Veterinary Practice Management Articles - All

• Report: Most physicians will use Web as primary work resource by 2012
  Publish Date - 11/12/2009
  
  A market research firm is estimating that more than 80 percent of physicians will be using smartphones at work by the year 2012.

• Countdown to Conference: Networking for Introverts
  Publish Date - 11/11/2009
  
  Networking is a one of the chief benefits of attending a small conference like AAHA's. Shy? Use these tips to make the most of your visit to Long Beach this year.

• The Computer in Your Practice:
  The Next Five Years, by John W. Albers, DVM
  Publish Date - 11/01/2009
  
  This article first appeared in Trends magazine, April 1985. It is reprinted here as Trends celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.

• Economic Bulletin: Drive Revenue Through Pricing – AAHA Veterinary Fee Reference
  Publish Date - 10/26/2009
  
  This article addresses the need for fee increases, making adjustments for “shoppable” items, making sure fee increases translate to commensurate revenue increases, common errors in fee capture, what constitutes a “fair fee,” and discussion of a valuable veterinary industry fee resource, the AAHA Veterinary Fee Reference.

• Preserve and Strengthen a Business Partnership
  Publish Date - 10/26/2009
  
  A 10-step process, with an example to follow, when faced with the challenge of resolving conflicts that threaten a business partnership.

• How to Optimize the Performance of Employees with Adult ADHD
  Publish Date - 10/20/2009
  
  ADHD adults bring many positive attributes to the workplace; they can be highly intelligent, creative, and outside-the-box thinkers. They may also have high energy levels, be very persistent, and take risks. This article explores elements of ADHD and offers practical tips to help managers optimize their performance.

• Practice Management Groups: Flexing the Muscles of Collaboration
  Publish Date - 10/19/2009
  
  Practice operators and managers put their heads together to solve problems, share knowledge and skills create tools -- and overcome isolation.

• 10 Mistakes that Drive Away Disabled Clients (video)
  Publish Date - 10/12/2009
  
  ADA experts talk about common mistakes that small business owners make when considering ADA compliance. The first mistake: Underestimating the market.

• VHMA, VetPartners, and NCVEI announce "Motivating Change" initiative
  Publish Date - 09/28/2009
  
  Veterinary organizations team up to investigate what makes a successful practice.

• Economic Bulletin: Taking quality care to the next level through compliance
  Publish Date - 09/18/2009
  
  In 2009, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), supported by Pfizer Animal Health, conducted a national research project, combining surveys and interviews, to quantify practice team improvement of pet care compliance and examine pet owner adherence to recommendations and direction for dispensed or prescribed medications.

• NCVEI, VetPartners launch new benchmarking tools for referral practices
  Publish Date - 09/15/2009
  
  The National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) and VetPartners has announced the launch of a new set of tools to track financial and operation data for referral practices.

• How to Use a Quick-Response Code
  (also called 2-dimensional Code)
  Publish Date - 09/01/2009
  
  That square blot is a Quick Response (QR) code, or 2-D code. Embedded in it is the web address for the Trends online sustainability page. This blot was printed in the Sept/Oct 2009 issue of Trends magazine to link readers to additional resources about sustainability posted on Trends online.

• Satisfaction is key to keeping clients
  Publish Date - 08/21/2009
  
  According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, 40 percent of customers who have through bad experiences stop doing business with the company that provided that experience.

• Economic Bulletin: Leaky Revenue—Capturing Discounts and Missed Charges
  Publish Date - 08/15/2009
  
  It is not uncommon for 5-10 percent of gross revenue to be lost via discounts or missed charges in the average practice.

• Harvard's 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day
  Publish Date - 07/31/2009
  
  Creating habits or rituals makes effective time management possible.

• Turn uncertainty into opportunity
  Publish Date - 07/20/2009
  
  A new book describes how businesses can turn uncertainty from a threatening concept into a positive thing.

• Economic Bulletin: Using Metrics to Identify SWOT in Your Practice
  Publish Date - 07/15/2009
  
  Many practices are experiencing a drop in revenue this year for the first time in a long time (maybe ever).

