Practice Management

So ... what do your team members type on?

Are the other puppies green with envy?

"Specialty practices trying to attract new specialists aren't just competing with other practices," says Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of VMC Inc., a veterinary consulting firm in Evergreen, Colo. "They're also competing with universities."

There is an expectation that specialty practices will be more profitable because they charge higher fees and have a larger average transaction charge, but that's not necessarily true.

Client expectations are two-fold, says Dr. Karen Felsted, CVPM, CPA, a consultant with Gatto McFerson in Santa Monica, Calif.

"Specialty practices don't want to step on the referring practice's toes by marketing themselves to clients directly," says Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of VMC Inc., a veterinary consulting firm in Evergreen, Colo. "They would rather get referrals through the general practice. And the best way to do that is by developing relationships with them."

It's a dual client base. One set is obviously pet owners; the second set is made up of referring veterinarians.

"Many specialists feel they should get paid more just because they are a specialist, but the truth is they shouldn't," says Mark Opperman, CVPM, owner of VMC Inc., a veterinary consulting firm in Evergreen, Colo. "They should get paid more because they produce more."

A list from the Veterinary Economics archives.

Readers can share their the trials and tribulations of malpractice lawsuits.

Veterinarians -- before they were called veterinarians -- were animals' advocates.

Hiring in big states like Texas and California declined.

A visit to the eco-friendly dream hospital of a former relief doctor.

Slideshow

Rethink your stance on marketing and consider what it's really about: providing valuable information to a client so he or she can make an informed decision about purchasing a product or service.

A big challenge at our busy hospital is keeping everyone up-to-date on hospital changes.

Will anesthesia hurt her baby? Is it risky for her to be around sick pets or toxic drugs?

A compassionate animal lover rescued a guinea pig near death and nursed it back to health, renewing my belief in the healing power of love.

A self-serving team member may be pulling the strings at your practice. Why are you letting it happen?

Good associates are rarer than hen's teeth, so how do you attract them to your cozy practice and keep them?

Dr. Dan Lorimer, DACVO, wanted his specialty practice to look professional. For that, he needed respectable neighbors. To attract those neighbors, he bought six acres and built a 40,000-square-foot building-which was not his hospital.

Do you see yourself-or your boss-in these findings about male and female owners of family businesses?

Merrimack, N.H. - A music slide show can be a unique and impressive marketing tool for a veterinary practice.

His motto? No team member will leave his practice feeling unchallenged, concede to a lack of direction, or have professional growth hindered.

Communication failures between facilities lead to disconnect and tension.

The psychic said to work on the horse's left front ankle and treat it with a plant extract only Granny Clampet had in stock.

Veterinary graduates acquire many diagnostic and therapeutic skills during four or more years of study and are eager to apply their new knowledge to the diagnosis and treatment of complicated diseases like diabetes, hyperadrenocorticism, congestive heart failure and other medical or surgical challenges.

The big dog cringed under the bench in the reception area. "He hates to come in here," the old man said. "But he's got this skin problem, and it stinks something terrible."