VPN Plus+ ExclusiveHow ChatGPT technology will change your lifeMay 18, 2023By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAChatGPT has been available since November, but it’s just now starting to hit its stride outside the nerdiest of circles. Now that it has been proclaimed a game-changer among mainstream users such as physicians, accountants, and attorneys, there’s no reason veterinarians should not be using it, too.
SPONSORED CONTENTThe Case for Year-Round Heartworm Prevention and Affordable OptionsVeterinarians are often more than just clinicians - they’re advisors, educators, and, increasingly, financial counselors. In today’s economy, pet owners may hesitate to invest in year-round prevention due to budget constraints; but, skipping even a few months of heartworm protection can have serious consequences. + Learn More
VPN Plus+ Exclusive12 good ways to combat bad online reviews; or worse – a targeted attackApril 28, 2023By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAOngoing legal action hasn’t yet stopped her. Though we have successfully barred her from the premises, she has pledged to wage war online—indefinitely. It would be piteous were it not so damaging. I keep trying to put it into perspective (this is a sick person, etc.) and offer emotional support to my associate, who is bearing the brunt of it, but it is a hard thing to have to handle amid all the other stresses of life in the veterinary trenches; and handle them we must!
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveIs it time for the U.S. to go Dutch?March 16, 2023By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAAs veterinary professionals, we’re on the front lines of this debate. We know exactly how certain physical traits translate physiology to pathology. Of course, it is not just the brachycephalics. We see the influence of breed-related genetic disease multiple times every single day, often many times per patient. We see it so often that, like frogs in a pot, we have become mostly inured to it.
VPN Plus+ Exclusive'Radical transparency' in vet med: embracing a new era of closeness with clientsFebruary 15, 2023By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAInstead of becoming correspondingly friendly, open, candid, and clear, we have erected barriers to these. Artfully constructed, tech-centric walls may well suit the science, but I would argue they ill-become most modern client-patient relationships.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveOur tacit pact with the purebred pet industryDecember 28, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAAs one of our path professors used to say, “If you want to start a successful practice, try befriending some boxer and Shar-pei breeders.” Although I date myself with this reference to currently less fashionable breeds (today we might rely more on our über allergy-prone doodles and everything-prone Frenchies), the core truth remains: We rely on our purebreds for profitability.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveThe clash of commerce and cultureNovember 10, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAThe culture of veterinary medicine has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. While the dedication displayed by veterinary school applicants seeking entry to programs seems not to have diminished, the emerging work ethos is arguably less enthusiastic than it once was. This shift in mentality, should you subscribe to this assessment, is often explained in terms of the dueling axioms describing our younger workforce’s approach to work-life balance: “working to live” rather than “living to work.”
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveBeing down a team member doesn't have to be a recipe for disasterSeptember 15, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAWhen faced with a similar (albeit less dramatic) associate shortage in the past, I have made do by restructuring basic operations, leaning on my team’s most experienced members to take over tasks formerly deemed “vet-only” areas. Here’s how I approached it, broadly...
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVeterinary medicine is losing its personal touch August 12, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAFor me, it is that personal connection that matters most because, without it, I might as well be an accountant, or some other brand of desk jockey. The way I see it, if I’m not invested in my patient and their people, I would not be as motivated to be kind, compassionate, thorough, and diligent.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveA perspective against private equityJuly 7, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBABy the end of this column, I hope to explain the essence of private equity investing well enough to show there is nothing defensible (or even capitalist) about it. Even if you are one of the few fortunate veterinary practice owners likely to benefit enormously from it—trust me, there is nothing to love beyond what it does for your personal bank account. (I begrudge you not one penny of it. You have earned it!)
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveMy wildest dreams?June 2, 2022By Patty Khuly, VMD, MBAPractices like mine are easily worth 20 times their original sale price (and possibly a lot more given our profession’s feverish practice transaction climate in many suburban markets). Trouble is, I have such mixed feelings on the subject of selling that I do not even want to know my practice’s current market value. Sure, I can have a proper valuation done, but do I really want to go there?
