Practice Management

There are two things every employee wants to know ...

It is long past time to modify our practices to fit the times and increase the quality of relations between veterinarians and their indispensable support staff. Why are we so quick to remodel our hospitals, run to buy ultrasound or digital X-ray equipment yet so slow to invest in our staff?

Acute onsets of uncomplicated bacterial UTIs often "respond" to empirical antimicrobials.

We assume that data passed down from academia into the practitioner's environment is correct.

Chances are you're already seeing the effects of pet obesity manifested in diseases like diabetes and osteoarthritis. And obesity-related illnesses won't start decreasing anytime soon.

Data shows that if your clients arrive during a busy time, their average wait for check-in and check-out can hit 21 to 29 minutes during a 42- to 49-minute visit. That's almost half their time at the practice.

Taking the next big step in practice? Whether you're adding a doctor to the team, making the jump to partner, or taking on a remodeling or building project, we've got the right advice.

When you consider the cost of living in your area, you get a clearer picture of what you need to pay to attract and keep strong team members.

When you think about protecting your assets, you likely focus on securing the premises, locking up valuables, and making sure patient files are safe. But keeping your team safe is even more important. Use these tips to help you get started

There are times when the client is right, and you are wrong. This is a hard concept for most proud veterinarians. Occasionally "eating a little crow" can be a diet that is very healthy for your practice and your emotional health.

What signs should I watch for to head off employee embezzlement?

Sue Swift waited with Charlie. Charlie has been seen at Academy Vet Clinic numerous times, and Sue has had a good relationship with Dr. Swanson in the past.

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.

It should be straightforward: You tell your clients what to do, and they do it. Aren't client relations supposed to work this way? After all, you're a doctor, you have command of the English language, and your clients love their cats and want to care for them. Unfortunately, compliance doesn't happen as frequently as we'd like, even with intelligent, committed clients. Reversing this trend means understanding-and eliminating-the reasons for client noncompliance.

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.