Business

Everybody loves detailed estimates. It's just that practices cannot afford them. The labor is just too costly.

Don't let these business mistakes corrupt your practice.

Watch for these warning signs and welcome sights to be sure your new practice is a keeper that'll keep you happy.

Who would have guessed that the great debate of this decade would focus on vaccine protocols?

I'm a new associate at a small-animal practice. Some of the team members seem resentful of me. What can I do to earn their trust?

I have met many good surgeons like J.D. over the years. They are surgeons in the true sense and love their work. Yes, they are surgeons even if they are not board-certified, but they are a dying breed.

Firstline gathered a group of consultants to discuss how to keep technicians in the profession.

Do your prescription call-ins get lost in the paperwork on the doctor's desk? Marty Strauss, the practice manager for St. Charles Veterinary Clinic in St. Charles, Ill., recommends using colored paper to highlight medication refills.

Instead of having new associates handwrite their names on existing business cards, have a supply of cards printed with their names before they begin at your practice.

Use a computer program to generate automatic reminders of recurring tasks.

Outsourcing payroll is advised in practices with relatively small staffs.

The following tip is brought to you by a member of the Veterinary Leadership Group (VLG), a group of 20 management-savvy practitioners and hospital managers from across the country who meet twice a year to discuss business improvement, personal growth and social development issues for their practices.

I want to update my office policy manual, but I'm afraid of overlooking something. What items should I definitely include?

The SEEN program's first objective is ... education.

If ... like Rodney Dangerfield, you get no respect ... your boss takes all the good clients ... or you're so busy you can't remember what your spouse looks like.

The next five years will be remembered by the survivors as a time of chaos; a time of reordered priorities and a time of major adjustment. I'm sure that Nostradamus said something or other about this event.

Little irritations can cause bigger flare-ups if you don't swat them early. Use these tips to manage six stressful situations.

An in-house puppy school won't automatically make you the new Dog Whisperer, but offering training classes can make you money, empower your staff, and create a bond with patients.

How can I tell if my marketing efforts are effective? What's the best way to measure the results?

To get you ready for the month of teeth, we picked the brain of the grand prize winner in last year's National Pet Dental Health Month Awareness Contest, sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.

One of the easiest, lowest-cost, and most practical ways to learn about management is from Other People's Mistakes.

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.

What do I do when an associate gets sick? What do I need to know about disability insurance?

New technology to identify open cows circumvents the need for veterinarians to do the work. But that doesn't necessarily erase DVMs from the picture.

"Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." - Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday

Do request a letter of intent ... Don't enter an agreement based on a handshake ...

Most practices get the administrator duties completed by the members of the dedicated and sometimes overworked staff.

With enough employee participation, flexible spending accounts are a great benefit that attracts-and retains-solid team members.