Managing practice caseloads

Angela Elia, BS, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC), a training program manager with Pieper Veterinary Group, lectured on time management for veterinary technicians at the 2024 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in Austin, Texas. During her talk, she discussed how improved efficiencies can lighten a heavy caseload for all members of the veterinary team. In an interview with dvm360, she elaborated some ways to achieve efficiencies for managing a practice’s caseload that might otherwise be overwhelming to staff.

The following is a transcript of the video:

Angela Elia, BS, LVT, CVT, VTS (ECC): The clinic, overall, has to understand that if you're not efficient or you're overwhelmed as a tech, it stems from the whole process—right from the front, all the way to the back. We're overwhelmed. Probably, it's not just me. My doctor probably feels overwhelmed, and my CSRS [customer service representatives] in the front feel overwhelmed. So I think one of the things that we have to look at is [what we’re doing] practice wide.

How many patients can we possibly treat the way that we would love to treat every patient? Are we talking 15 minutes appointments? 30 minute appointments? Do we have service pauses to let our [emergency] staff catch up with the flow that we already have here? So, are there things we can change systemically?

And then there are things that we can do, like just buy equipment. If I have a digital, awesome electric blood pressure machine, then I can hook up. If I have multiple of them, and I'm in the ICU, and I can hook up 3 machines to a patient—hit run—all of a sudden, I'm doing the work of, finally, 3 people.

Just buying equipment that makes me more efficient can help, but it really boils down to a change in mentality. I think, practice wide, to say ‘hey, what can we do from the top down to make people feel more efficient, better utilized and less overwhelmed?’

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