"Our veterinary hospital charges too much": Finding consensus on fees among associates and team members

Q: How do I set my new digital dental radiography fees? My doctors disagree!

Based on Benchmarks 2013: A Study of Well-Managed Practices as well as numbers from the American Animal Hospital Association, digital radiograph fees are typically $10 to $15 higher than the cost of traditional film radiographs, according to Denise Tumblin, CPA, president of Wutchiett Tumblin and Associates in Columbus, Ohio.

If doctors still disagree, Bash Halow, CVPM, LVT, partner at Halow Tassava Consulting, says "sometimes discretion is the better part of valor."

"Though certain tools can make a strong case for someone to say 'this is the correct price,'" Halow says, "it can be prudent to give way to the team's sense of value since we are relying upon them so heavily to successfully market our services and products."

So forget about who's right in this situation—consider the true value of your employees' hard work. Ask them what they think their labor is worth and come to a reasonable decision based on that information.

As for the doctors: "[They'll] lose this one battle, but fly a victory flag over the fields of employee empowerment and a workplace culture where employee input is both heard and acted on." And that's a great foundation for a successful veterinary clinic.