National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues - News Feeds

Practice tips

• Progress in Practice tip: Put your phone number on your sign
  With today's generation of mobile phone users, that number, including area code, is crucial.
  
• Implement service codes to crack down on missed charges
  Missed charges can result in thousands in lost revenue for your practice. But here's the good news: The solution is as simple as developing a few service codes.
  
• Use this easy method for keeping casts clean and dry
  Use this easy method for keeping casts clean and dry
  
• Put unused space to work as a central pharmacy
  Scattered inventory and inefficient procedures cost you time and money. Here's a solution.
  
• Delegation: Do it right
  Managers: You need to delegate more. Here's how to do it right.
  
• Get creative with client reminders
  Take a personal approach with your veterinary practice's client reminders and increase practice visits.
  
• Want to earn $50? Submit a Practice Tip
  You could also win a $250 portrait of your favorite pet from Pet Picassos!
  
• How to successfully market microchipping
  Microchipping is becoming standard procedure for many practices. Is your clinic keeping up with the times?
  
• Help clients say goodbye
  Sympathy cards show grieving clients you care.
  
• Your reputation precedes you
  Your practice's reputation is crucial. Make sure clients are hearing good things.
  
• Inventory training tip
  Combine staff training with an inventory count.
  
• 5 ways to avoid layoffs
  Think twice before laying off good employees.
  
• Audio tip: Get back to basics
  Mark Opperman explains why you need to review the success of your reminders system.
  
• An outpatient charge sheet that works for me
  Advice from our community message board on handling outpatient charges
  
• Hang up on bad phone protocol
  Train and monitor your team to make sure clients get professional, polite responses.
  
• Study up: How to answer clients' tough questions
  New book tells pet owners to ask medical questions at your practice.
  
• Streamline your senior care to improve compliance
  Here are strategies to encourage internal and client compliance that work:
  
• Live from CVC Central: Can't we all just get along?
  Understand the root of conflict between team members in order to put a stop to it.
  
• Watch out for state unemployment audits
  These audits can cost you, so be sure you correctly classify your employees.
  
• Valuable veterinary resources on the Web
  Surf the Web for valuable resources to help you do your job better.
  
• Turn those frowns upside-down
  Believe it or not, complaints can bond pet owners to your practice—if you handle them effectively.
  
• Pay up front for poop
  Dr. Melisa Hicks and her team at Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., improve compliance by encouraging clients to prepay for fecal tests.
  
• Get everyone involved in hiring
  Involving your team members in the process is a better way to hire.
  
• How staff can give each other bonuses
  Each employee at VetSelect Animal Hospital in Dearborn Heights, Mich., receives two bonus certificates with every paycheck.
  
• Trash old computers responsibly
  If you plan to install new computers in your practice, think about how you'll dispose of your old ones—tossing them into the dumpster is a no-no.
  
• It's OK to give it away
  Publicly document all those freebies.
  
• Take five
  A few minutes per appointment can save you a lot at the end of the day.
  
• Are your clients advocates, apathetics, or assassins?
  The tales clients tell can poison or profit your practice.
  
• Bright ideas for going green
  Making a few small changes can have a big impact on your practice's utility bills and the environment
  
• Satellites need communication with the mother ship
  Communication failures between facilities lead to disconnect and tension.
  
• Custom ambulance transports pets
  A refurbished ambulance transfers referral patients between WestVet Emergency Center in Meridian, Idaho, and nearby practices.
  
• The dog ate my drapes
  Talking to pet owners about separation anxiety.
  
• Rx for presenteeism
  A problem more disruptive and costly than absenteeism, "presenteeism" occurs when contagiously sick employees show up for work.
  
• "So that's what a flea looks like!"
  Dr. Melisa Hicks got clients' attention about parasites by hanging a giant picture of a flea where it couldn't be missed.
  
• Lights! Camera! Meet!
  Our 24-hour clinic has a main office, three satellite facilities, 14 veterinarians, and 80-plus team members, so staff communication is always a challenge. In addition to a weekly newsletter, we have monthly meetings for each department and a monthly staff meeting for everyone.
  
• Deducting reimbursements
  Know how your expenses are reimbursed to be sure you get the right deductions.
  
• Solar panels save on energy costs
  Skyrocketing energy prices and concerns about global warming prompted the owner of Middlebury Animal Hospital in Middlebury, Conn., to invest in solar energy.
  
