Do We Cater to Unconventional Clients?July 20, 2015Originally published in the July 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Loved this article and want to see more like it? Then subscribe today! Last month I wrote a column for my local paper on the subject of animal hoarding. As usual, I pushed the limits of my typical reader’s comfort zone by concluding with the question, “Could you be a hoarder?” Though you might think it an excessively combative approach for a weekly ask-the-vet column, aggressively confronting mental health concerns has served me well in the past. And as it turned out, it proved fruitful here, too. The day after the column ran, one of our clients openly disclosed that the column had impressed her. “I guess I’m a hoarder,” she acknowledged to our receptionist (and to everyone else within earshot, too). Which is something the rest of us already suspected. I mean, 19 cats and 900 square feet do not add up. Nor can the single income of the average American begin to address the myriad demands a household of 20 mammals (of any denomination) makes. In case you’re wondering, our receptionist responded pretty much the same way most of …
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How to Schedule More Follow-Up CareJuly 7, 2015Originally published in the July 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Loved it? Then subscribe today! Through blood-shot eyes, Mrs. Jones explains her sleepless night of listening to her dog scratch his left ear. You diagnose an ear infection and ask your technician to show her how to clean the dog’s ears and apply ointment. You tell Mrs. Jones that you will need to see Duke again in two weeks. She nods in agreement and goes to the front desk to check out. The receptionist asks, “Do you want to make an appointment for Duke’s recheck?” Mrs. Jones replies, “I need to check my schedule and will call you tomorrow.” Mrs. Jones forgets to call. Patient care and practice health may suffer from the lack of follow-up care. Only 4 percent of practices always schedule medical progress exams at checkout, 35 percent do so often and 49 percent sometimes do.1 Every healthcare team member influences clients’ decisions to schedule follow-up care. Here are strategies to ensure that your staff takes a consistent approach: Change your terminology. The term “recheck” sounds optional while “medical progress exam” communicates that follow-up care is urgent and …
Is the Golden Age of Veterinary Medicine Over?July 6, 2015The subject of “Golden Age” has come up before… Back in 2001, American Animal Hospital Association (AHHA) Executive Director, Dr. John W. Albers believed the profession was entering "the golden age of veterinary medicine." Many of the points Dr. Albers made in his speech to the AAHA meeting in 2001 remain opportunities today. For example, he stated that veterinarians are their own worst enemies by setting low fees for services. He then reminded the 2,400 people in attendance of the obvious opportunity our profession has to fill our role in the deepening affection people have for their pets. Later, Dr. Dennis McCurnin wrote in a lengthy article in April 2010, that we were entering the “Golden Age” of veterinary medicine. Reading what he had to say then is still relevant today and well worth your time. He tackles many issues like student debt to salary ratio, the effects of corporate practices on private practices and finding ways to achieve a balanced lifestyle. His overall advice to overcome these challenges is to increase efficiency in delivering quality services. Be …
How to Earn Repeat Business by Forward Booking Patients' Next VisitJune 15, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Think about your last visit to the dentist. Before you left, the receptionist scheduled your next hygiene appointment. This scheduling technique serves dual purposes of safeguarding patients' preventive care and the practice's financial health. The patient strategy ensures timely visits for professional care as well as to diagnose oral problems early. The hygienist also sends you home with toothpaste, floss and a toothbrush to reinforce preventive oral care at home. As a business strategy for dentists, scheduling the next visit today will keep the hygiene schedule full and productive. When the hygiene schedule is not full, a domino affect will occur. Patient suffers without timely hygiene appointments, and the dentist will see openings in the treatment schedule in the future. At least 80 percent of dental problems — root canals, crowns and restorations — come from hygiene appointments. Dentists refer to their system as "recare appointments." When patients leave today's hygiene appointment without a future one scheduled, a dental practice's profits will decrease at least 50 percent.2 Dentists have shifted patients' perceptions from only going to the dentist for a toothache to routine preventive care. Savvy veterinarians should follow dentists' lead. …
It's Time to Have the Pet Food DiscussionJune 12, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News. Like this article? Then subscribe today! I wrote a blog post several weeks ago on the subject of veterinary nutrition for pets. Not one to mince words, I made clear that I’ve become disillusioned by the state of veterinary science and education in the U.S. Citing our profession’s lack of independence from corporate influence as our foremost downfall, I argued that “Big Pet Food” has surpassed all other industry subcategories in this regard. It has effectively usurped our role as the scientific font on the subject in ways no pharmaceutical empire has ever achieved. But here’s the thing: The pet food industry hasn’t been content to simply take over the way others have done, appealing to our rapacious thirst for retail sales. Instead, it has done so in ways no pharmaceutical empire has ever achieved — from the inside out … one endowed chair at a time. What’s more, this Achilles’ heel is becoming increasingly apparent to stakeholders outside our profession, too. We may know lots about nutrition at the theoretical level, they say, but when it comes right down to it, most veterinarians don’t know …
