Business

How are contracts for specialists different from contracts for generalists?

How do I know how much I need to save for retirement?

Reluctant to purchase high-tech equipment because you're concerned clients can't afford costly diagnostic tests? You may be right. But consider the following facts from the recent article "Putting on the Dog" from www.businessweek.com:

Is your practice losing ground compared to its past performance? If so, it's not necessarily cause for panic. Often you can get back on track by making some simple changes. To get started, dot the i's and cross the t's in these five areas:

Raising fees isn't the only way to fuel revenue growth. Use these strategies to customize your revenue plan.

The Veterinary Hospital in Eugene, Ore., sets daily production goals. When the hospital achieves the daily goal five times, they hire a massage therapist to come into the hospital and give everyone a professional pat on the back.

Progress is slow, but Dr. W. Mark Cousins expresses optimism.

"I didn't like boarding my dog in a little cage," says Dr. Henry Inglesby, owner of Suwanee Pet Suites and Animal Care Center in Suwanee, Ga. Assuming other vacationing dog owners also hated the thought of leaving their precious canines in tight quarters, he decided to replace the cramped cages.

A compensation statement outlines all the benefits of working for the practice.

An evaluation form helps you pinpoint a team member's strengths and weaknesses so you can agree on a plan for professional development.

It only takes a little extra effort to make pet owners feel special. The benefit: happy, loyal clients who appreciate your care.

You can enhance your professional career every time you step up to the lectern—provided you've mastered the all-important basics of public speaking.

Use these timesaving tips to stay on schedule and keep your entire team afloat when disruptions threaten to throw your day dangerously off course.

Practitioners charge too little because they cannot keep up with the literature.

Do you feel like you're always batting at your fees without ever pinning down the perfect fee schedule? Use this advice to align your fees with the level of client service and animal care you provide.

October is the second annual National Pet Wellness Month, sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health and the AVMA.

As always, we need to communicate as thoroughly as possible. Tunnel vision is a trap we as practitioners must avoid.

Employee satisfaction is the No. 1 reason people remain loyal to their employers.

The key goals: A modern design that reflects the state-of-the-art specialty care the team provides. A good experience for visiting clients. And a facility that's comfortable for team members—and makes them proud.

Scientists are working to preserve the grey nurse shark, an endangered species, by eliminating the death of sharks in the womb, according to an article on www.cnn.com. Through a process called intra-uterine cannibalism, grey nurse embryo pups develop a jaw with razor-sharp teeth very early and cannibalize their siblings in the womb. Because the sharks have two wombs, two sharks survive every two years when the shark breeds.

Prescribing the medicine is easier than taking it, but if you want to uphold your standard of care, you need to ditch your excuses.

Profitability and quality are not mutually exclusive, but they do go together.

Putting his own needs aside, a man risks snaps and bites and offers outcast dogs unconditional love.

Don't let that next phone call be the client who got away. Use these tips from Sally Hickey, a receptionist at Short Pump Animal Hospital in Richmond, Va.

Between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. chaos ruled in the front office at Catawba Animal Clinic in Rock Hill, S.C., says Hospital Administrator Jean Weaver. "All our dental appointments, surgery appointments, daycares, and routine morning appointments were coming in around the same time," she says. "Our receptionists were overwhelmed trying to check in the appointments in a timely manner, especially with clients rushing to get to work."

Veterinarians fought such incredible obstacles in the wake of the hurricane.

I perform services at a discount for a local nonprofit group. Can I write off the discounts?

Gary Morgan, a receptionist for Robert E. Lewis, a dentist in Overland Park, Kan., has a special talent: He remembers the name of most of the clients who walk through the door. And with more than 1,500 client records in the practice database, that's no small feat.

Lynette Ott, the practice manager at Barton Heights Veterinary Hospital in Stroudsburg, Pa., always heard that 20 percent of clients bring in 80 percent of income. Not content to blindly adopt the mantra, Ott went looking for data.

If missed charges are slipping out the door, you may be seeing a smaller paycheck and fewer benefits—and you may find it harder to offer high-quality care.