• The benefits of cross-training
  If employees can handle various tasks, then you can shift people in and out of jobs as needed—without calling in temporary workers, running up overtime costs, or stinting on client services.
  
• The right way to quit
  A team member quit recently. She gave two weeks' notice but didn't fully complete it and was supposed to train someone to take over her job duties but didn't. After being a valued team member for so long, why did she choose to leave on a sour note?
  
• Three cheers for the team
  Here are three ways we recognize our team members' efforts at Michigan Veterinary Specialists
  
• Are your clients annoyed?
  It's probably hard to believe there's anything about your practice that irritates your clients that you don't already know about. But consider this recently discovered problem at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. It started with a survey that hospital administrators gave to patients when they were sent home from the hospital.
  
• Don't count on deducting life insurance costs
  If you practice with partners, your buy-sell agreement is an important way to develop a plan to purchase an owner's interest under a variety of circumstances and to protect your own interest in those same circumstances—one of which is the death of a partner.
  
• A two-part strategy for encouraging dental care
  February is National Dental Health Month, putting the annual spotlight on dental care. But Dr. Scott Linick, FAVD, owner of Plainfield Animal Hospital in South Plainfield, N.J., knows the importance of dental care, and not just during Dental Health Month. He uses two methods for encouraging clients to take better care of their pets' teeth year round.
  
• Benefits of e-mail
  An effective e-mail program gives your practice a high-tech image, says author Ralph Laurie.
  
• Get your landlord to fix things up
  Your "construction allowance" is considered taxable income unless you follow these rules.
  
• What's backing up your computer?
  I've had quite a few mishaps with my cell phone. I wasn't worried this last time, though, because I'd opted for the "backup assistant" service provided by my wireless carrier. At least my contact list would be safe—so I thought.
  
• One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy
  A doctor looks to shorten his ring time.
  
• Generating new ideas is easy as pie
  Everyone loves getting their piece of the pie, especially when it leads to an even bigger reward.
  
• Teaching an old boss new tricks
  Introducing new drugs or procedures into your practice can be frustrating if you're an associate—and it can be especially tough if you're a recent graduate. Here are a few tips I've learned through experience.
  
• 10 tips for hiring right
  Tip No. 1: Place an ad where top applicants are likely to look.
  
• Employee compensation: Balancing cost and investment
  It's no secret that staff salaries are the biggest expense at most practices. At the same time, your team is your most valuable asset. How do you balance these two realities?
  
• Make your practice ETDBW
  Is your practice easy to do business with? How can you achieve this goal? Here are some ideas.
  
• Meet, great, and learn at trade shows
  My friend dedicates one trip a year to visiting conference vendors. Here's my take.
  
• Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la ... BARF!
  Remind clients of these potentially hazardous holiday items around the house.
  
• Keep pets safe this holiday season
  Print out this PDF and give it to clients to educate them about common household items that can make cats and dogs sick when ingested.
  
• 'Tis the time to buy equipment
  If you've been thinking about making a capital equipment purchase, consider doing it before the end of the year to receive the tax benefits next year.
  
• The power of celebration
  "Celebrating makes people feel like winners and creates an atmosphere of recognition and positive energy." ... say Jack and Suzy Welch, co-authors of Winning (Collins, 2005).
  
• Sink your teeth into year-round dental care
  Dental care is an everyday endeavor.
  
• Caught in the act
  A grouchy client leaves the practice with a smile on her face. A co-worker finishes inventory 10 minutes earlier because you offered a helping hand. Those may seem like small accomplishments, but Nancy Allen, practice manager at Olathe Animal Hospital in Olathe, Kan., says these efforts deserve a thanks.
  
• Don't lose sight of what's important to clients
  A trip to the optometrist's office reminded this veterinarian that clients are willing to pay for quality care—especially if it prevents hassles in the long run.
  
• Maintain a caring connection
  Send follow-up cards after pets' passing.
  
• The biggest loser
  In this weight loss competition, being a big loser is a good thing.
  
• The name game
  Play a game to remember pet and client names.
  
• Traits of the ideal doctor
  A Mayo Clinic study finds that behavior, not skill, is the key to positive patient perception.
  
• Tips to finish your practice's marketing plan
  Build on the groundwork you've already laid to cross the marketing finish line with style.
  
