Send us your entry by January 2, 2021, and your hospital could be featured in an issue of dvm360 magazine!

Enter the 2021 dvm360 Hospital Design Competition

This week on dvm360, we will be posting a wide variety of news content including:

A brand-new episode of the Vet Blast Podcast: Learn all about the history of cat breeds.

An article discussing Volition's new cancer screening test.

Articles

A little sneak peek at this week’ headlines.

This week on dvm360: New podcast episodes, plus exciting product news

 Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital has announced the acquisition of Pet Hospice, a California-based company that offers telehealth and education along with in-home care for pets, owners, and veterinarians. Through the acquisition, BluePearl’s name will transition to Blue Pearl Pet Hospice, and the company will offer in-home hospice and palliative care, and euthanasia to pets located in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties. 

CEO and co-founder of BluePearl Darryl Shaw said in 

 about the acquisition, “Now more than ever, the human-animal bond plays an integral part in pet owners’ lives. Understanding this, BluePearl Pet Hospice focuses not only on end-of-life services for the pet but also on the human component of care.” “Along with our mission to provide remarkable care to pets, our hospitals seek to improve pets’ quality of life as end of life nears—whether this mean days, months, or years. With BluePearl Pet Hospice support throughout the end-of-life process, pet owners can spend less time worrying and more time enjoying the time that remains.”

Additionally, Blue Pearl Pet Hospice provides nationwide access to professional grief counseling, telehealth services, community support, and free online education. With plans to expand immediately, BluePearl says it’s actively seeking compassionate veterinary professionals to join its team, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

The corporate veterinary hospital chain will now offer in-home hospice, palliative care, and euthanasia to pets in select California cities and counties.

BluePearl acquires Pet Hospice

In veterinary medicine, work-life balance can be challenging to achieve. While finding equal balance isn’t always doable, giving equivalent 

 to both worlds is, says practice owner Tracy Sands, DVM.

In this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Sands and practice manager Alec Failor offer insight on finding balance in this profession.

Finding balance means “being able to have pieces of yourself to give outside of work,” Failor tells Dr. Adam Christman. We often make excuses for not having balance, but this mindset is dangerous, Failor explains.

“It is the most important thing for you to do to take care of yourself because if you don’t have anything to give to anything else, you’re lost.”

So what can you start doing today to find more balance? Start saying no more, says the duo.

This profession is known for saying yes to 

, echoes Christman. It’s hard, but sometimes you can’t appease every client, he says, adding that your wellbeing comes first.

Sands agrees. There’s never enough time to get everything done, so you have to prioritize what 

“Even though saying no can be hard to do in the beginning. You have to look at whether it’s going to hurt or help to say yes,” says Sands.

Listen below for more nuggets on how to create balance, plus how to decompress after a long workday.

Podcasts

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, is joined by practice manager Alec Failor and practice owner Tracy Sands, DVM, who discuss strategies for balancing work and personal life.

Episode 30: Finding balance in veterinary medicine

Was it really 43 years ago, in Ithaca, New York, that my veterinary classmates and I stood up en masse before thousands of perplexed graduates, parents, and guests, waving our rectal sleeves and spelling 

? My career has whisked by so fast that I have to occasionally remind myself of the endless litany of transitions that our profession has experienced, for better or for worse.

Whether it be technology, education, demographics, economics, marketing, communications, practice, ethics, well-being, or culture, I have witnessed and experienced so many changes over the years that I applaud myself and my peers for maintaining any form of sanity and stability as the kaleidoscopic landscape has evolved.

But of all the twists and turns that I have indexed over the decades, my greatest concern and worry is the state of practice ownership. Forty-three years ago, it was virtually every veterinary graduate’s dream to eventually purchase their own practice and experience this profession through personal proprietorship, but so much has changed. Our profession is at a true crossroads. I fear that the not-so-distant future holds a dismal collection of predominantly expansive and expensive corporate-owned practices, a vastly diminished number of locally owned smaller practices, and a dwindling quantity of large animal practices.

