Embrace the World of Veterinary AppsAugust 29, 2014Smartphone apps can be valuable tools by which veterinary operations can help clients make appointments, find information, store a pet’s medical information, refill prescriptions, market themselves and more. Peter Weinstein, DVM, executive director of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, can envision many scenarios in which apps can help clinics increase their business, such as helping to bring the patients in for annual checkups, and offer clients convenience and more frequent medical care for their pets. Imagine a client who is waiting in a doctor’s office with her child—the two-legged one—and she realizes she’s out of therapeutic food for her pet. She grabs her phone and opens an app connected to her veterinarian and orders a 50-pound bag refill. As the client is placing the order, she notices a reminder that it’s nearly time for the pet’s annual exam. One or two taps of her finger and an appointment is made. “As a smartphone user, I have apps on my phone for a variety of things and I do think that more people are doing searches on smartphones and tablets than desktops and laptops these days,” Dr. Weinstein said. Apps to Measure AliveCor’s veterinary heart monitor snaps onto an iPhone …
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2014 X-Ray Contest WinnersAugust 27, 2014The 2015 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest Now Accepting Entries! Animal hospitals in Texas, Florida and Oregon won Veterinary Practice News’ ninth annual radiograph contest, “They Ate WHAT?” Pet insurer Trupanion of Seattle, Wash., sponsored the contest and will provide cash awards to support the uncompensated care these hospitals provide pets. The first-place winner, Paws & Claws Animal Hospital of Plano, Texas, received $1,500, Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital in Gulf Breeze, Fla., won the $1,000 second prize, and DoveLewis Animal Hospital in Portland, Ore., will receive the $500 third prize. The Veterinary Practice News editorial team and several advisory board members judged the entries. The Winners First Place: Kermit the Frog Shawn Messonnier, DVM Paws & Claws Animal Hospital Plano, Texas Kermit had the munchies. His owner noticed the exotic frog eating the rock substrate in his cage, and radiographs confirmed the owner’s observation. More than 30 small ornamental rocks were removed in surgery and the frog recovered without complications. The owner wisely decided to remove the remaining rocks from the frog’s habitat. Second Place: A Shish Kabob Skewer Goes Missing Tim Gossman, DVM Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital Gulf Breeze, Fla. Marley, a neutered male
How One Practice Survived a Surprise OSHA InspectionAugust 27, 2014 Originally published in the August 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Part 1: 10 Steps To OSHA Compliance Ashley, the hospital manager of an emergency and referral practice in Pennsylvania, was picking up her morning coffee at the local gas station. When she hopped back in her car, she had three phone and five text messages. Secondary containers should be labeled correctly. What could be so urgent? Couldn’t it wait five more minutes? She called her practice. The technician was frantic. Five people had just shown up to conduct an OSHA inspection. Ashley immediately suspected that this was no coincidence. She had recently put an under-performing employee on probation, and after a week, the worker quit. This must have been the former employee’s idea of revenge, she thought. Ashley kept her cool and took the five visitors, sent by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of State on a hospital tour. The OSHA inspector went through her checklist and made notes: No goggles in the entire building. Serious violation. Penalty: $1,600. No eyewash station. Serious violation. No …
Banfield Predicts Business as Usual if PetSmart Is SoldAugust 25, 2014 PetSmart, the nation’s largest pet products retailer and the home to most Banfield veterinary hospitals, may be on the sales block. The Phoenix-based retailer reported Aug. 19 that it would consider a sale in light of claims by minority investor Jana Partners that PetSmart has “clearly underperformed for shareholders” and should “conduct a full review of all strategic alternatives including a sale.” A longstanding corporate partnership allows nearly all 800 Banfield hospitals to operate inside a PetSmart store. Veterinary clients would not see any meaningful change if a sale occurs, according to Portland, Ore.-based Banfield Pet Hospital. “Banfield has an agreement that governs our relationship with PetSmart, and it will remain in effect regardless of any change in PetSmart ownership,” the hospital chain noted in a prepared statement. Jana Partners, a New York hedge fund, in early August called on PetSmart to pursue a sale, saying the retailer has endured “years of underperformance” and that “multiple interested potential acquirers” exist. Critics of PetSmart have little reason to grumble, chairman Gregory P. Josefowicz said. “PetSmart has delivered superb returns for our investors over a long period of time, with our …
AVMA Economic Meeting Set for Oct. 28August 19, 2014 Registration is underway for the American Veterinary Medical Association’s second annual Economic Summit, which will explore topics such as what veterinarians are earning and why more practices are consolidating. The all-day meeting will take place Oct. 28 at the Westin O’Hare in suburban Chicago. Among the speakers will be Michael Dicks, MS, Ph.D., the AVMA’s director of veterinary economics; Jeffrey Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, the chief medical officer at Banfield Pet Hospital; and Lisa Greenhill, the associate executive director for institutional research and diversity at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. Veterinary compensation, veterinarian supply and demand, the prices charged for veterinary services, and how veterinary markets influence everyday business decisions will be discussed. The registration cost is $199 until Oct. 6 and $249 afterward. More information is available at AVMA.org/Events/Symposiums.
