Technology nets you e-mazing results

Before you say your practice won't spring for new equipment or you're not technologically savvy, envision a perfect world. One in which your team is so organized that you see more patients and offer them better care, plus there's less team and client conflict and more nights when you head out the practice door on time. How do you make this ideal situation a reality? Try these two ideas.

1. Get through to a seemingly stubborn owner

Dr. Stephen B. McAuliff owns St. Francis Animal Hospital in Fredericksburg, Va. He's used ultrasound, digital radiography, and other advanced equipment for years because he wants to provide unsurpassed pet care—and produce a healthy bottom line. If your practice owner seems slow to adopt, Dr. McAuliff suggests appealing to his or her business sense. "Do your homework about the technology you'd like to use," he says. "Then show how it can become a profit center." What's more, Dr. McAuliff didn't set astronomical fees to cover the equipment price and he was able to recoup some money by using much of the purchase price as a tax write-off.

2. Use resources you already have

Make the most of your practice's Web site by adding client forms. Gina Toman, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and practice manager at Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, N.C., worked with her site provider for just one day to add medical patient drop-off consent, boarding check-in, and client-patient registration forms. This simple conversion has saved team members time and allowed them to collect more accurate information. Toman also converted many client communications to e-mail—including reminders—by taking advantage of features in the practice's management software.