Practice Management

Mathematics is a lovely endeavor. It is straightforward, honest and without complications. Life, on the other hand, is filled with un-asked for permutations that drive us up walls, which when fully considered using Newtonian physics is a practical impossibility.

Internet is perhaps the least expensive and most flexible staff training solution available.

It's great to see many practices are now acknowledging that the old, traditional methods of management are not effective, and they are modernizing their strategies and taking steps to improve staff morale, and consequently productivity.

This simple marketing tool can be used to help you see opportunities and challenges that can help or hurt your practice's growth.

First, which areas of your practice offer the greatest opportunities without breaking the bank?

I will be receiving a retirement plan distribution when I change jobs. I intend to roll it over to my new employer's plan and have been told that such a rollover will avoid a 20 percent withholding tax.

Dvm Newsmagazine is pleased to present another in our series of DVM Best Practices.

Veterinarians have a limited ability to control drug costs. Selling drugs to veterinarians is —well, it is a seller's market. Although it is true that there are many vendors to buy supplies from, many of the big-ticket drugs from big-name companies that veterinarians deem to be more profitable are under patent. This means that when buying certain items, veterinarians are "price-takers" much like farmers are price-takers when it comes to selling their crops or livestock.

The pet cat population in the United States exceeds the pet dog population, yet the average cat visits the veterinarian only half as often as the average dog.1 Conversely, advancements in feline health care offer us more opportunities to maximize cats's long lives. It's our job to make sure cats receive routine care.

Drug companies are going to charge whatever the market will bear.

Washington — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers have yielded mastitis-resistant dairy cows using gene-transfer technology.

A good example makes for a great presentation. But it's not always easy to find an image when it's time for that career talk at the high school. One solution: "Keep a camera on hand to record interesting or humorous cases," suggests Dr. Ellen Paul-Kuchenbrod of Lipton Animal Hospital in Urbana, Ill. "You can also take pictures of radiographs that show unusual foreign bodies ."

One challenge of team management: Making sure everyone pulls his or her weight. "We found that our veterinary assistants and technicians like to congregate in certain areas of the hospital, and when someone needed help in another area, they'd kind of look at each other to see who would go," says Jean Weaver, hospital administrator at Catawba Animal Clinic, located in Rock Hill, S.C.—a seven-doctor practice with 33 support staff members.

East Hilliard Veterinary Services in Hilliard, Ohio, started a pet weight-loss plan in October 2003. "Pets on the program have lost more than 525 pounds, with 35 pets reaching their goal weight," says Client Relations Specialist Stephanie Pepper.

Identity crises are for other people. I am what I am. I'm a veterinarian and proud to wear that title.

Apply these five strategies to make the most of your relationship with horse owners who think they know it all.

Consider these important steps to improve communication at staff meetings, or help resolve conflicts.

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Domineering management styles can force the best employees out the door

Efficient workflow requires immediate attention, organization

Since 1997, approximately 27 million adults in the United States have become victims of identity theft according to the Federal Trade Commission. To minimize your risk—and the risk to your team members and clients—follow these cautionary steps at your practice:

Acres Animal Hospital in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has found a way to help both the practice and its clients see green.

OLYMPIA, WASH. - 4/21/05 - Washington lawmakers have deferred a bill formalizing veterinary technician training to the House Department of Health's Sunrise Review.

So, you have found the perfect person to fill the position of veterinarian (or technician, client service representative).

Have you ever stopped at a traffic light or just walked through a new section of town and inhaled the smell of garlic coming from a local Italian restaurant or the unmistakable aroma from a BBQ eatery? When you are paying the bill, do you ever wonder how you made the decision, spur of the moment, to fill up with pasta or ribs?

Veterinary practice can be fun, or it can be stressful. The trick is to figure out how to minimize stress points so you can experience enjoyment the majority of the time.

Want to avoid regrets about management? Learn to avoid these common missteps, pulled from candid conversations with practitioners.

Lack of respect for the facility can signal deficits in pride and care that hurt more than just the building if left unchecked.