• Vetiranary Medicine
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

New tricks for tired old senior diagnostic discussions

July 15, 2016
Roger Zinn, CVPM

Old. Geriatric. Senior! How do these words make you feel? It's time to reframe your senior diagnostic conversations with veterinary clients with these three steps with this advice from a dvm360/VHMA Practice Manager of the Year contestant.

Stop having senior moments about senior diagnostics! (Image courtesy of Getty Images)No. 1: Stop using bad language. When my practice, Animal Center of the Village in Houston, launched our Comprehensive Age Related Evaluation (CARE) program, I asked my team how they felt about the words "old," "geriatric" and "senior." Every employee associated some type of negative connotation with these words. Age is a sensitive subject, even though most people claim it doesn't matter to them.

No. 2: Practice reframing and rephrasing. Try using phases such as, "I see that Fluffy is now entering our more mature years. And we have wonderful resources available now to help us track changes that could effect Fluffy's health. I would love the opportunity to discuss these with you so that we can create a plan that works both for you and for Fluffy's continual care." The key components: the statement is polite, nonthreatening and doesn't feel like a sales pitch. You're making a request to talk to them about this topic, showing you're here not only for the pet but for the client as well.

No. 3: Don't vomit numbers. Remember, you're advocating for the patient. Focus on what you know: the value of the diagnostics you're recommending. Then offer your estimate or medical care plan. You can move on to cost and options for payment once you've talked about the care you want to offer.

Advertisement

Bonus tip: Spread out the services and care you recommend. For example, if you move from annual to twice-a-year visits, you can spread the financial commitments across the year.

Roger Zinn, CVPM, is the hospital administrator of Animal Medical Center of the Village in Houston, Texas.

 

Related Content:

Client Relations & Marketing
Hiring employees in line with your brand
Hiring employees in line with your brand
How to discuss finances with clients
How to discuss finances with clients
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind

Advertisement

Latest News

Tools for building a growth mindset

The 5 Ws of veterinary diagnostics contracts

Maryland Zoo giraffe Willow dies suddenly

3 Must-sees from the Fetch Charlotte conference

View More Latest News
Advertisement