What to do When Clients Talk Trash About you and Your PricesOctober 10, 2014Originally published in the September 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Last month I spent $2,600 on my newly adopted dog’s healthcare, which is a lot of money in anyone’s estimation—except, perhaps, our own. Here’s the breakdown: $800 was incurred as a result of drugs, diagnostics, supplies, tech time and overhead costs required for the OE, gastropexy and dental extractions I performed in-house. But the bulk of the sum was spent on a first-rate root canal (sans crown) at a top-notch veterinary dentist’s place (at a very generous 50 percent discount, I might add). All this for one adopted Malinois, a retired working girl who deserves nothing less after a life of service than world-class care. Indeed, all our pets do. Whether their job is to take down a bad guy, sniff out an IED or commandeer the couch, what we did for Tika is what we’d recommended for any patient in her position. Unfortunately, few of our clients can afford it. Given that the average person would have had to pay about $6,000 for that kind of work, referral is a non-starter. That’s a sum only the 1 percent or the well-insured can shoulder. Needless to say, the $2,600 …
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A clinic facelift without busting the budgetOctober 9, 2014Is it me or is the smell in this hospital getting stronger?” you ask yourself. Perhaps it’s the fraying carpeting, a tangle of dusty computer wires or the random supplies piling up in the top row of cages. Whatever the cause, fairly simple strategies can give an aging veterinary practice a powerful facelift, without major renovations. Having visited thousands of veterinary facilities, I can say that the majority of practices allow the physical facility to fall too far into disrepair before considering a makeover. But the fact is that staff and clients expect medical facilities to be clean and comfortable. Additionally, the adage about “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly holds true with building maintenance. When done correctly, a hospital makeover is a win-win situation for clients and the practice. Cleanliness and orderliness in the office reassure clients about the quality of your clinical care. Dirty floors and bad odors convey a sense of poor attention to detail. Lighting, flooring, sound control and ventilation are key building systems that can make or break these client perceptions. Unfortunately, the simple nature of veterinary work challenges these systems; when thousands of animals pass through an office year …
Would your hospital pass a radiation safety inspection?October 9, 2014Do you know what the DEP is? Not every state calls it by the same name. In Pennsylvania and some other states, it is known as the Department of Environmental Protection. Are you aware that you could receive a surprise visit from your friendly local DEP inspector? We talked to Dennis Ferguson, supervisor of the X-ray and Accelerator Program in Pennsylvania’s Southcentral regional office in Harrisburg. If you do not work in Pennsylvania, you should check the regulations with your particular state regulatory agency. What is the DEP? The mission of the state Department of Environmental Protection is to “protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment.” I am specifically in charge of radiation protection. Is it advised or required to wear lead gowns while taking X-rays? Regulations pertaining to veterinary medicine state that anyone not behind a protective barrier (lead shield) or at least 2 meters away from the X-ray tube head and primary X-ray beam needs protective attire. The gown, apron or glove needs to have 0.25 millimeter lead equivalent attenuation. [A gown wraps around the whole body; an apron covers only …
Connections Count in New Idexx CampaignSeptember 24, 2014Idexx Laboratories Inc. is working to improve pet care and the financial health of veterinary practices through a multiyear campaign that includes online and in-person education, one-on-one customer support and even a photo contest. The Westbrook, Maine, manufacturer of diagnostic equipment and services this month launched Strengthen the Bonds, a program that emphasizes the importance of intertwined relationships between pets, owners and veterinary staff. Research conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association found that veterinary practices where revenue grew by more than 10 percent two years in a row tended to emphasize animal and interpersonal bonds during client visits and behind the scenes. “When these bonds are strong, pets and practices stay healthier,” said Tammi Lesser, LVT, Idexx’s senior director of marketing. “We created the Strengthen the Bonds framework to offer the veterinary community a new lens through which they can evaluate innovative ways of delivering care, fostering loyalty among clients and improving teamwork.” More than a dozen videos posted at Idexx.com/strengthenthebonds provide an introduction to the need for strong bonds. Additional tools related to veterinary care and relationship-building, including webinars and case studies, are available through the company’s online Learning Center. A bonus for
What Did Your Receptionist Just Say?!September 19, 2014 During a mystery phone shopper call about a spay, I asked the receptionist why pre-anesthetic testing was necessary. She replied, “To make sure your pet’s liver and kidneys could process the anesthesia, and so we don’t have any problems with her crashing on the operation table.” A prospective client might wonder how often pets crash but simply reply, “Thanks for the information. Bye.” This shocking service experience should alert the practice owner that his front-desk team needs immediate phone-skills training so they can accurately describe services and attract new clients daily. Here are real-life horrors we’ve heard during 15 years of mystery shopper calls to veterinary hospitals—and how to correct them: “Once we send pets home after surgery, we don’t want to take away all of their pain. I know that sounds really mean. If they’re not hurting, they’re going to be running and jumping up on everything. If they have a little bit of pain, it slows them down.” Promote how you proactively manage pain so pets will experience comfort while recovering. Say, “A spay is similar to a hysterectomy for women. That’s why we include pain-relief medication, and we will send you home …
