Physical exam: The next step

A thorough physical exam is easily one of the most important diagnostic tools at your disposal during an office visit—but clients might not appreciate the value of it unless you tell them. Follow these steps to make sure you and your veterinary team are emphasizing the importance of physical exams and promoting preventive healthcare in your practice today.

1. Give your team a heads-up. You know the importance of physical exams, but does your team? With the focus so often on vaccinations or diagnostic tests, it’s easy for staff to forget to talk to pet owners about this critical component of the office visit. The article, Why the physical exam is still really necessary, is an excellent reminder about the necessity of physical exams—share it with your team!

2. Make it easy for clients. Whether it’s a fear of transporting Fluffy in the car or a fear of Fido’s office visit fee, clients may still be reluctant to bring their pets in, even if they know how important it is. So give them a solution! The video, Taking the scary out of cat carriers, shows how to make the carrier a more pleasant experience for cats and their owners. And use the wellness plan worksheet to start planning a program for your practice to put in place right away.

3. Spread the word. Once you and your team are prepped and ready to talk about annual exams and preventive care, you need to share your knowledge with pet owners. Start a direct snail mail or e-mail marketing campaign and send notices to clients reminding them to get their pets in for a yearly physical exam. And don’t forget about the power of social media. Use these prewritten Facebook posts tweets to get started.