9 Stupid Things I Did as a Veterinary Practice OwnerJune 10, 2015Much has been written and said about how everyone should view failure as a best friend. That can be true if we take the perspective of people like Michael Jordan and Thomas Edison. I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” ― Thomas A. Edison As a practice owner for 30 years, I experienced plenty of “failures,” so I guess you could say I had lots of “best friends,” too. In retrospect, I sometimes took advantage of what I learned from mistakes; sometimes I didn’t. Hopefully, as a current practice owner, you can adopt some “new friends” from a few of my mistakes. The following is a partial list along with a short explanation about each one. I did not think big enough. The initial sign in front of my practice may have looked professional, but it was far too easy for people on the highway to overlook. I didn’t purchase the lot next to my practice when it was sold at auction. My fees were too low in the early years because I …
Why You Should Embrace Fear Free Veterinary VisitsJune 9, 2015Originally published in the June 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News I’ve been writing to and on behalf of the veterinary profession for 30 years. You may have seen my columns in magazines ranging from professional veterinary publications to Reader’s Digest and Parade, or online on sites from Vetstreet to HuffPost and DrOz.com. So why another column? I still have important topics to tackle and this magazine gives me the opportunity to focus on an area I know to be vitally important, underappreciated and not covered as much as it deserves. The area I’m referring to is “In the Middle.” I have a unique perspective and experience being in the middle between pet owners and the profession. Having been on network TV for 18 years, having written a syndicated column for about 15 years, and having communicated with tens of thousands of pet owners on radio shows, via column Q&As and at appearances, I know how pet owners’ wants and needs have evolved. I understand the difference between cost and value. Appreciate their need to feel like the bond they share with their pet needs to be celebrated, nurtured and shared. That there’s only one greatest pet in the world, …
How to Avoid Scheduling Mistakes Every Veterinary Clinic MakesMay 15, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News A client calls and explains, “My dog has diarrhea. Do you have an appointment available at 3 p.m. today?” The client care coordinator replies, “Yes, 3 p.m. is available.” Instead of asking callers, “When do you want to come in?” guide them to specific times that will have your day flowing smoothly and provide better client service. Sick pets should be seen the same day, while clients calling for preventive care exams should be seen within one week. Let’s say you have sick-pet exams scheduled today at 2 and 2:30 p.m. If you put a third sick pet at 3 p.m., chances are high that you’ll run behind and the client will experience wait time. Instead, aim for an alternating exam pattern of preventive care / sick care / preventive care. Always sandwich a sick-patient exam between two preventive care exams, which are more predictable and likely to stay on time. It’s OK to schedule preventive care exams back-to-back. When booking appointments, color code your schedule based on the reason for the visit. Strive for layers of colors. Imagine that you’re making a club sandwich, layering bread, lettuce, tomato, …
Customer Service: Hall of Shame or Hall of Fame?May 14, 2015Have you seen the latest 2014 survey on customer service? The results were reported in a recent article on the “24/7 Wall St.” website1. Here are the 10 worst companies: 10. Citigroup (15% “poor” ratings for banking and for credit cards) 9. Wells Fargo (15% “poor” for banking, 16% for credit cards) 8. AT&T (18% “poor”) 7. AOL (18% “poor”) 6. Time Warner Cable (20% “poor”) 5. DirecTV (20% “poor”) 4. Dish Network (20% “poor”) 3. Sprint (21% “poor”) 2. Comcast (25% “poor”) Who was No. 1? Bank of America (25% “poor” for banking, 22% “poor” for credit cards) No comment, besides the fact that I’m surprised that airline companies are not on that list. They have a habit of treating customers in the worst ways possible, for ever increasing prices. And here are the top 10 best companies for customer service in 2014: 10. Apple (36% "excellent") 9. Hewlett-Packard (36% "excellent") 8. Sony (37% "excellent") 7. UPS (37% "excellent") 6. Trader Joe’s (37% "excellent") 5. American Express (38% "excellent") 4. Chick-fil-A (39% "excellent") 3. Marriott International (40% "excellent") 2. Hilton Worldwide (41% "excellent") Who was rated the best? Amazon.com (58% "excellent") Here is what Micah Solomon, a customer service consultant, …
Aquamation: A Dignified, Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Pet Cremation or BurialMay 8, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News A water line and a $70,000 apparatus helped propel Jerry Shevick into the business of dissolving dead animals. The former TV executive launched his second career in 2013 when he formed Peaceful Pets Aquamation Inc., whose sales pitch to Southern California veterinary customers centers on an environmentally friendly alternative to burial or cremation of their feathered, scaled or furry patients. Aquamation is a marketing term for what is technically alkaline hydrolysis, the process by which a solution of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide is diluted with water and slowly circulated through a stainless-steel chamber containing the remains of animals as large as a horse. Twenty hours after the button is pushed at Peaceful Pets’ Newbury Park, Calif., headquarters, a pile of soft bones is ready to be dried, pulverized into a sandlike material and packaged inside a decorative container for eventual return to the veterinary clinic and client. Alkaline hydrolysis has been used for years in research laboratories to safely dispose of tissue waste and animal subjects and, according to Luke Wilson of Bio-Response Solutions Inc., is an accepted “green” method of rapidly breaking down human remains. His Danville, …
