To save cats: Why practices should maximize preventive care
Veterinary teams can improve patient health and the practices bottom line by focusing on preventive care, according to this educator at last year's American Association of Feline Practitioners conference.
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“Can we increase our revenue by offering what cats deserve?” Dr. Christine Bohn Kirnos of the Cat Hospital of Media asked at the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) conference last year. “The answer is yes.”
During her lecture, Dr. Kirnos discussed how developing preventive care guidelines for senior cats can improve revenue for veterinary hospitals.
Missed opportunities
Veterinarians are well aware of the declining revenue from feline visits. Dr. Kirnos identified two main reasons for this decline: a decrease in the overall number of cat visits and a large gap in spending between cat and dog owners.
“The number of cats kept as pets is going up, and that's great,” said Dr. Kirnos. “However, the number of veterinary visits is down.” The
Stress of veterinary visits for both cats and their owners
Difficulty in transporting cats to the veterinary clinic
Lack of client education, as pet owners believe cats are self-sufficient and do not need care or do not notice signs of illness due to the cat's ability to hide disease.
Organizations such as the AAFP and the CATalyst Council have focused on client and veterinary team education to increase veterinary visits by addressing these concerns. They provide resources such as tips for transporting cats, low-stress handling in the clinic, recognizing signs of illness, and the importance of preventive care. Despite these efforts, the number of visits continues to decrease.
While increasing the number of feline visits is certainly important, Dr. Kirnos suggests that veterinary teams can make a larger impact on their bottom line by focusing on the second problem: “People who own cats spend considerably less than they do for the other species. The difference is kind of staggering.”
According to the 2012 U.S. Pet Owner Demographics Sourcebook,2 average spending on feline patients is lower than that of canine patients. Mean veterinary expenditure per visit for cats was $107 less when compared with dogs. Dr. Kirnos identifies this gap as “a huge growth opportunity that we have in our practices.”
Designing a preventive care program
Historically, veterinary visits were driven by examinations and vaccines, but “we need to get away from that mindset,” said Dr. Kirnos. “In order for our practices to grow and be economically sustainable, we have to start thinking outside of exam and vaccines.” She encourages veterinarians to ask what more they can offer patients to maximize their care. The answer lies in preventive care.
Preventive care guidelines are meant to be a gold standard of care and function as standard operating procedures (SOPs) within the clinic. These are not the same as wellness packages, which are beyond the scope of Dr. Kirnos' lecture. “The goal of this is to provide a consistent message” that should come from all members of the team. SOPs should be customized to meet each clinic's gold standard of patient care. Not all clients will be able to do everything on the list, but the key is to have a plan in place to offer these items at each visit.
These SOPs are best developed by a team of individuals, including clinic leadership, associate veterinarians, front desk staff supervisors, technician supervisors, and other staff members with a strong passion for cat care. This group should work together to design guidelines for preventive care that they can present to the entire team.
Dr. Kirnos suggests the following questions to guide development of preventive care guidelines:
Does this plan meet the practice's mission statement and vision for patient care?
How do you define the target age group for your plan?
How often should examinations be performed?
What are your vaccination protocols?
What laboratory tests do you offer, and how often should they be performed?
What nutritional recommendations do you consistently make?
What medications and preventive products do you want to offer to each patient?
Dr. Kirnos states that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions, and the answers will vary by clinic. As an example, Dr. Kirnos reviewed her clinic's senior cat SOP. For the Cat Hospital of Media, senior cats are defined as cats over the age of 7 and the following recommendations are made:
Physical examinations every 6 months until the cats reach the geriatric life stage
Laboratory screening every 6 months that includes a complete blood count, chemistry panel, total T4, urinalysis and fecal
Blood pressure screening every 6 months
Annual rabies vaccination
3-year FVRCP vaccination
Other vaccinations and FeLV/FIV testing recommendations based on lifestyle
A nutritional recommendation at every visit
Year-round parasite prevention
Dental recommendations at every visit that are proactive, starting at grade 1 or 2 periodontal disease.
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