• Case Veterinary Celebrates 100 Years of Breaking New Ground
  Publish Date - 07/11/2009
  
  As it celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, Case Veterinarian Hospital continues to be progressive. Treatments offered include digital dental x-ray, laser surgery, endoscopy and laparoscopic surgeries. The award-winning practice also ensures it follows the highest industry standards by being certified by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

• The Great Divide Small Business Advertisers and Consumers Fail to Connect on the Internet
  Publish Date - 07/08/2009
  
  What's the address? How do I get there? How late are they open? When small business owners seek information, they go online to get answers. Likewise, when seeking information about specific goods or services, they do preliminary shopping online -- even if they buy in the bricks-and-mortar establishments. So why do small business owners refuse to maintain websites for their own business?

• Your Facility Is Your Brand
  Publish Date - 07/02/2009
  
  At Desert Animal Hospital in Palm Springs, California, the design clearly conveys this AAHA-accredited hospital’s commitment to excellence.

• Harvard Business Advice on Green Strategy
  Publish Date - 06/26/2009
  
  The critical distinction here is between costs and investments. ... The logic for going gree is no different from the logic for pursuing other business strategies. Companies look to drive profitability, innovation, customer loyalty, employee engagement, and so on. But unlike with most other strategies, the external forces driving green thinking make this topic unique and unavoidable.

• Planning for the "New Normal"
  Publish Date - 06/23/2009
  
  In the "new normal," a few things seem clear. The consumer is now in charge. And the consumer will continue to have emotional needs as well as functional requirements. The companies that recognize this and act accordingly will be the ones that will prosper. It's a daunting challenge, to be sure, but it's also a singular opportunity.

• Washington State Awards Stars to Green Practices
  Publish Date - 06/19/2009
  
  Washington State's EnviroStars program awards 3-5 stars to businesses that reduce, reuse, recycle and properly dispose of hazardous waste. Renton Venterinary Hospital, an AAHA member, received 5 stars. Learn more about Renton Veterinary Hospital and Washington state's other stellar veterinary practices.

• Sun, Wind, Manmade Swamp Save 81% on Energy for Kennel
  Publish Date - 06/18/2009
  
  The award-winning American Foundation Dog Adoption Park (Las Vegas, Nevada) built its facility around sun and wind power—and a manmade swamp. See the pictures and read a description from the American Institute of Architects.

• Green and Gold: Oldwick Animal Hospital Goes for Top LEED Honor
  Publish Date - 06/16/2009
  
  The Oldwick (N.J.) Animal Hospital is LEED-certified and is seeking GOLD status from the US Green Building Council. Dedicated owners built the facility around green technologies and practices, including using geothermal heat as the facility's primary heating and cooling source. Read more.

• Economic Bulletin: Is Your Practice Financially Healthy?
  Publish Date - 06/15/2009
  
  Understanding the financial health of your practice is paramount to managing and maintaining a successful operation.

• Protecting Personal Information: Tutorial
  Publish Date - 06/15/2009
  
  Learn more about protecting client and employee data with this interactive tutorial from the Federal Trade Commission.

• Give Freebies, Not Discounts
  Publish Date - 06/10/2009
  
  To attract cost-conscious consumers, offer free amenities while holding the line on pricing for core products and services.

• Bad times call for good leaders
  Publish Date - 06/04/2009
  
  During hard economic times it is crucial to be a good leader. An article in the Harvard Business Review has identified the top 10 “fatal flaws the derail leaders.”

• Beyond Gadget Lust: Evaluating $5K+ Equipment Purchases
  Publish Date - 06/01/2009
  
  Toy or tool? What’s in it for you? What’s it worth? How do you know?

• Benchmarking New Associates’ Productivity
  Publish Date - 05/29/2009
  
  Setting goals for associates’ productivity pays off for associates and for practices.

• Slip Showing? Federal Law Requires All Businesses to Truncate Credit Card Information on Receipts
  Publish Date - 05/28/2009
  
  If you aren't abiding by this 2003 rule, you could be setting yourself up for liability if identity thieves strike.

• Compliance: Taking Quality Care to the Next Level
  Publish Date - 05/25/2009
  
  In 2008, the American Animal Hospital Association, supported by Pfizer Animal Health, conducted a national research project, combining surveys and interviews, to quantify practice team improvement of pet care compliance and examine pet owner adherence to recommendations and direction for dispensed or prescribed medications.

• Managing Staff Overtime
  Publish Date - 05/22/2009
  
  Scheduling employees, like everything in your practice, works better when you have a clear strategy.

• Turn queries into customers
  Publish Date - 05/20/2009
  
  Your website can be a huge e-mail generator. But don’t let the volume of e-mails get you down.

