Roger Cummings, CVPM

For too long, practitioners undervalued their services, charged too little and often gave away care for free. Though this may still be true for some, others digested the message about a healthy business supporting good medicine and raised their fees. But to make this equation work, you need to raise the level of service, too.

The entrants in the Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Competition represent the best practices built every year. Check out these lessons learned from their designs.

Help! One of our veterinarians always says we have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip, but she's the worst! She talks about clients and staff members all the time. What should we do?

Should the doctor know the prices for procedures and services?

A co-worker told me in confidence that he was looking for a new job. I encouraged my friend to tell the doctor he wasn't happy and to try to work things out, but he quit instead and took a job at a rival practice. Now the doctor is mad at me. He says I'm not loyal. I disagree. Who's right?

How important is it to buy telephone-directory advertising?

What's considered an inactive client, and how often should you purge inactive clients?

The doctor doesn't apply practice policies consistently. How can I ask for fair treatment?

I'm considering building a facility. What average revenue growth can owners expect five and 10 years after building, adding onto, or remodeling a practice?

I'm considering building a facility. What average revenue growth can owners expect five and 10 years after building, adding onto, or remodeling a practice?

What's the expected average increase in gross income in the year after opening a practice?

How should I handle a chronically sick employee who calls in at the last minute or struggles to come in ill? I previously switched her from hourly- to salary-based pay, and I'm considering changing her back.

My partner and I recently learned that we're paying associates more than other practitioners in our area do. How should we get our compensation more in line with prevailing wages-with a salary freeze or a pay cut?

Let's solve your morale problem by just firing all the unhappy people. Think that sounds rash? The truth is you have nothing to gain from keeping them around. You can't change them. Yes, you can require certain behaviors, such as being on time, doing their jobs, or developing proficient skills or knowledge. But a lot of people simply have a rotten, negative attitude, and there isn't much you or anyone else can do to change that.

Our long-time office manager isn't keeping up with our growing practice. She did an excellent job for almost 10 years, but during the past few years, she's lost the practice money because she can't manage the increased patient and billing load. How should my partners and I approach her? How much severance should we offer her?

What's fair compensation one year out of veterinary school? I'm currently working at a two-doctor practice. What do I need to know to make an educated decision about whether to renew my contract?

What's fair compensation one year out of veterinary school? I'm currently working at a two-doctor practice. What do I need to know to make an educated decision about whether to renew my contract?

After we hired an associate, my partner started cutting back on the number of patients he sees without consulting me. How should I handle this?