British Vets Forced to Compete With ‘Dr. Google’August 18, 2014 British practitioners are fed up with the world’s most popular veterinarian, who they accuse of encouraging clients to self-diagnose and treat their pets at home, sometimes to the detriment of the animal. The veterinarian, known only as “Dr. Google,” has influenced the vast majority of pet owners, according to the British Veterinary Association. The veterinary organization reported Sunday that 98 percent of practitioners surveyed stated that their clients’ behavior was swayed by what the pet owners found online. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of veterinarians said the owners’ online research was unhelpful. “It worries me to hear that so many people are relying on guesswork or unverified Internet sources for health advice for their pets,” said BVA President Robin Hargreaves, MRCVS. “While there is some useful information about pet behavior and health available online, particularly from the established animal charities, the best source of information for animal health concerns will always be your vet, who knows your pet.” Across the Atlantic, Dr. Google has been blamed for lackluster interest in regular veterinary checkups. A 2014 survey conducted by the coalition Partners for Healthy Pets found that 48 percent of U.S. pet owners first turned to the …
VPI Wellness Plans Win AAHA’s EndorsementAugust 14, 2014 Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.’s pet wellness plans have earned the approval of the American Animal Hospital Association, which named the company a Preferred Business Provider. Brea, Calif.-based VPI joins MWI Veterinary Supply, Wells Fargo and CareCredit as Preferred Business Providers under a program that offers special pricing or other services for AAHA members. VPI’s pet wellness plans, known as Everyday Care, can cover examinations, tests, vaccinations, sterilization and dental cleanings, depending on the level of care purchased by a cat or dog owner. Wellness exams help meet the goals of the AAHA/AVMA Preventive Healthcare Guidelines. “We believe the [VPI] program is consistent with our core mission of improving pet health and increasing patient visits by providing pet owners with cost-effective ways to manage ongoing pet health care costs,” said AAHA’s CEO, Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP. “AAHA reviewed the VPI program, and we believe it offers veterinarians and pet owners a wellness program option that eliminates many of the challenges of practice-administered wellness plans,” Dr. Cavanaugh added.
10 Steps To OSHA ComplianceAugust 14, 2014 Do you have OSHA labels on every secondary container or spray bottle? If not, each violation could cost you. Do all staff members wear appropriate protection equipment against radiation and chemicals? If not, each violation could cost you. Do you eat or drink in the treatment area or the laboratory? If so, each violation could cost you. The average fine levied by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is around $1,000. Phil Zeltzman Cold sterile trays are more strictly regulated than you might think. OSHA compliance is not an option. It should not be an item on your never-ending to-do list. It’s the law. Few clinics are fully OSHA compliant, and arguably fewer are aware of the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals — also known as the GHS protocols. GHS is a modification of the 1994 Hazard Communication Standard, to make it more understandable and uniformly recognized nationally. Karen Andrews, an office manager, technician and OSHA consultant in Michigan, shares 10 easy and affordable ways to become OSHA compliant. 1) Labels The GHS enhancement regarding hazardous chemicals in the workplace …
Idexx Moving to Direct Sales Across U.S.August 6, 2014 Idexx Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of diagnostic and information technology-based products and services, will drop its U.S. distributor partners and sell directly to all customers beginning Jan. 1, 2015. The change will affect companies such as MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. The Boise, Idaho, distributor disclosed July 31 in its third-quarter financial report that the Idexx account is responsible for about 3.4 percent of MWI’s multibillion-dollar annual revenue. MWI President and CEO Jim Cleary tried to allay any fears, saying the company is “strategically well-positioned with competitive diagnostic products, which we have marketed and sold since January 2013.” MWI previously announced the layoff of 5 percent of its U.S. workforce and the shuttering of warehouses in Mauston, Wis., and Phoenix. Jonathan Ayers, Idexx’s chairman and CEO, called the direct sales of U.S. Companion Animal Group diagnostics “a natural evolution of our business model.” “Under this approach, we intend to take orders, ship product, invoice and receive payment, and recognize revenue for all rapid assay test kits and instrument consumables in the U.S., aligning with our direct model for instruments, reference lab services and other [Companion Animal Group] products and services,” Ayers said. Idexx …
N.Y. Clinic Gets Facelift Courtesy of NovartisJuly 22, 2014 Cats visiting Village Vet of Lewiston can rest easy now and forget about the dogs traipsing through the waiting room. The western New York hospital has opened two feline-only examination rooms after winning Novartis Animal Health’s Onsior Clinic Makeover contest. The $20,000 in upgrades also includes the purchase of spay and neuter equipment used in partnership with Community Cats Alive, a group that operates a sterilization and vaccination program for feral cats. Some 964 clinics entered the contest sponsored by Novartis’ Onsior brand. Onsior (robenacoxib) tablets are indicated for the control of postoperative pain and inflammation in cats. “Creating a feline-friendly clinic goes beyond the functional clinic elements and includes feline-friendly products, practices and protocols,” said Juan Angel, associate brand manager with Novartis Animal Health US Inc. of Greensboro, N.C. Village Vet, operated by sole practitioner Kristen Ruest, DVM, also received new roll-up window blinds and two fish aquariums—one in the waiting room and another cut into an exam room and hallway. The feline-only rooms feature wall décor, climbing trees and examination baskets, which cats are placed in to help steady their nerves. BDA Architecture, an Albuquerque, N.M., firm that specializes in veterinary …
