CE Meets R&RApril 17, 2009 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Sometimes you have to take a trip to realize your practice isn’t going anywhere. That revelation hit home for Al Schwartz , DVM, owner-operator of Moorpark Veterinary Hospital in Southern California, during a cruise that combined vacation travel with continuing education. He realized his business had stagnated because he had the wrong person in the role of practice manager. “Change is always scary,” Dr. Schwartz says. “I was very grateful to get the management insight to make the necessary change, otherwise the practice would have continued to suffer.” Schwartz has attended two Seminars at Sea programs–one cruise to Australia and New Zealand last year, and the other in the Caribbean in 2002. In both cases, he says, he learned a lot from the scheduled programs, “But there was also a lot of learning that went on outside the lecture halls.” Creating a relaxed atmosphere that fosters weeklong learning is the whole idea behind seminars that mix CE with R&R, says Thomas E. Catanzaro, DVM, MHA, FACHE, Diplomate, American College of Heathcare Executives, and sponsor of Seminars at Sea. Before and after the …
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Lasers Financially Therapeutic, TooApril 17, 2009 Capital equipment with a five-figure price tag isn’t a likely candidate for an impulse buy. Which is why Don Nunn, DVM, pondered, contemplated and considered for, oh, almost two whole hours before he added a Class IV laser to his arsenal of therapies. “I wasn’t looking for it, but it caught my attention in the exhibit hall,” Dr. Nunn says of his introduction to laser therapy at a veterinary conference in January. “Now I’m using it every single day.” Nunn, owner-operator of Integrity Animal Hospital in Kingsland, Ga., echoes sentiments voiced by many of his laser- using contemporaries. The primary “wow” factor is the therapy’s impact on the lives of patients and clients. “The feedback I get lets me know it’s nothing short of miraculous,” Nunn says. “It just adds another dimension to the management of pain.” Nunn and others also enjoy the benefits of wow factor No. 2: The therapeutic laser can have a powerful effect on the economics of a practice. Nunn purchased LiteCure’s Companion Therapy Laser for his two-doctor small-animal practice without shopping around or doing a cost-benefit analysis. The case made by the LiteCure …
How Your Staff Helps Maintain a Happy HolidaysApril 17, 2009Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Veterinarians have long been the primary source of client education regarding holiday hazards, but in recent years practice staff has assumed an increasingly important role for many reasons: Receptionists, technicians, groomers and other staff members tend to spend more time with clients than do practitioners, who are usually too busy tending to the immediate medical needs of their patients to discuss potential holiday hazards. Often more aware of potential holiday hazards as a result of casual conversation with clients, staff are in a better position to offer immediate advice and education. Clients often feel more comfortable asking questions of staff members rather than "bothering" the veterinarian. Office staff can more efficiently distribute flyers, newsletters and other educational materials to clients who visit the clinic for routine pet care. "Even though holiday hazards are important, the topic often isn't at the top of our have-to-talk-about list," said Wayne Hunthausen, DVM, owner of Animal Behavior Consultations in Westwood, Kan. "There is so much information that [practitioners] must provide to people now, information that is usually more pertinent than holiday hazards, such as heart worms, fleas, …
Design Your Practice With Patients In MindApril 17, 2009 Veterinary practice construction has come a long way, from cold, stainless steel bars and concrete floors to welcoming places of comfort and compassion. Regardless of the species or special focus, veterinarians and staff can work more efficiently and patients can rest more comfortably with some guidance by those with years of experience in the veterinary and design-architecture fields. Specialty practices, from cat-only to equine-only, or procedure-specific clinics such as surgical or emergency practices, share common issues that can be improved in any animal facility, as long as the entire staff and a willing designer are allowed to voice their opinions. The blunt dissection of architecture and veterinary facilities can be separated into designing new or remodeling current (and usually in-use) structures. The difference ends there. A more finite dissection determines the specific needs and uses the future practice will have. Consider Consumers A smart practice owner asks consumers and staff (the staff including the veterinarian as well as the client) what they would like to see in a practice. Often, those in the veterinary field forget that there is another world at the reception desk, or outside the front door. In addition, patient care is …
Prep Your Staff For Critical CareApril 17, 2009 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. For your staff members, emergency medicine is a fragile blend of critical care and client care. With every case, they must balance the immediate medical needs of the pet with the strong emotional needs of the pet owner. From the location of certain drugs or equipment to the protocols that are followed, it is essential that emergency procedures are consistent, almost second nature, so that your staff can handle the unpredictable character of a distraught client. Assign Roles and Responsibilities "What works best for us is to assign a certain job to each person involved in an emergency," said Allison Gross, DVM, an emergency and surgery clinician at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, D.C. "For example, I try to have one person in charge of intubating and breathing for a patient, one person in charge of getting venous access, one person getting the drugs and fluids we will need, and one person recording everything." Dr. Gross said the team tries to schedule these positions at the beginning of a shift, but often they are assigned on the spot as an emergency comes in. Off-the-cuff …
