Technical And Business Training Help Drive Ultrasound’s Growing PopularityOctober 19, 2012 While quality ultrasound equipment is less expensive than ever today, access to good educational opportunities is the major force propelling this imaging technology’s popularity, believes Charles Maloy, president of E.I. Medical Imaging in Loveland, Colo. “A number of groups out there are doing training. That is what I think is the big facilitator to getting this equipment into people’s hands,” Maloy said. His company engineers, designs, manufactures, services and sells veterinary ultrasound machines. E.I. Medical also provides training and consulting for its equipment. “It’s a proud thing for me when people ask what we do, and then they say, ‘It’s good to hear there are companies in the United States still making things,’” he said. “There are two basic types of training: one is the technical side, and then there’s the business side—how is adding this service to my practice going to make money?” Maloy said. “They need to learn how the equipment can pay for itself and add to the bottom line. We coach a lot on that with prospective clients. We’re trying to expand a veterinarian’s horizon on what these tools can do for them. There’s a broader array of services than they even …
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Moving Into Practice ManagementOctober 19, 2012 At IVECCS this year in San Antonio, I presented a talk for technicians who are interested in moving into a management or leadership role in their respective practices. I have a lot of experience in this topic, both as a technician who DID move into management and as a manager who then moved others into management, and I must say that I learned a lot from mistakes and disasters that occurred during my own career. Like a parent, you always think that if you share your mistakes and lessons learned with your children, it can help them avoid the same pain; but alas, it doesn’t work for parenting, and certainly doesn’t work with managing! But I’ll try nonetheless. So I just wanted to briefly recap that presentation topic, for those of you out there who may be considering a move into management. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people came to my talk at IVECCS, and in general I see a larger number of people looking toward a management career, which is fantastic! For most of the levels of management within an organization, I’m still of the belief that we should “grow our …
No Excuses When It Comes To Client ServiceOctober 16, 2012 So this is the last entry about my saga with my daughter’s dentist, and yet again, I learned something new about client service on THIS side of the exam table. As you may recall, and I believe I blogged about, we had one experience where the nurse was reviewing all the details about an upcoming procedure on my daughter, which was fairly major stuff. (Truthfully, with my daughter’s Asperger’s and anxiety disorder, everything is major stuff.) The nurse ran through her “script” literally with no emotion whatsoever, barely pausing to breath, much less ask me if I had any questions or observe my body language to tell I was uncomfortable with the pace and process. Fortunately, my daughter had procedures at that dental practice before, and I knew enough about medicine to follow along, so I left without registering any complaint or discomfort. Then the last time we visited that dentist, the hygienist escorted my daughter back out to me in the lobby (it took years before she felt comfortable going back there alone for routine cleanings), and nonchalantly mentioned that we are in good shape for braces. BRACES? No one had ever …
What To Consider When Investing In In-Clinic Blood AnalyzersOctober 15, 2012 To be confident in what you tell your clients, you’ve got to have confidence in the laboratory doing your blood work, whether it’s a full-scale reference lab or a bench-top machine in your clinic. While an in-house blood analyzer can be a time-saving, convenient practice tool, in many cases even the finest equipment is no substitute for human knowledge and experience, veterinary clinical pathologists say. And when you have a shadow of a doubt about your results, it pays to double-check. “In-house laboratory machines can definitely improve turnaround time,” said Leslie Sharkey, DVM, Ph.D., a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology (Clinical Pathology). “Pre-anesthetic blood work for routine or elective procedures in otherwise relatively healthy animals is one of the best applications of these machines.” Dr. Sharkey, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is president of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology. In emergency cases, the quick results offered by a lab machine across the room are a major asset, added Kristen Friedrichs, DVM, Dipl. ACVP (Clinical Pathology), assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. “If we...focus on which results are needed …
In-house Blood Work Can Be A Revenue Stream For Veterinary PracticesOctober 15, 2012 In-house blood work can boost veterinary clinic profits but only if practitioners treat it as a major capital investment and do their homework, say veterinary clinical pathologists. “Many people only look at the cost of the instrument, but there is so much more to understand,” said Craig Tockman, DVM, director of Abaxis North American Animal Health of Union City, Calif. “We must look at the cost and value of time. Veterinarians must look at the value of investment in capital equipment as part of the value of their business and what they provide their patients. The cost of running a test at the point of care is actually less expensive for the practice, and provides the ability to actually grow the business.” Kendal Harr, DVM, MS, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, is owner and clinical pathologist of Mukilteo, Wash.-based URIKA LLC, a private pathology consortium of boarded consultants. A member of the Abaxis Scientific Advisory Board, she has written extensively about issues surrounding her field, particularly the assurance of quality, accurate test results. “Especially in the more normal patients, in-house complete blood count and biochemical analyzers can improve turnaround time and diagnostic …
