Professionalism—Own it!December 11, 2018Your veterinary clients deserve and expect to be greeted and cared for by professional veterinary team members. In addition, veterinary teams expect to work with courteous, thoughtful, and professional coworkers.
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CT or MRI? When to use each and whyDecember 10, 2018The dilemma over whether to use CT or MRI is fairly common. While there are many cases that could be imaged via either modality, experts say there are specific instances where one is preferred over the other.
Ten ways to improve your clinic's cash flowDecember 6, 2018Cash flow in veterinary practices is challenged by several factors, but broken down, it’s simple: how much comes in versus how much goes out. Here are 10 ways your practice can immediately take control of its cash flow.
Beware of boilerplate employment contractsDecember 6, 2018If you are a practice owner in need of an employment contract for a new associate, you may reflexively turn to the internet to see if you can find a “model” document. Or you may obtain one from a colleague or veterinary association. But adopting “boilerplate” employment contracts without the assistance of counsel can be deleterious to the health of your business.
Caught in the crossfireNovember 19, 2018Opioids are the first line of treatment for animals with acutely painful conditions and surgeries. They are important in providing pain management with minimal and manageable cardiovascular and respiratory side effects. Veterinarians rely heavily on opioids for pain control and reduction of inhalation anesthetic dosages in veterinary anesthesia, incorporating drugs such as morphine, hydromorphone, buprenorphine, and fentanyl in sedation, anesthesia, and pain control in the perioperative period.
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 …
Tips for improving medication compliance among cat ownersSeptember 28, 2018When dispensing medication for in-home treatment of feline patients, owner compliance is a concern due to the unique challenges of administering medication to cats, according to Kindred Biosciences Inc. "Cats have natural behaviors that may make medication administration challenging, and this can be complicated in ill cats that are also anorexic, nauseated, or vomiting," said Christina Fernandez, DVM, MRCVS, DACVECC, professional services veterinarian with Kindred. "Palatability is also a huge factor, and most cats are finicky when it comes to food." To improve compliance, Dr. Fernandez shares five tips veterinarians can focus on: Communication Written information Frequency of veterinary visits Veterinarian continuity Selection of medications Communication is essential, said Fernandez. Veterinarians or veterinary nurses can demonstrate to cat owners how to administer a medication while still in the office. This helps avoid complications and promotes active discussion with the client. If possible, written instructions can be provided. "Follow-up calls from the veterinary clinic staff can help increase owner compliance," said Fernandez. "This can facilitate identification of issues to be addressed with the clinical state of the patient and concerns with the treatment plan while offering an opportunity to set up a follow-up appointment if one isn't already on the books." …
WSAVA provides continuing education in Latin AmericaSeptember 11, 2018The World Small Animal Veterinary Association Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) held a series of meetings and continuing education sessions in Mexico as part of a first step in WSAVA's three-year project aimed at enhancing levels of understanding of infectious diseases among veterinarians across Latin America. WSAVA committee members, including Michael Day, VGG chairman, emeritus professor, met with veterinary association leaders, academics, first-opinion practitioners, and government regulators in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. They delivered three evening CE sessions and live-streamed the Mexico City session to share with registrants for 30 days after the presentation. Prior to the visit, the VGG conducted an online questionnaire to collect data on veterinary demographics, infectious disease occurrence, and vaccination protocols, and presented the results during the CE events. "Mexican veterinarians are accustomed to the principle of annual revaccination of dogs and cats with multicomponent products, but those we spoke to were excited by the new concepts of less frequent and individualized vaccination, incorporated into a preventive healthcare package for pets," said Day. "Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases such as canine distemper and parvovirus infections, remain highly prevalent in Mexico. Increasing herd immunity by improving vaccination coverage is clearly an important goal for …
Vetsource acquires VetSuccess to enhance data delivery, analyticsSeptember 10, 2018Vetsource, a Portland, Ore.-based technology-enabled healthcare services company, has acquired Toronto-based VetSuccess, a veterinary data analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence organization. Vetsource recently closed a $50 million round of investment led by Bain Capital Ventures. The company's services include home delivery of manufacturer-sourced medications and nutrition products, as well as the mobile-optimized ScriptRight ePrescribing tool that veterinarians use to write, review, and approve prescriptions from web-enabled devices. With the acquisition of VetSuccess, Vetsource will expand its customizable dashboards that give veterinary practices detailed performance data regarding the success of its home delivery program, according to the company. "Uniting VetSuccess with our services was a natural choice, as we share a common vision in providing essential solutions to veterinary practices and partnering with them in their success," said Kurt Green, president and CEO of Vetsource. "The addition of VetSuccess' leading-edge, data-focused technology will enable our customers to gain greater visibility into the health of their business, empowering them to make evidence-based decisions using their performance data in new and unparalleled ways."
AAHA releases preventive care protocol publicationSeptember 6, 2018The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has released a new publication, developed with the support of an educational grant from IDEXX—Promoting Preventive Care Protocols: Evidence, Enactment, and Economics. "A focus on preventive care can give pets a greater chance at longer and healthier lives. Pet owners are more receptive than ever to engaging in conversations on preventive care and innovation in diagnostics, diets, and treatments," said Janice Trumpeter, DVM, AAHA deputy CEO. Preventive care exams remain a veterinary professional's best chance to influence good outcomes throughout a pet's lifetime, according to AAHA. Through these hands-on moments with patients and regular consultations with pet owners, practitioners can provide advice, preventive care services, and additional recommendations tailored to individual pets, the association said. The new publication features results of various studies and concludes that regular health checks and screenings improve detection and allow for early therapeutic intervention. Notably, it includes findings from a landmark big-data analysis of preventive care profiles from IDEXX. Analysis from 268,817 patient samples across more than 5,000 North American veterinary practices revealed that veterinary professionals who screen pets regularly find significant results in all adult life stages that require further action. The publication also …