The explanation for the decrease in smaller practices is multifaceted but not complex. On one hand you have the baby boomers who have retired or whose health (or other issues) persuaded them to leave the profession. Many people in this group who own the large “million dollar–plus” facilities have already sold, or will sell, to the corporate suitors. Congratulations! That leaves a huge number of vibrant, local, smaller practices (both small animal and large animal) for which the owners will have to find buyers. The options for finding a buyer are somewhat limited. One might consult a broker, but the small size of the practice or the sales commission might pose obstacles. Perhaps there is an associate, but are they interested or can they afford it? What now? Does the owner close the doors and walk away?

With student debt looming over so many graduates, can younger veterinarians even afford to borrow more money in pursuit of a practice? Also, personal and professional lifestyles for Gen X, Y, and Zers may certainly put practice ownership on the back burner or take it totally off the stove top. Is it more convenient to remain an associate? And with regard to the large animal world, statistics point to a dwindling population of entrants into this sector of the profession, despite the fact that many veterinary school entrants look forward to large animal practice upon graduation.

Add up both sides of this buyer/seller equation and the future looks bleak for the smaller-size practice, and, in my opinion, that is a devastating loss for our profession. Veterinary medicine has a long history of flourishing practices that may have just 10 or fewer employees (and that includes the veterinarians). Are we now observing the elimination or extinction of this species? What a shame. These practices have been the backbone and pride of our profession for so many years and for numerous understandable reasons. For one, they are part of the community. They are also owned by someone who lives down the street—a real person! This person is also on the school board, or their child and yours are in the same class at school or are best friends, or you both attend the same place of worship. There is a real connection.

Additionally, the veterinary care that these local owners provide is essential. If they were too close shop, who would replace them? The next practice might be 10 miles away or much further, and clients might not feel comfortable starting all over at a new place. With regard to the large animal practice, the neighboring practice might be 50 miles away!

These practices also provide good jobs and careers for our locality. They hire our friends, our neighbors, and our children.

Finally, we always see the same faces, and that is so comforting. “Dr Helfat has been my vet for 25 years. He gave my Sophie her puppy shots, and 15 years later, he was the one who gently helped her pass on” or “Every time I call, Sue answers the phone and fits me in” or “Brenda is the only one who I will let near JoJo when it is time for a nail trim.” I could go on.

So here is my pitch to the younger generations who may be reluctant to own a practice—a shout-out to preserve these smaller but vibrant clinics and hospitals that are desperately looking for their next owner.

First, practice ownership is enjoyable. Believe me, I would not have made it 40-plus years as an associate. Owning a practice has given me stability, a unique sense of success and purpose, and many other intangibles that promote a healthy mental well-being, and isn’t this so important and desperately needed at this time in our profession?

Second, owning a practice has contributed enormously to my nonveterinary life. As a fixture in the community, I am recognized and greeted warmly by so many strangers who apparently know me.

Third, I do not profess to be an economist or business advisor, but compare “associate” and “owner” and tell me who is better off financially in the end. It is the owner who has a practice worth hundreds of thousands, the valuable real estate, an enviable pension, and decades of tax write-offs. In fact, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has occasionally advised that practice ownership should seriously be considered as a means toward paying off student debt faster.

Fourth, practice ownership allows you to practice in your own comfort zone, make all the business decisions, live your dream, buy your own equipment, and control your professional life. Again, I could go on.

Is there a solution to this impending demise of the small practice? I say yes! The younger veterinarians who might courageously contemplate practice ownership should take a look around. Where are some of these practices in the general vicinity or, perhaps, in a different region that might be more appealing? Get to know the owners and send them a letter of inquiry. Possibly give them a call or send an email. Attend local VMA meetings (and join!) or put your quest in the ear of a sales representative you know. Plant the seed. From my experience, just starting a conversation often opens the door to further discussion.

