The American Animal Hospital Association named Wellington Veterinary Clinic of Wellington, Colo., as the Accredited Practice of the Year during the opening ceremony of AAHA’s annual conference in Denver, and data presented at the ceremony showed that pet owner visits increased in 2011 compared to 2010. Swedesboro Animal Hospital/Tri-State Animal Emergency Center of Woolrich Township, N.J., was the runner up for the honor, and Cat’s Corner Veterinary Hospital of Southbury, Conn., was third. Other finalists included Animal Hospital of Nashua, N.H., and Austinburg Veterinary Clinic of Austinburg, Ohio. The Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of Richmond, Va., was named the AAHA Accredited Referral Practice of the year, beating out the only other finalist, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital of Wheat Ridge, Colo. Colorado State University student Jennifer Lynn Pultz, MBA, won the AAHA Anna E. Worth Student Leadership Award. After the presentation ceremony, AAHA executive director and CEO Michael Cavanaugh presented market research data that showed patient visits increased 1.5 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, compared with a decrease of 0.8 percent from 2009 to 2010. Visits by dog owners increased 1.8 percent from 2010 to 2011, compared to a decrease of 0.6 percent from 2009 to 2010. Visits by cat owners, meanwhile, increased by 0.4 percent from 2010 to 2011, compared to a 1.7 percent decrease from 2009 to 2010. The survey polled 4,500 practice management systems, gleaning information about 12.9 million pet owners and 20 million pets. <HOME>