Getting Sick On A Tropical Island = Rip OffOctober 15, 2012 During a recent tropical vacation, one young member of our group became acutely ill the night of our arrival. Hallucinations, ADR and high temperature (Note to self: Bring a digital thermometer along next time – it weighs less than a couple of ounces). Please note that Veterinary Practice News is rated PG 13, so rest assured that no drugs or alcohol were involved in this story. The next morning, we headed to the local physician. After a cursory exam and a $100 tab, he decided that to be on the safe side, we should see a pediatrician. We asked how much it might cost, but he claimed to have no idea. Since nobody could in good conscience take a chance with some strange exotic disease, some well-known current local microbe or something like meningitis, we decided to follow his advice. We hopped into a cab to the local hospital, with which the local doctor was affiliated. It looked like several Americans were in the same sad situation during their vacation. Among them, a few stood out in the waiting room. One lady, who had had a knee replacement, slipped on a wet floor, fell, and apparently …
When Sally Met Her BankerOctober 10, 2012 Sally’s life just changed quite radically. She had moved to a new town and got a new job at a wonderful vet clinic. She walked into Hometown Bank, where she wanted to open a checking account to deposit her future paychecks. The smiling bank teller proudly informed her that she was in luck: Hometown Bank now offers free checking. “What do you mean, free checking? Everything is free? Where’s the catch?” asks Sally. She’s no dummy; she works in the veterinary profession after all. She knows there’s no such thing as a free lunch. She also had just read in a journal quoting Bankrate.com that only 45 percent of banks offer fee-free, noninterest-bearing checking accounts. That’s down from about 75 percent in 2005! The teller answered with a big smile: “Free checking means free checking. Everything is free! No minimum opening deposit, free deposits, free debit card, free withdrawals, free ATM cards, no minimum balance, free online banking, free online “Bill Pay,” free monthly online statements, free balance alerts, I’m telling you Sally, everything is free.” “What is the interest rate on this account?” wondered Sally. The teller answered with a big smile: “Oh, you …
How To Integrate Hydrotherapy Into A Veterinary PracticeOctober 9, 2012 Find out how you can integrate an underwater treadmill into your veterinary practice and the key essentials you should consider in choosing the system that is ideal for you. Treatments One of the first things to consider is how to use the underwater treadmill in your facility. The most common reason is for post-operative rehabilitation due to orthopedic or neurologic issues, such as cranial cruciate ligament tears or intervertebral disc disease. The water can be raised to a certain height, which minimizes the weight of the patient, allowing him/her to exercise in a controlled environment. The underwater treadmill also allows pets with degenerative diseases, such as hip dysplasia or degenerative myelopathy, to walk with stability and confidence from the support of the water. Another way the treadmill can be incorporated into your practice is by implementing conditioning and weight loss programs. Extra resistance can provide an additional challenge for the canine athlete, while overweight patients can comfortably work out to improve their cardiovascular fitness and shed pounds. Fitting In Understanding the amount of floor space required by an underwater treadmill is very important in the planning …
'Needy' Staff?October 2, 2012 Bridging generation gaps in the workplace is never easy. But like it or not, practice owners and managers are tasked with adapting to the style and needs of the new generation of veterinarians and support staff. One of the most prevalent attributes of the latest generations entering the workforce—and the one causing great lament among supervisors who were brought up under a different regime—is the expectation of continual praise and encouragement. Many young people entering the workforce today count themselves among what the mainstream media has dubbed the “over-praised” Me Generation. They also include the Millennial generation and Generation Y. “Today’s employees require more hand-holding and recognition,” says Alyce D’Amato, CVT, CVPM, vice president and executive director of Horizon Veterinary Services Inc. in Appleton, Wis. “Unfortunately, they want to be rewarded for simply being at work and fulfilling their job duties. I see fewer employees who understand what it means to go above and beyond. We certainly have young employees who work very hard—they are just difficult to find. Today’s young employees seem to think that working between 38 and 42 hours in a week is extreme.” Such attitudes may have significant implications for …
Hiring And Firing To Get The Vet Staff You WantOctober 2, 2012Recruiting and retaining dedicated, competent employees and knowing how to let go of employees who are not the best fit for your veterinary practice are significant management challenges. Practices that develop an effective hiring and termination process are more likely to hire outstanding team members and retain employees who are the right fit for the practice culture. Take the following steps to improve recruitment efforts: What You Need When recruiting employees, don’t just look for a warm body to fill the position. Instead, focus on finding job candidates who have the skills and attitude to become an outstanding member of your team. To recruit the right candidates, define the requisite skill set for the position and what kind of employee you need to adhere to the core values of your veterinary practice. In addition, focus on what potential employees want from employers. Make sure the wages and benefits you offer are competitive for your region and with other area practices. Understand that while compensation and benefits are important, these are often not the only deciding factors when people choose a job. Employees want to work in a positive environment. They value flexible work schedules, training and development opportunities, supportive …
