Treat your techs rightOctober 16, 2018What do your nurses think of you? Are you considered a close friend? A mere coworker? A constant threat? A walking liability? A hopeless disaster? A good ole’ boy or gal? A welcome ally? A dreaded boss? A paycheck signer? A trusted confidant? Here are 20 tips you can use to show your gratitude and appreciation for your hardworking nurses.
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Five steps to five-star client serviceOctober 11, 2018When your clinic provides an extraordinary client experience, which entails taking that extra step to help clients and their pets feel welcomed, supported, and understood, there’s no doubt your team is going above and beyond expectations.
Morning huddles: Little effort, max resultsOctober 10, 2018While some dread attending yet another meeting, others enjoy daily get-togethers. Daily, you might wonder? Yes. Daily, brief morning huddles can save time and improve practice communication and culture.
Pathway Vet Alliance hospital network expansion continuesOctober 9, 2018Pathway Vet Alliance, a national veterinary management group, has added 15 new veterinary practice locations across California, Texas, New Mexico, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, and Arkansas. "Throughout this year we've remained committed to expanding our network of hospitals to new communities across the U.S. These efforts have allowed us to help more pets and provide pet owners with unparalleled care options," said Stephen Hadley, DVM and CEO of Pathway Vet Alliance. "We have exceeded our own expectations during the third quarter and hope to continue this success as we close out this year." The veterinary hospitals recently acquired by Pathway will benefit from the additional support, education opportunities, and resources Pathway offers while retaining their original team of veterinarians and veterinary professionals. Pathway is continuing to hire new team members at their headquarters in Austin and other locations in light of current growth and expected acquisitions during this year's fourth quarter. For more information, visit the company's website.
Breaking up is hard to doOctober 9, 2018The idea of owning and operating a veterinary practice with a 50-50 business partner can be pretty enticing. The two of you will share the financial burden, split the profits, and offer clients complementary professional services. You will become the closest of colleagues and the best of friends. And when difficult decisions need to be made, you will be each other’s trusted sounding boards.
iVET360 2018 report analyzes key veterinary clinic marketing metricsOctober 8, 2018 iVET360 veterinary services company released its annual Veterinary Marketing Benchmark Report, revealing statistics and trends in veterinary marketing for 2018. In the report, the company analyzed the marketing metrics of 1,000 accredited hospitals and covered approximately 27,000 data points to highlight crucial new information for practices regarding their marketing efforts. Topics covered in the report include introducing Nextdoor as a marketing tool, stressing the importance of Google (specifically highlighting the power of Google Ads—a tool only being used by 10 percent of hospitals), proper SEO usage, all things Google My Business, and the average number of reviews a practice has across their most dependable social channels. "Along with providing marketing assistance to veterinary hospitals, our goal is to lead the way and educate the industry on the most current and relevant marketing methods," said Justin Vandeberghe, managing director of creative services at iVET360. "Hospitals often contact us looking for industry benchmarks while asking us what they should be doing, and this report outlines what that average veterinary hospital hopes to achieve." Veterinary practices can download the report and receive a complimentary digital report of their business (within 24 hours) by contacting iVET360 and providing their …
What the future may hold for televeterinary practiceOctober 4, 2018As a veterinary futurist, it seems to me the rate of change in our profession is increasing, which could lead to an economic boon for practically every segment of the veterinary profession. I believe the greatest opportunity for the profession in the coming decades is providing veterinary education, experience, and expertise remotely to pet owners in the emerging middle class in developing countries. Remote teleconsulting regarding food and nondomestic animals will likely increase, but in light of the human-animal bond, I believe the explosive growth will be in helping inexperienced pet owners access companion animal health care.
Four ways to use forward-bookingOctober 4, 2018Forward booking, or scheduling all patients’ future appointments before they leave the practice after their current visit, can provide timely patient care and dramatically improve your bottom line. However, industry research shows only five percent of veterinarians use forward booking compared to 80 percent of dentists. Increasing forward-booked exams by 10 percent would add $40,000 in annual revenue for a typical veterinary hospital. Here are a few tips on how to forward book four appointment types.
How to listen... and truly hearOctober 2, 2018There are several advantages to being a great listener, and not all of them are purely altruistic. Here are some of my experiences with the power of listening.
AVMA economist shares findings on antibiotics, sustainabilityOctober 1, 2018Matthew J. Salois, chief economist for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), presented to the New York Academy of Sciences on the implications of raising animals without antibiotics. The presentation, "Sustainability and Antimicrobial Use in Animal Agriculture," calls for nuanced and evidence-based antibiotic policies that consider a holistic view of antibiotics' impacts on animal welfare, the environment, and economics. In recent years, some companies and consumers have embraced raising animals without antibiotics; today, nearly half of all broiler chickens are raised without antibiotics, according to the AVMA. During his presentation, Dr. Salois cautioned that reduced use of antibiotics in farm animals can have negative implications for animal welfare and the overall sustainability of animal agriculture, if not accompanied by appropriate changes in management practices. For example, the average mortality rate for broiler chickens raised without antibiotics can be 25 to 50 percent higher than for conventionally raised broiler chickens, he said. Additionally, birds raised without antibiotics are much more likely to suffer from painful medical conditions, such as being more than three times as likely to experience ammonia burns in their eyes, Salois added. The higher incidences of disease and mortality for birds raised without antibiotics, …