Case study: What DVMs are paid on ProSal

With production-based compensation, in a busy veterinary hospital, the power should be in the doctor's hands. But the devil's in the details ... (sasun Bughdaryan/stock.adobe.com)The team at dvm360 sent me an inquiry from an associate on ProSal (my own formula for a salary-plus-production compensation method), and I was happy to answer the questions for her-and you, if they're your questions too.

First of all, under ProSal, production is defined as fees generated and collected for services the veterinarian is directly involved in. Therefore, the doctor must have some direct interaction with a service to receive credit for that service. Let's take a look at this associate's specific questions:

Question 1. If the doctor requests blood work during an appointment, but the client schedules it for another day with a veterinary technician, does the doctor get credit?

If the doctor will read and interpret the results after the fact, the doctor is involved in the delivery of service and therefore receives credit.

Question 2. If the client has bloodwork done during the initial visit and the doctor needs to wait on the results before prescribing medication, does the doctor get credit for the medication dispensed on a different day?

The doctor is required to read the results, probably talk to the client and definitely prescribe the medication, so the doctor is involved in the service and should get credit for that service, both the bloodwork and medication.

Question 3. If a patient had bloodwork done during the exam, the doctor gets the results the next day and wants the patient to come in for fluids and meds for a veterinary technician appointment (no doctor during treatment), does the doctor get credit?

The doctor gets credit for the bloodwork. If fluids are given during a technician visit and the doctor isn't involved, the doctor does not receive credit for that visit. However, if the doctor needed to speak to the client and discuss fluids and medication during the visit, the doctor would get credit.

As you can see, ProSal “rewards” a doctor for being more involved in delivery of service. Many consider this good medicine that helps to bonding the client to the practice.

Note to practice owners and managers using ProSal: My team at VMC has developed a “Credit for Work Done” agree that we include with employment contracts. It should be reviewed with an associate so it's clear what the doctor does and does not get credit for.

Mark Opperman, BS, CVPM, is a founder of the national practice management firm VMC in Lawrence, Kansas.