Business

These proven strategies will help your practice make more money--and offer better client and patient care

Every practice loses some clients. Here's how to find out if your client losses add up to a drop in the bucket or a hemorrhaging wound to your client base--and how to staunch the flow of pet owners leaving your hospital.

At age 10, my friends and I thought we'd be driving flying cars by 2000. We never envisioned laptop computers, the Internet, or virtual reality. Now the flying car seems absurd, and computers are commonplace. There's a lesson here: When predicting the future, practicality always wins.

Q. I plan to build a new hospital, but I worry about devoting adequate time to the project without neglecting my practice. Does a building project affect revenue, and how can I best handle this time commitment?

Q. I plan to build a new hospital, but I worry about devoting adequate time to the project without neglecting my practice. Does a building project affect revenue, and how can I best handle this time commitment?

Designing an animal hospital means compromising between the practical and prophetic. It's easy to criticize early floor plans or older hospitals. But how could these architects have foreseen future treatment and service options? Veterinary hospitals are built to serve medical technology, and technology constantly evolves.

Practice success depends on lavishing your valuable customers with royal treatment. Here's how to offer first-class service.

Q. In my practice's kennel and grooming areas, staff members can encounter noise levels OSHA calls damaging. To keep noise from invading other areas, I've contained it in these sections. Short of a major redesign, how can I reduce exposure?

You'll never avoid client conflicts completely, but you can face confrontations with less stress if you focus on finding the treasure in the tribulation.

Q. I'm preparing to sign my first building lease but worry I might miss important details. What should I know before committing?

Rodents are unique pets because of their small size, and they require special care. Here are some tips on how to house and feed your pet rodent to keep it healthy and happy.

When selecting your veterinary hospital's site, a high-traffic road may not be your best option, says Larry Gates, a senior principal with Gates Hafen Cochrane Architects P.C. in Boulder, Colo. During the 1998 Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Conference in Kansas City, Mo., he showed attendees how to target a market niche and noted that while conventional wisdom suggests busy streets provide the best visibility, clients who can't easily reach your hospital will probably go elsewhere.

Blame fate for Dr. Robert C. Brown, director of Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic in Arlington, Va., bumping into architect and analyst E. John Knapp, AIA, from Oregon, Wis., at a national conference. Dr. Brown wanted to renovate his hospital to improve traffic flow.

Buying or starting a practice can be one of the most overwhelming moves of your veterinary career. But you don't have to experience it alone. These resources can help you create research that guarantees your new hospital's success.

Buying or starting a practice can be one of the most overwhelming moves of your veterinary career. But you don't have to experience it alone. These resources can help you create research that guarantees your new hospital's success.

Have you ever based an important decision on one person's opinion? Imagine not selling pet food because one client prefers buying it from a superstore. You won't benefit from retail sales--or any service--until you ask many clients. Consider a client survey before expanding or building a new facility. If you own a practice, give the survey to clients on arrival. If you're starting a practice from scratch, consider a mail or phone survey. Include these topics:

Many associates dream of a fixer-upper they can buy for nothing down and low payments, then turn it into a $1 million practice overnight. I hear an occasional success story, but most new owners experience something different.

Are you--and clients--getting bored staring at the same four walls every day? Maybe it's time to give your hospital a new look. If you're not ready to build a new facility, consider an inexpensive design innovation. You'll make your practice a fun, new place again. Choose from such simple projects as a canine agility course or kids' play area to breathe new life into your hospital.

The World Health Organization estimates that 30 percent of buildings exhibit sick-building syndrome. How can you tell if your hospital suffers from SBS? Your staff may complain of headaches; eye, nose, or throat irritation; itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty concentrating; fatigue; or sensitivity to odors--symptoms that disappear once a person leaves the hospital. Although such symptoms may indicate another illness, studies show that indoor air pollution can exacerbate health problems.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) made discrimination based on physical disability illegal. The law was originally designed to eliminate employment discrimination, but it applies to public access as well. Any new facility, addition, or significant remodel built after Jan. 26, 1992, must conform to the ADA. The act specifies that second-floor offices, apartments, and conference rooms be accessible as well. While the following isn't an exhaustive list of ADA requirements, it does offer common compliance guidelines that can help prevent a lawsuit.

Q. How does one calculate how much air movement is appropriate in a kennel? I'm concerned that several air exchanges per hour would pump large amounts of heat and air conditioning through the wall we so carefully sealed and insulated. A large window unit cools our kennel; should I allow it to vent at all times? Is an interior circulating fan required to move out stale air?

A cash flow analysis for new hospital building projects

A recently hired associate brought in leftover inventory items from a previous practice. How much should I pay her for the inventory?