Karen E. Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM, CVA

Encourage staff members to be proactive about helping the practice.

How buying a veterinary practice can be a path out of student debt.

Use these suggestions to be proactive about your practice's methods to combat the perils of pet obesity.

Show your worth and reap the rewards

Stem the tide of opinion and enhance trust.

When we offer pet insurance or third-party payment plans, some clients are quick to turn us down. What are we doing wrong?

In this eight-part video series from Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues, you'll learn how to increase veterinary client visits.

Veterinarians and their team members have been working for years to educate pet owners about the care their pets need in order for them to stay happy and healthy.

All of a sudden, the price just skyrocketed. You could go when it was 60 bucks, now I cant get out for less than $150; so said a pet owner interviewed for the recently released Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study.

One of the many unhappy lessons veterinarians and their teams have had to learn from the recession is that clients dont have bottomless wallets filled with cash to spend on veterinary care.

Its no secret that cats dont like going to the veterinarian. Theyve never liked it. Unfortunately, cat owners are giving up the battle and fewer cats than ever before are visiting a veterinarian regularly.

Many reports have indicated that the US recession of 2007-2009 had a negative impact on the business volume and revenues of a large number of companion animal veterinary practices.

Its no secret that cats don't like going to the veterinarian. They've never liked it. Unfortunately, cat owners are giving up the battle and fewer cats than ever before are visiting a veterinarian regularly.

Veterinarians and their team members have been working for years to educate pet owners about the care their pets need in order for them to stay happy and healthy. Undoubtedly we've made some progress, but results from the recently released Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study indicate we have a long way to go; many pet owners simply don't understand the need for what is generally accepted as routine care.

It isn't uncommon to find practices that, either formally or informally, offer technician appointments; i.e. patient visits in which certain services are provided to the pet and pet owner by a credentialed veterinary technician instead of by a veterinarian.

Veterinarians and their team members have been working for years to educate pet owners about the care their pets need in order for them to stay happy and healthy. Undoubtedly we've made some progress, but results from the recently released Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study indicate we have a long way to go; many pet owners simply don't understand the need for what is generally accepted as routine care.

Many reports have indicated that the US recession of 2007-2009 had a negative impact on the business volume and revenues of a large number of companion animal veterinary practices. But there is substantial evidence in studies conducted by the AVMA, AAHA and others that erosion in patient visits began well before the start of the recession.

Its no secret that cats don't like going to the veterinarian. They've never liked it. Unfortunately, cat owners are giving up the battle and fewer cats than ever before are visiting a veterinarian regularly.

"All of a sudden, the price just skyrocketed. You could go when it was 60 bucks, now I can't get out for less than $150"; so said a pet owner interviewed for the recently released Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study. Sound familiar? Are your clients complaining more about price than ever before? We all know the recession has impacted spending at veterinary practices but is it more than that?

The recession isn't over, and it isn't our only issue. How can we reverse the disturbing trend of declining veterinary visits? In this video, Dr. Karen Felsted introduces the Veterinary Care Usage Study, which studied this trend and the corrective steps veterinarians can take.

Chapter 2 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 3 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 4 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 5 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 6 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 7 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 8 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Chapter 9 of a nine-part video series about the Veterinary Care Usage Study by Dr. Karen Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

It isn't uncommon to find practices that, either formally or informally, offer technician appointments; i.e. patient visits in which certain services are provided to the pet and pet owner by a credentialed veterinary technician instead of by a veterinarian.

For more than a decade, the rule of thumb for setting fees in veterinary medicine was simple: Raise 'em! The corollary to this rule of thumb was: don't worry about clients not wanting to pay; if you communicate the value of the procedure, they will gladly open their pocketbooks.