When Corporate Practice CallsApril 17, 2009 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. When Brian Harpster, VMD, MS, owned a practice, his wife claimed he worked 90 hours a week, though he says it was actually 60 to 70. His West Shore Veterinary Hospital in New Cumberland, Pa., had a staff of 30 and grossed $1.7 million annually. At 51, he wanted to reduce his hours and still practice while eliminating “the headaches and hassles” of management. In a decision he says was “50 percent lifestyle and 50 percent financial,” he and two partners sold the practice to VCA Antech in December 2002. They sold for 11 times the hospital’s original cost in 1984, retaining ownership of the building and land with VCA agreeing to pay for future renovations. Carrying low debt, they could use VCA’s rent payments to defray the mortgage, which will be paid off next January. After the sale, Dr. Harpster’s income was about the same, but his work week dropped to 40 to 45 hours. He now works 3 1⁄2 days a week, 32 to 34 hours, at what is called VCA West Shore Animal Hospital. VCA, based in Los Angeles, operates …
Do You Need A Sabbatical?April 17, 2009 We live in a world that continues to become more demanding and stressful. The expectation is to be more efficient and more organized through the use of electronic support, thereby reducing stress and providing more free time. However, are we really able to reduce our level of stress and free up time through technology alone? The answer is an obvious "No!" Most workers in the United States are now working more hours than they did l0 years ago. The projected reduction in the work week has not occurred even though great advances have been made with the Internet, as well as satellite and cellular communications. Communication media now allow us to be in constant contact with our business, family, colleagues and friends. This technology makes communications much easier and efficient, but does not provide more free time. In fact, most people are experiencing less free time because we cannot really get away from work. We are now becoming a nation that takes working weekends and working vacations rather than real "get-away" vacations. As the pressure of competition continues to push us faster and faster down the road to "being successful," we are becoming more stressed and subject …
Balancing Life, Work Requires 6 Key SkillsApril 17, 2009 Is it possible to have it all? Can you really have a full career in veterinary medicine and have a family and a personal life? Eight female veterinarians discussed this topic at the Southwest Veterinary Symposium in Dallas. They represented public health, private practice, corporate practice, industry, academia, research and extension veterinary medicine. Balance-of-life issues dominated the discussion. Can there ever be a balance between family, career and self? The answer is yes and no. Some days or periods are better than others. Life is a journey that continues to evolve and change, and as a result requires different coping skills at each stage. Participants said the stages appeared to be divided into five post-education areas: job selection and transition into the working world; marriage/family development; career development; career expansion/modification; and career exit strategy. As the panelists discussed their histories and experiences, six common themes or skills emerged as necessary to maintain a semblance of balance: Time management. Asking for and accepting help. Delegation. Prioritizing. Following your heart. Releasing the guilt. These six areas were utilized by most of the panelists at one time or another. The areas were not mentioned in any order, …
Bad Habits Breed Germs, ResistanceApril 17, 2009 Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Reducing the spread of infection is a two-tiered strategy requiring proper hygiene and accurate diagnosis. While every practice needs an infection control plan, experts say management of those protocols is too often lax. “Antibiotic resistance is a big topic and hygiene is a huge issue that needs to be improved on,” says Joshua Daniels, DVM, Ph.D, a clinical microbiologist at Ohio State University. “Proper hand washing and disinfection of surfaces along with other measures can’t be assumed as known and must be discussed.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Assn. periodically survey veterinarians about infection control practices within the clinic. These surveys help authorities better understand practices routinely used by veterinarians. “CDC infection control policies and those made by the National Assn. of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) detail proper hand-washing procedures, the use of gloves, cleaning and precautions in general,” Dr. Daniels says. “These may seem obvious, but it’s clear that employee education and reminders are necessary.” Click here for NASPHV recommendations. (Click on “What’s New.”) They cover respiratory protection, protective …
What Client Complaints Are Not SayingApril 17, 2009 We have all heard clients complain. Some of the most common complaints concern long waits and unexpected fees. You have probably developed routine responses for these complaints, citing policy and price justification. Yet at times we miss the point completely and send the client away even angrier. The client leaves in a huff while we go to “the back” to vent to our co-workers about the high maintenance client who just left. We hear what the client says, but we often don’t stop to think what the client really means. If we evaluate the emotions behind the gripe, we have a better chance of addressing the problem. Let’s work through some common client complaints and explore how you can rethink your response. How Much Longer? When clients complains about how long they are waiting, is it really the minutes ticking away that causes their frustration? If you ask, you may discover that the wait seems long because of something that isn’t immediately obvious: They are worried about their pet in the back (being admitted or treated); they have a baby who is about to explode because nap time is approaching; they are worried about getting out …
