Introducing the August 2012 Veterinary Economics: What's your problem?

In the 2012 Veterinary Economics Business Issues Survey, we asked veterinarians and practice managers to identify their biggest problem in veterinary practice today. The are top 10 collected responses appear on the next page, and they're a surprise to no one.

One reader told us, point blank, exactly how we could help improve her workday: "Help me figure out how to get the message out to clients that prevention is better than emergency and that veterinary knowledge and service are worth much more than most veterinary clients are paying."

Can you relate?

But what also shouldn't be a surprise is that our team at Veterinary Economics is dedicated to helping you cope with your practice problems, discover new opportunities in adversity, and take advantage of new trends in the industry.

One-way magazines turn into two-way conversations

We are at work every day on dvm360.com, facebook.com/dvm360, twitter.com/dvm360, ve@advanstar.com, and over the phone listening to new ideas, cultivating the very best advice, answering reader questions, and trying to strengthen the collegial bond between veterinarians who are seeking to survive -- and thrive -- in practice. We court the best writers and thinkers in veterinary practice management to inspire us, to write for us online and in print, to speak at CVC shows three times a year, and to help you out each day. We forward your toughest questions to our Editorial Advisory Board members. You can find their practical advice and forward thinking on the ever-growing dvm360.com along with the breaking news from DVM Newsmagazine, medical innovations from Veterinary Medicine, and top-notch team education from Firstline.

Call to action

I'm not taking credit for this -- I’ve been the editor of Veterinary Economics for just a few short months. What I am doing is touting our mission and our passion for helping you each and every day in veterinary practice. Join the conversation. Let us know what you want more of and what you could do without. Let us know which issues have you panicked about practice. Let us know how you’re winning -- or struggling -- in a financial climate that seems to claim more failure than success.

Too often, veterinarians are suffering in silence, especially when it comes to problems with staff, client compliance, and revenue. You're tops at medicine -- why can't business be the same?

My call to action is simple: Read us, visit us at dvm360.com, and talk to us online and at the CVC shows. What we can’t promise are easy solutions to your problems, but like a tough (albeit manageable) prognosis, we can promise you a treatment plan. Just reach out.

Brendan Howard is editor of Firstline and Veterinary Economics.

What is your biggest problem in veterinary practice today?

1. Client compliance and perception of value

2. Time management

3. Clients who can’t or won’t pay

4. Staff motivation and communication

5. Internet pharmacies and big-box retailers

6. Staff retention

7. Economy

8. Declining patient visits

9. Competition from low-cost and nonprofit clinics

10. Revenue and salary

Source: 2012 Veterinary Economics Business Issues Survey