• Puppy parenting 101
  After the death of two wonderful dogs over the past several years, my family decided to take a few years off from being dog owners. Well, we're back in action now, puppy classes and all.
  
• Blogs away
  Blogging can help bring back that loving feeling—in your work life.
  
• Taking names
  Whenever team members from Nassau Veterinary Clinic in Nassau, N.Y., set up a booth or table at a community event, they hold a raffle so they can gather potential clients' names and addresses.
  
• Nothing is insignificant
  The devil is in the details. So what are your clients noticing about your practice and team members?
  
• Women: Refine your roar
  Differences in communication styles can mean women's messages don't carry the same weight. Here's how to give statements more oomph.
  
• Identity inspiration
  Think about your practice's identity and how you want to connect with clients before embarking on a marketing campaign.
  
• Wee-wee poo-poo chart
  A tool to help your clients with housetraining.
  
• Potty training made easy
  To help our clients nail down potty training, we give them a chart. Here's how it works ...
  
• Put pets on a pedestal
  Make check-in and checkout out a snap for clients by placing a pet pedestal at your reception counter.
  
• Let the media boost your credibility
  Know the difference between advertising and public relations to maximize your results.
  
• Got collateral?
  It pays to think through your options when you're borrowing.
  
• Let's see that ID
  Your practice's identity goes far beyond a logo.
  
• Make spring cleaning egg-citing
  An Easter egg hunt for cash- and candy-filled eggs makes spring cleaning fun for the team at the Maul Road Animal Clinic in Camden, Ark.
  
• Enlist client support
  The team at Ottawa Animal Hospital in Holland, Mich., adopted two groups of solders in Iraq.
  
• Have no fear: Help is here
  You're already familiar with the idea of hiring a relief veterinarian and the benefits that come along with doing so. But what about hiring a relief technician?
  
• Develop a support network
  Sometimes a hospital manager needs someone outside of the practice to bounce ideas off of, vent to, and solve problems with.
  
• Sit! Speak! Educate!
  Referring your clients to certified trainers and behaviorists—and promoting early socialization and training all year long—is the best way to prevent aggression and bites. But National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 20 to 26) is quickly approaching, so it's a good time to gear up.
  
• A piece of the pie
  We keep a chart based on our monthly budget on the wall in the back hall of the hospital.
  
• Caring for senior pets—and the owners who love them
  An aging cat taught this doctor how to show compassion to clients with older pets.
  
• Trickle-down planning for the new year
  Help your team develop a year-long plan to improve on weaknesses and let them run with it.
  
• Ceremony brings clients together
  Creating unity among clients whose pets have passed away helps solidify their bond to your practice—and shows great empathy.
  
• A mint on the pillow
  We've adopted a major hotel chain's steps for providing excellent client service. Of course, we aren't in the hotel industry, but we are in the hospitality industry.
  
• Are your employees invisible?
  Shine a light on your team members to ensure they feel appreciated and don't fade into the woodwork.
  
• Job search deductions
  If you're on the hunt for a new job, don't forget about the tax deductions you may be eligible for.
  
• Be a taskmaster
  Use a computer program to generate automatic reminders of recurring tasks.
  
• Quick fixes that boost client satisfaction
  Keep your clients happy—from when they make an appointment until they're done with follow-up care.
  
• 3 tips to perk up your people
  Plan morale-boosting events sporadically—not just during the holidays.
  
• Puppy ownership 101
  Give clients the tools and information they need to help them make a big decision.
  
• The art of open-book management
  Disclosing the practice's financial information helps team members see the bigger picture. But is this approach right for your practice?
  
• Phone room gives clients equal attention
  We pulled the phones from our front reception area, and we've never looked back.
  
• Celebrate the team bond
  Start a tradition and get together for a meaningful outing.
  
• Are flexible spending accounts right for your hospital?
  With enough employee participation, flexible spending accounts are a great benefit that attracts—and retains—solid team members.
  
• Learn from O.P.M.
  One of the easiest, lowest-cost, and most practical ways to learn about management is from Other People's Mistakes.
  
• Do's and Don'ts of negotiating a contract
  Do request a letter of intent ... Don't enter an agreement based on a handshake ...
  
• A world away from practice
  The first step to getting away for continuing education—or even a vacation—is to find someone to replace you. Take these five steps to find the perfect relief veterinarian.