Five reasons clients will love your dental experienceFebruary 4, 2019What if clients loved their pets' dental experiences at your veterinary hospital? As most dogs and cats have periodontal disease by age three, you will speak with clients multiple times about dental treatments over their pets' lifetimes. Creating a positive experience for the first dental procedure can set you up for success when you need to present future care. Here are five strategies for creating stellar client satisfaction through your dental services. 1) Tackle paperwork in advance. Don't wait until the morning of procedures to get signatures. Clients may have experienced road rage while driving to your clinic, chased the cat for 45 minutes trying to get it into the carrier, and were late for work. Instead, have clients sign treatment plans and anesthetic consent forms on the day of diagnosis when they book procedures. At my recent seminar in Reno, Nev., a technician testified this tactic reduced a 20-minute surgical admission to seven minutes. A backup plan is to use text and email together. Two days before the procedure, text the client to confirm the admission appointment: "See you tomorrow at 8 a.m. for <pet name's> dental admission. No food after 10 p.m. Water is OK. We emailed …
Why a happy veterinary profession needs independent practicesJanuary 21, 2019Does it seem so unlikely we might suffer from an epidemic of unhappy veterinarians?
Practicing in paradiseJanuary 15, 2019In 1982, four scuba diving-loving colleagues came up with the crazy idea of setting up a veterinary practice on the beautiful Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos. To that end, they created 52 shares that would be available to other colleagues.
5 Questions With… Paul Wise, DVM, Evers Veterinary ClinicJanuary 15, 2019With more than 68 years of experience in the veterinary field and counting, Paul Wise, DVM, is a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, at the tender age of 100 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Widening the scope of laparoscopyJanuary 10, 2019The advantages of laparoscopy are obvious—smaller incisions, less pain, faster recovery, and less scarring. It is no wonder, then, that laparoscopy continues to advance in application, instrumentation, technique, and training.
The dilemmas associated with televeterinary practiceJanuary 10, 2019Televeterinary medicine is poised to become more mainstream, but are U.S. state practice laws a stumbling block?
Are you an LCD manager or an HCD leader?January 9, 2019Observing the differences between lowest common denominator and highest common denominator management.
Is onboarding the key to better team retention?January 9, 2019If you’re working in a practice that is continually hiring and training, this article can help you understand the benefits of onboarding properly and possibly implementing needed changes.
A life lesson in veterinary careJanuary 4, 2019Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic in Worcester, Mass., is the nation’s first on-the-job veterinary clinic at a high school developed in collaboration with a veterinary school.
Owning a practice? You?December 27, 2018Some would argue practice ownership is only for the most ambitious—for those who love business. Like that classmate who always reads the Wall Street Journal or the one who knows she wants to be a specialist… of some sort… and all that entails. I mean, you know nothing about business. And the stress isn't worth it. The burden of your student loan probably makes practice ownership impossible, anyway. The excuses are endless. But so too are the reasons to own, even more so in this environment of corporate competition, continued consolidation, and rapid change. After all, where there is change—even chaos—there's also opportunity. What's more, practice ownership promises all the things you've always wanted from your profession. It buys you stability and flexibility, the two things that can make having a family more doable. It also means more money. And, paradoxically, those who have the least of it are those who stand to gain the most from practice ownership. I'm not saying it's easy. To be sure, it involves risk. But it's those who never contemplated ownership, those most beset and bedeviled by family-related inflexibility and financial burdens, who also have the most to gain and the least to lose. …