One cautionary note: It is so much easier to buy an existing practice than to start one anew. I have done both. Would you rather walk into a business with thousands of existing clients and their files or wait 5 to 10 years until they slowly arrive? Surely there are exceptional cases, but not many.

The other part of the solution lies with the seller. There must be financial incentives to make this work, such as the following:

A personal loan/note for the sale of the practice (but a standard bank mortgage for the real estate)

The survival of the small practice relies upon initiative, incentives, compromise, and a desire to keep on dreaming. I have personally made an effort to support my comments above by recently starting up Veterinary Practice Transition (veterinarypracticetransition.com), a nonprofit that seeks to bring the seller and buyer together in an easy, straightforward manner and with a process that appeals to both parties.

I wish you all the happiness and success that I have experienced and still do. Do not let the flame die out!

Mark P. Helfat, DVM, is the founder and owner of Larchmont Animal Hospital in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

A veterinary practice owner explains how the younger generation of veterinarians can help preserve small local practices

Commentary:The impending demise of the small veterinary practice 

Our team at dvm360.com and Firstline magazine asked practice manager Emily Shiver to answer your questions about life in practice for managers, technicians, assistants, client service receptionists and more. Got a question for her? Email us at firstline@mmhgroup.com.

Let’s face it. Many clients are extremely emotional— especially about finances— often making discussing treatment plans an arduous task. Here are some proven tips that will help you present these plans like a pro:

Familiarize yourself with the treatment plan before discussing it.

Sit next to or kneel beside the clients so that you are at eye-level with them.

Use terms the clients will understand and be descriptive with your explanations.

Once you finish discussing the plan, ask the client if they have any questions or concerns.

In a perfect world, the pet owner would respond positively, sign the treatment plan, and allow you to begin treating their pet. 7 out of 10 times— this is 

 the case— especially in an emergency situation. However, don’t panic—all is not lost. Instead of being intimidated, be empathetic. Let them know that you are committed to working through the treatment plan with them.

Here are some common client concerns about treatment plans and what to do about them.

Review all payment options with clients. (CareCredit, ScratchPay).

Prospectively, the doctor can have a Plan A or Plan B.

Be transparent about additional costs throughout treatment duration and the potential for recurrence. I do caution you at this step. I say this in my practice weekly—a feline urinary obstruction is a lot different than a laceration repair. If the client scrapes together the money to catheterize and hospitalize their pet, there is no guarantee they won’t be dealing with this same issue in 4 to 6 weeks. Make sure you have this conversation with them 

 moving forward with the initial treatment.

Walk them through the steps of the treatment in detail.

Try saying the following empathetic statements to calm you client’s fears:

“I know this is a hard decision, I am here to support you.”

“I share your concerns about Taylor. I will provide all the information you need to make an informed decision.”

“It sounds like you are overwhelmed with the options I have presented to you. I am committed to being by your side as you make this decision. How can I help?”

Additionally, if euthanasia is a humane option, then include it in your treatment plan options.

Presenting treatment plans with empathy and compassion helps to eliminate some of the stress of this delicate discussion. It also potentially erases the “all you care about is money” connotation. Remember to never pressure or guilt your clients into making a decision. The goal is to work together to achieve the best possible outcome for their pets.

Emily Shiver, CVPM, CCFP, is practice manager at Cleveland Heights Animal Hospital in Lakeland, Florida

My veterinary team is very uncomfortable going over treatment plans. What tools can I give them to be more successful?

Ask Emily: How to discuss treatment plans

With Thanksgiving only days away and COVID-19 cases spiking around the country, it's more important now than ever to keep you up to date with the latest pandemic news and our coverage of the veterinary industry.

, the first drug specifically approved for weight loss management in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Bond Vet, which launched its first clinic in June 2019, recently raised 

$17 million to open 10 or more veterinary clinics 

Second-year veterinary student Mariacamila Garcia Estrella shares her 

dos and don’ts for communicating with Latinx veterinary clients

Featured Content

Enter the 2021 dvm360 Hospital Design Competition