Communicate with clients to boost testing compliance

Q: How can we increase clients' compliance with diagnostic tests?

"We educate clients about the importance of diagnostics," says Trevor Lyon, RVT, co-owner of Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital in Acworth, Ga. "We want clients to know that we're not just running tests to run tests, so we explain to them what each of the tests is for."

However, if team members don't believe in the tests, clients won't believe in them either, Lyon says. So at Bells Ferry, team members are encouraged to routinely have blood work done on their own pets. As a result, they often have real-life stories they can share with clients about how diagnostic testing caught something that might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

In addition to gaining team buy-in, another important step in compliance is making sure everyone communicates the same message. Clients should be able to ask a doctor, technician, practice manager, assistant, or receptionist about Tinkerbell's tests and get the same answer. "All team members need to be saying the same thing," Lyon says. "People need to hear something five to 10 times before they believe it."

This is why Bells Ferry established protocols eight years ago that outline what treatments are recommended at every clinical stage. The protocols have paid off in healthy pets and revenue. Just two years after implementing them, Bells Ferry increased its diagnostic blood work by 17 percent.