Business

Create 'maximum opportunity' to follow doctor's orders; confused clients can't comply

You can break the isolation barriers our society has built

I always knew I wanted to own a practice, but I never guessed that the perfect location would be a strip mall," says Dr. Jean M. Oberg, owner of My Animal Hospital of North Dover in Toms River, N.J. "In 1984, I started cutting hospital design articles out of Veterinary Economics, and when it came time to build, I had hundreds of designs."

Over the past 10 years, we have become accustomed to some roller coaster milk prices. They actually have been rather favorable for producers for much of that period. At present time, however, they are very low, and it looks as if they will remain low for some time.

Cleveland-Veterinarians say letting technicians take on some routine duties of farm calls can build a practice and improve healthcare delivery efficiency.

Gift lists are the hallmark of the holiday season and the well-organized mind. Shopping duties, generally anticipated as a fun activity, tend to quickly be completed as compared to other lists that occur at year-end. Issues of business management are procrastinated to a much greater extent.

Pushing yourself beyond gravitational forces of the business environment is key to professional growth

Private practitioners contacted by DVM Newsmagazine say that conflict in many cases is about money.

In 1995, Dr. Anne Scholl-Mealey opened Chickasaw Trail Animal Hospital in a mall in Orlando, Fla. Six years later, she chose the 1.4-acre lot across the street to accommodate the practice's growth. "We designed our new facility around the oak trees that tower over the site," says Dr. Scholl. "The oaks form a canopy over the driveway, parking lots, and the building."

Isolated incidents of West Nile Virus in canines pose miniscule threat to dogs at large, practitioners conclude

Dr. McCormick is on the computer filling a prescription for a late client and is hoping to go home to a nice dinner with her husband.

Imagine that you are at the gym bench-pressing more weight than you ever have before.

In the spring of 1997, Dr. William J. Moyle Jr. and his wife, Nancy, decided to build a practice closer to their home south of Denver. And four years later they broke ground on a new facility. During the building process, Veterinary Centers of America offered to buy their existing 14-year-old practice, and Dr. Moyle agreed.

You've outgrown your facility and want to build something bigger and better. You've found a couple of possible locations, and you're starting to look at interest rates.

Here are some reasons that either solely or in combination may make firing a client desirable.

Personal use of business-earned frequent flyer program premiums continues as a gray area when it comes to taxability.

Veterinarians are often asked to talk to various groups regarding animal health and management issues. Financial compensation may or may not be offered, but is usually not enough to justify the time needed for preparation and presentation.

About the middle of the last century, shortly after the second consecutive war that was designed to prevent all future wars, the brain trusts of the universities of our land decided to add a hefty scoop of veterinary colleges to their intellectual diets.

The Greens appear unannounced as the staff is finishing the daily close out.

As veterinarians warm up to cyber communicating, are you exposing yourself to malpractice and other legal claims?

Drs. Lamar and Amber Crossland knew they wanted Sunset Canyon Veterinary Clinic in central Texas to appeal to long-time ranchers as well as to the Austin urbanites who'd fled the city for greener pastures in Dripping Springs, Texas. And the mixed animal practice also needed to accommodate a gamut of patients, from livestock to polo horses to pampered pooches. One last requirement: seamless movement between the large animal and small animal sides of the practice, because all staff members worked in both areas.

Twenty-four percent of Well-Managed Practices offer separate canine and feline seating areas. How separate do the areas need to be to make the distinction effective, and how could you add this feature to a facility economically?

Many definitions are available. However, ethical issues deal with principles concerning:

Dr. Fred Metzer details how to use your staff effectively to incorporate a senior care program and achieve client compliance.

I suppose, looking through my retrospectoscope, that there was never a time in our profession, when medical expertise alone, made less of an impact, and communication skills made more of a difference between economic success and just barely surviving in practice.

The tension at the office was palpable. People spoke in short, terse sentences. Small talk was absent. Doors and drawers were closed with a bit too much force. There was no laughter at all.

Establishing ethical standards in practice starts with owner

How do your clients respond when you and your staff have gone the extra mile to provide care for their beloved animal companions?

Your choice to work in the beauty of the countryside or on the teeming street corner in view of all passersby may influence your state of mind-but it also affects your pay. The Brakke Management and Behavior Study, released in 1999, shows that practitioners who choose to live in rural settings generally earn less than their urban counterparts. For example, practice owners who work in communities of 2,500 people or fewer earn 21 percent less than owners who live in larger communities.

As a youngster, clichés seemed so boring. But guess what? They're back in style and they can help to sharpen our focus.