5 Ways Good Doctors Say Bad ThingsSeptember 12, 2014You’ve had a vomiting, diarrhea and hit-by-car morning. It’s 6 p.m. and you finally call a client who left a message at 9 a.m. to discuss her pet’s senior blood work and urinalysis. You start the rapid-fire conversation with, “I’m so sorry that I didn’t call you earlier. We’ve had a crazy day at the clinic, and I didn’t have time to call you until now.” What the client hears is, “Your pet is not important to me.” Your hurried tone transfers your anxious emotions to the client. Even the best doctors can make communication mistakes and risk losing clients. Here are five communication blunders and how you can correct them: 1) Rushing through follow-up calls. No matter how stressful your day, take a deep breath and start fresh with each phone call. Say, “Mrs. Myers, thank you for your message this morning. I have reviewed Opus’ blood work and urinalysis and have great news. His results are within normal ranges. Let me explain each result to you. … We love to celebrate the good news of normal test results. We will continue to monitor Opus’ health with preventive care exams every six months and will repeat his blood work …
6 Ways Your Client Service Team can Grow Your BusinessSeptember 10, 2014 A front-office team can influence clients’ decisions to buy products as well as phone shoppers’ choice to select your clinic. Try these proven techniques to increase sales to existing clients and welcome more new ones. 1) Update your phone greeting to promote new products, services or veterinarians. Your phone rings hundreds of times each day, giving you opportunities to tell pet owners about new offerings. Whenever you introduce a new product, let callers know. “Thank you for calling <Your Veterinary Hospital>, where we now offer Vectra 3D for flea-and-tick protection. This is <your name>. How may I help you?” Tell clients when you add new equipment that advances patient care. Say, “Thank you for calling <Your Veterinary Hospital>, where we now offer laser therapy for improved healing. This is <your name>. How may I help you?” Almost twice as many cats as dogs never visit the veterinarian, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners. If your hospital becomes a Cat Friendly Practice, let every caller know because cats are America’s most popular pet. Say, “Thank you for calling <Your Veterinary Hospital>, where we are now a cat-friendly certified hospital. This is <your name>. How …
Should You Buy A Practice?September 8, 2014 I never thought I’d buy a practice. Though I’d gone to a swanky business school and impressed my professors with projects demonstrating remarkable returns on veterinary practice investments, they’d only grudgingly forfeit the “A” … while not-so-subtly stifling a B school-sized yawn. Verbatim quote: “Why buy a candy shop when you can run Nestlé-Purina?” Translation: We’re not in the habit of inviting the unambitious to our exclusive club and charging $100,000 a year just to churn out small-minded, shiftless, endowment-sucking slackers. I guess it was that kind of slim thinking that stuck to my ribs as I contemplated all my decidedly undelicious options upon graduation. Pharma? Ag? Corporate practice? Yuck! For me, anyway. What’s worse, I’d inconveniently taken on a parasite whose presence would loom larger than my student loans. It’s true. The untimely arrival of an infant (while ever so beloved) didn’t do much to recommend a practice purchase. Which only makes sense to anyone who’s been there, single-handedly or otherwise. I mean, who has the energy to consider running a business when you’re derriere-deep in babyland? All of which explains why I dabbled—admittedly half-heartedly—in the dot-com thing. It also sort of …
Is That A Banana? The Story Behind A Popular X-RaySeptember 5, 2014 The Veterinary Practice News 2014 annual "They Ate WHAT?!" contest has taken the world by storm. While the story of the Great Dane who ate 43 1/2 socks has been the most popular entry so far, a lot of interest been on Dragon, a bearded dragon who ate a toy banana and lived to tell the tale. Veterinarypracticenews.com Dragon, a bearded dragon, came into the Gladstone Animal Clinic because it wasn't eating. I called Andrew Rambo, DVM, of Gladstone Animal Clinic in Gladstone, Missouri to get the details of behind Dragon's diagnosis and surgery. As the story goes, Dragon was brought into the clinic because he was "turning his scaly nose up at food." Dragon, the breaded dragon was "friendly and well-cared for... We weren't sure what was wrong with him," Rambo said. An obstruction or blockage were possible causes for its acute anorexia, but Rambo needed to do an X-ray to properly diagnose Dragon. Dragon was living with his owner's grandmother, who was hesitant to do X-rays at first. Since Dragon wasn't a dog or cat, an X-ray seemed excessive. "But her granddaughter loved …
They Ate WHAT?! - A Look Behind The ContestSeptember 5, 2014 Veterinary Practice News editor Marilyn Iturri created the “They Ate WHAT?!” contest in 2006 to showcase the humorous situations veterinarians and pet owners can face as well as the clinical advances available through digital radiography. The 2014 contest was sponsored by Trupanion, a pet insurance company in Seattle, Wash. This year the first place winner, a frog that had eaten 30 rocks from inside his cage, was submitted by Shawn Messonnier, DVM of Paws & Claws Animal Hospital in Plano, Texas. Tim Gossman, DVM, of Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital took home the second place prize with his entry of a German shorthaired pointer that had swallowed a shish kabob skewer. The submission by DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital of a Great Dane who had eaten 43.5 socks was not only the third place winner, but also took the internet by storm. The competition was a hit with readers from the start. Some trends have been apparent from the first year. Veterinarypracticenews.com A dog who ate a shish kabob skewer took home the second place prize from Trupanion. “This year’s entries featured some of our old standards, such as …
