Wanted: Strategic ThinkersMay 29, 2012 With the introduction of off-the-shelf wellness-plan solutions, the veterinary industry has been hard at work creating products for small animal practices to manage declining patient visits, and more of these products undoubtedly will be available in the future. In many ways, the situation qualifies as a phenomenon. A year ago, interest in wellness plans was a mere whisper, and 12 months later it is commonly referred to as a hot topic. I can’t think of a time when a broad solution for improving the business was made available in this format. Yes, the veterinary industry has engaged in notable campaigns to improve care—dentistry and three-year vaccine protocols come to mind—but these drivers did not take the shape of “boxed” solutions. In those cases, articles, media attention and AAHA guidelines assisted with the practice of higher quality medicine. This time, because of the more critical economic nature of the problem, practitioners are being offered greater assistance. And this is a good thing. Considerations to Ponder I think a word of caution is required. Don’t misunderstand me. I have promoted monthly billed wellness plans and will continue to do so because they can be a great …
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Understanding, Treating Chronic Kidney DiseaseMay 25, 2012 Chronic kidney disease, one of the most common diseases among dogs and cats, involves the loss of functional renal tissue due to a prolonged, usually progressive process. But thanks to both traditional and cutting-edge methods for diagnosing and treating the condition, veterinarians have more options than ever for helping these animals enjoy longer lives. Causes, Signs and Symptoms In most cases of chronic kidney disease, the underlying cause is unknown, says Mark Acierno, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, MBA, an associate professor and dialysis service coordinator at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge. “It’s likely a combination of environmental and congenital factors, but we’re really not sure in most cases,” Dr. Acierno says. “Sometimes there’s a defining event, but often there isn’t.” The causes can be categorized in different ways, adds Anthony Ishak, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Tampa, Fla. “There are acute insults that destroy enough renal parenchyma in an irreversible manner and result in decreased functional renal mass,” Dr. Ishak says, citing leptospirosis, pyelonephritis, lilly intoxication, ethylene glycol intoxication, hypovolemia/hypotension, pancreatitis and sepsis as examples. “There are also chronic diseases that result in progressive loss in renal …
How To Manage Your Animal Hospital's Online ReputationMay 25, 2012 Just type your or your hospital’s name into Google and all sorts of stuff shows up, some good, some bad and maybe some really awful. In this world of universal, instant and fairly anonymous communication using the Internet and especially social media, both good and bad things can happen. The good, of course, includes much greater reach to potential clients, existing clients and very inexpensive marketing and professional education. The visual nature of the Internet also makes photos and video an outstanding way to tell your story and allow you to stand out. Unfortunately, some people will, fairly or not, use this medium to complain about your service or facility to the same huge audience. On your business site or social media pages you have good control, and this is fairly easy to contain. But on other large commercial ratings sites such as Yelp, City Search or Yahoo Local, it appears you are at the mercy of some unreasonable people. When an angry client decides to exact revenge against your hospital, he can appear to have the upper hand and lots of undeserved control. That is a scary prospect for a business owner. Instead …
How To Manage Your Animal Hospital's Online Reputation: Part 2May 25, 2012 Building on last month’s article, let’s look at the steps to take to remove or push down negative or malicious reviews. Step 1: Claim Ownership Each online review site has an option for the business owner to “claim” ownership of the business. In claiming ownership, you can write comments next to each review. The key is to respond to the review in a timely, professional and respectful manner. Step 2: Remove Malicious Reviews An offensive review might contain harsh language, a harsh overtone or hatred comments. For example: “This business or hospital is a joke,” “The technician was an idiot,” “This business or hospital will screw you,” etc. A falsified review is tougher to prove, but if a past employee or competitor is posting negative reviews and one can prove they are not from actual customers, the reviews can be disputed. Clear indicators include anonymous reviews or reviewer accounts that don’t have any history of other reviews in that website. First, find the reviews. Perform a search on the major search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) for your name and hospital domain …
Do Your Clients Have Your Number?May 24, 2012 Let’s say you’ve got this really good client. You trust and respect her and vice versa. So now that it’s Saturday and her pet’s got an issue you’d prefer to keep close tabs on rather than refer her out to the ER on a Sunday...do you give her your digits? How about the really, really good client who brings you tons of patients and even more referrals? When do you break down and offer them your contact points? Should you ever? Some of us play fast and loose with our phone numbers. I happen to work with two docs who do and (perhaps as a consequence) I’m wont to do the same. Which can be problematic, of course. Calls at 3 a.m., anyone? Anger when you don’t return calls or texts in a timely fashion? The stress of landing at a faraway destination only to face five frantic missives? Those are the pitfalls of the modern hyper-connectivity we’ve come to know and sometimes love—but mostly fear. Maybe it’s the certain knowledge that stress will happen if I give out my phone number(s) or email address that makes me think I should be more like …