• Is Your Clinic Accident-Proof?
  Publish Date - 05/18/2009
  
  Experts point out trouble spots and tips for safety.

• Focus on the negative
  Publish Date - 05/16/2009
  
  For businesses, what to do during a recession may not be as important as what not to do.

• Economic Bulletin: Doing Well in a Tough Economy
  Publish Date - 05/15/2009
  
  The long-held belief that companion animal veterinary medicine is “recession resistant” or even “recession proof” is being tested. What should you do?

• Tackling Technophobia / PLUGGED IN
  Publish Date - 05/15/2009
  
  Focused dedication to the learning process is critical for the tech-averse to gain confidence with new applications.

• FREE Online Training from the SBA:
  How to Prepare a Loan Package
  Publish Date - 05/14/2009
  
  Need a loan now? Lenders are extending credit to small business owners who can build a good case for need, time frame, and credit worthiness.

• It’s not about the layoffs
  Publish Date - 05/13/2009
  
  Consultant Susan Reid offers 10 strategies for small businesses that can help you stabilize during the recession.

• AVMA schedules additional Red Flags webinars
  Publish Date - 05/12/2009
  
  The AVMA is providing a series of free webinars for veterinary practices before the Aug. 1 Red Flags rule enforcement deadline.

• A Quick Reference Guide for AAHA’s Canine Vaccine Guidelines
  Publish Date - 05/11/2009
  
  Practice managers requested it and now Trends Online presents it.

• The Value of Compliance
  Publish Date - 05/08/2009
  
  Economic hard times are a call to action to increase the compliance of each and every client currently on your roster.

• Communication Case Study/Front Office Staff as Sales Staff
  Publish Date - 05/04/2009
  
  Just two years ago, business was brisk at Detroit’s Motor City Pet Hospital. The two-doctor practice averaged 50-55 patients per day and generated a tidy ancillary income selling specialty pet food, grooming aids and toys. Now, with the recession in full swing, the small practice was lucky to see 10 patients per day, and Sarah, Motor City’s front desk manager, was often idle.

• Encouraging absenteeism in a pandemic may be beneficial to your practice
  Publish Date - 04/30/2009
  
  With the threat of a swine flu pandemic looming on the horizon, now is a good time to think about a preparedness plan for your practice.

• Team building in the dirt
  Publish Date - 04/22/2009
  
  An Oklahoma veterinary hospital has found an innovative way to build community among its staff.

• Argus releases guide to coping with pet illness, loss
  Publish Date - 04/16/2009
  
  Colorado State University’s Argus Institute has released a guide to help clients cope with the illness and death of their pet.

• Concentrate on 'core business' to survive downturn
  Publish Date - 04/08/2009
  
  Concentrating on your core business will dramatically improve your odds of surviving the recession, according to downturn strategist Darrell Rigby.

• Trends Executive Edge PowerPoint
  Publish Date - 04/02/2009
  
  PowerPoint slides from "Trends Executive Edge: Crunch and Grow Your Numbers.”

• Outsiders help groups solve problems
  Publish Date - 04/01/2009
  
  A new study from Brigham Young, Northwestern and Stanford university researchers suggests that teams with a “socially distinct newcomer” can solve problems more efficiently than socially homogenous groups.

• Down at the half? It could be just what you need
  Publish Date - 03/19/2009
  
  What has March Madness got to do with practice management? Plenty, say a pair of professors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

• Reps to the rescue
  Publish Date - 03/11/2009
  
  I have to confess, when I first started in practice, I perceived sales reps as a nuisance, always dropping by at the wrong time. Today, the friendly, smiling faces of our reps are well known and welcome in the back treatment area of our hospital.

• Cut Costs by Managing Your Inventory
  Publish Date - 03/04/2009
  
  Tips on better inventory management.

• NCVEI on ‘weathering the economy’
  Publish Date - 03/03/2009
  
  NCVEI offers advice on how to get through bad economic times

• Get ready for new Red Flag Rules
  Publish Date - 03/02/2009
  
  New ID theft rules will be enforced as of May 1, 2009.

• Medical Record Retention: One Question, 50 Answers
  Publish Date - 02/27/2009
  
  How long should you keep medical records? That depends. Get the broad picture plus a state-by-state list.

• When goals go wrong
  Publish Date - 02/27/2009
  
  Setting goals is not always a good thing

• Clients reluctant to see specialists
  Publish Date - 02/26/2009
  
  Bad economy means clients are more reluctant to use expensive specialists