company stated. "Without having to be on-call for emergencies or surgical procedures, they can offer dependable hours for clients that best fit the community they serve." The clinics offer comprehensive exams, core vaccines, parasite screening and prevention, microchipping, chronic pain management, geriatric care, allergy screening, behavioral and lifestyle counseling, and more. The franchise will be opening two new clinics; one in Georgia and a second in Arizona. Christian Cumberbatch, DVM, has opened a franchise in Alpharetta, Ga.; two more locations are planned. "Having worked as an associate and emergency veterinarian, and having previously owned multiple clinics, I was looking for a change in my career that allowed me to still manage and …
WSAVA announces 2018 Global One Health Award recipientsJune 29, 2018The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has announced that a veterinarian and a physician are the joint winners of its 2018 Global One Health Award. Edward B. Breitschwerdt, DVM, from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Christopher W. Woods, MD, from Duke University, Durham, N.C., were nominated for the award in recognition of their work on atypical manifestations of bartonellosis in people and veterinary healthcare providers in particular. The WSAVA Global One Health Award is presented by the WSAVA's One Health Committee (OHC) to an individual or organization which has promoted an aspect of One Health relevant to companion animals. Drs. Breitschwerdt and Woods will receive their award and jointly present the One Health Award lecture during this year's WSAVA World Congress, Sept. 25-28 in Singapore. Multiple Bartonella spp. can infect people and their pets, with cat scratch disease being the most recognized manifestation. However, Bartonella spp. are considered "stealth" pathogens and can be difficult to diagnose. Breitschwerdt and Woods have developed more sensitive Bartonella tests for use with humans and other species and have applied these tests to people, in the process discovering new chronic disease associations, including headaches, …
Fuzzy Pet Health launches veterinary telemedicine planJune 29, 2018A new telemedicine veterinary care plan is now available across the U.S. from Fuzzy Pet Health, a subscription-based pet healthcare company in San Francisco. Fuzzy Connect enables owners to communicate with veterinarians in real-time directly via an app on their Apple or Android device. The service provides users with immediate access to medical advice, as well as tips for behavioral problems, diet, and supplements. In some states, members will also be able to order prescriptions through the app and schedule in-home veterinary appointments. Fuzzy hopes the new app will redefine the relationship owners currently have with their veterinarians. "Our team has been providing veterinary care over telemedicine in the Bay Area for a while now and we've seen an incredible shift in how our members engage," said Robert Trimble, DVM, Fuzzy's head of veterinary services. "The average pet parent goes to the vet only 1.6 times a year, while our members get in touch with us roughly once a month."
ACVO screens 7,600 service animals during free eye exam eventJune 29, 2018More than 7,600 service and working animals received free eye exam screenings between May 1 and 31 as part of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists' (ACVO) 11th annual ACVO/StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam Event. The screenings were voluntarily conducted by 305 board-certified ophthalmologists across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and Spain and administered to guide, disability assistance, detection, military, search and rescue, and registered therapy animals. "Every year, we continue to see this event expand to additional clinics around the world and reach more service animals," said Stacee Daniel, executive director of ACVO. "It is an honor to work with such passionate and dedicated ophthalmologists and to be able to assist these hard-working service animals and their handlers for the past decade. The costs for both the service animals and their care can be very high, so to be able to obtain such an important screening examination at no cost can make a huge difference for many of the program's recipients." Access to regular screenings is invaluable for service animals, as the examinations can detect the early warning signs of conditions that may lead to sight impairment. Mark Carnes, of Colorado, has regularly participated in the event …
Pathway Vet Alliance brings Heska equipment in houseJune 28, 2018Pathway Vet Alliance, a national veterinary management company based in Austin, Texas, with 150 locations across the U.S., announced it will bring Heska Corp. point-of-care blood diagnostics, digital imaging, allergy testing, and more into its operational services. The multi-year strategic partnership is expected to improve the workflow efficiency of Pathway's nationwide network of veterinary hospitals through enhanced technology and medicine, according to a company statement. Heska's products and services will be part of Pathway's new medical technology rollouts taking place throughout the country. "We are constantly looking for ways to enhance the experience of the pet owners and pets who visit our clinics and this partnership with Heska is a great example of that," said Stephen Hadley, DVM, CEO at Pathway Vet Alliance. "Together, we expect to incorporate a range of new products and services into our veterinary hospitals, which will minimize wait times and add to our streamlined practice management system." "Heska is proud to be selected by Pathway for point-of-care diagnostics throughout its growing network of hospitals, and we expect Heska, Pathway teams, and, most importantly, pets, to benefit from our partnership," said Kevin Wilson, CEO at Heska. In 2017, Pathway added nearly 100 …