The Richest Vet In BabylonMay 21, 2012 Have you ever heard of the best-selling book “The Richest Man in Babylon?” Pop quiz: When was it written? 2000? 1990? 1980? 1970? 1960? I have heard this ultra-classic title multiple times, as you may have, and I thought it was a semi-contemporary book. Not so. I was surprised to discover that it was first published in 1926! Back then, George Clason wrote a series of pamphlets on financial topics, using parables set in ancient Babylon. They were initially distributed by banks and insurance companies. The pamphlets were eventually published in book form in 1926. The most famous story was "The Richest Man in Babylon,” and it is as relevant today as it was then. Arkad was a young, hard-working scribe—a professional copyist. As he was wondering how he could become financially independent, he met Algamish, the money lender. Young Arkad boldly asked him what his secret was, and Algamish accepted to share it. His secret? “A part of all you earn is yours to keep.” This secret surprised Arkad, who thought that all he earned was already his to keep. Far from it, replied Algamish. “Do you not …
A Walk In Your Employees' ShoesMay 21, 2012 The topic of employee pets came up recently in one of the courses I’m teaching, and I wanted to share my thoughts. A good portion of the practice's accounts receivable (A/R) is tied up in the accounts of the employees, both previous and current employees. This is not only money not being collected by the practice, but it is also a disappointment and sometimes a disgrace for employees to be taking advantage of the company if they are not at least trying to pay off the total. When it comes to current employees, most veterinary practices have a policy that states if/how the employee discount is available. There are several options, but we’ll assume (and rightly so) that they end with the employee owing the practice money. Some veterinary practices require the total to be paid off within that billing cycle, so that there is no money carried by the practice. When I was managing a practice that had this policy and my pet needed treatment, I took out a CareCredit account and paid off the practice. Then it’s up to me to handle the bill with CareCredit, but at least I haven’t left the practice out …
Do You Recommend Pet Insurance?May 21, 2012 After two weeks in Michigan State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Katie, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever with a clotting disorder, was deemed healthy and was released. Multiple blood transfusions, medications and critical care had brought her owners an $18,000 bill. Fortunately, they were among the less than 1.5 percent of U.S. pet owners who subscribe to pet insurance. Because they had it, they were reimbursed more than $14,000. With improved technology and extensive veterinary offerings, costly medical bills are fairly common—as is an owner’s inability to pay unexpected bills. This can mean euthanasia for many animals, an increasingly unnecessary and passé practice. Frustration with pursuing Plan B treatment options or euthanizing an ill animal instead of treating it are leading more practitioners to promote health insurance for pets. “With pet health insurance, there’s no need for economic euthanasias,” says Lloyd Meisels, DVM, of Coral Springs Animal Hospital in Coral Springs, Fla. “None of the insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions, but many of the companies now offer 80-90 percent payment with a client co-pay, which significantly eases the blow.” After spending more than 80 hours researching pet health insurance options, David H. Wright, DVM, of …
Learn This And Be A Life SaverMay 7, 2012If you saw an adult suddenly collapse and become unresponsive, would you know what to do? The old way to do CPR involved alternating chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing. The American Heart Association (AHA) has moved away from this mantra and now recommends a simple, two-step protocol: • Call 911 (or have someone do it) • Hands-only CPR (a.k.a. continuous CPR) This new technique is easier to learn, easier to perform and more effective than traditional CPR. It’s also simpler for 911 operators to explain to people. In fact, the chances of survival are approximately doubled with hands-only CPR (23 percent vs. 14 percent). The “new” CPR concept was developed by Gordon Ewy and Karl Kern, two cardiac researchers at the Sarver Heart Center and professors at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. Here is how they describe the technique: • Quickly place the person on their back, on a hard surface • Check for responsiveness by “shaking and shouting” • Put the heel of one hand in the center of the chest (between the nipples) • Put your other hand on top of the first • Very importantly, lock your elbows • Put your shoulder directly over the …
Let Staff Play, And They Will StayMay 4, 2012 Over the weekend I had the pleasure of joining a large veterinary practice on their annual retreat. It was in Oregon/Washington, up in the wilderness in the pine woods and hills, and it was fantastic! They had invited me to present a day-long workshop on burnout and compassion fatigue, my favorite topics! Two of their team members had seen me present on these topics at SWVC (yes, they came down from Oregon to San Antonio), and took the topics back to their leadership. A long winding road up into the hills, and six hours later, we ended a wonderful day of interaction and positive energy. (By the way, I don’t do very well on long winding roads, so I was a bit green when we arrived up there. I was smarter on the way down, and pre-medicated myself appropriately!) But enough about me; let me tell you the most fantastic part of the story. This practice, which has a long history in the Portland area, holds this staff retreat every year. They change locations from time to time, and being in Oregon, they have the luxury of having one in the hills or one at …
