Practice Management

20 April

Scam alert: Beware callers impersonating the DEA

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has shared that registrants have been receiving fraudulent telephone calls and emails from con artists claiming to represent the DEA or other law enforcement agencies. The callers have masked their telephone number on caller ID by showing the DEA Registration Support 800 number. According to a press release issued by the agency, “The impersonators inform their victims that purchasing drugs over the internet or by telephone is illegal, and that enforcement action will be taken against them unless...

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13 April

Advancing Patient Care Through Team Commitment to Forward Booking

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The Roaring Fork Valley provides some of the best fly fishing in Colorado, and the town of Carbondale – with its 6,500 residents located in the mountains 170 miles west of Denver – lies at its center. Resting in the magnificent shadow of 12,953-foot Mt. Sopris, Carbondale offers plenty of activity and enjoyment for tourists and residents alike. Carbondale also provides the home to Alpine Animal Hospital, a thriving, AAHA-accredited mixed animal practice with five veterinarians and 12 staff members. Mary...

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16 March

Ending the visit on a high note

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Have you ever gone grocery shopping and paid the cashier, only to review the bill as soon as you were in your car because the total was so much higher than expected? In many instances, the same thing is happening to your clients after they visit your hospital.  After the receptionist announces the total, the client pays the bill and quickly leaves while trying to hide their shock – then reviews the invoice once in their car. In addition to checking...

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02 March

Filling the Appointment Book : Managing Logistics & Creating Flow

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Past WA Veterinarian articles have addressed various ways to fill the appointment book, including pre-booking the client’s next appointment, making booking calls and following up with clients regarding recommendations made when they were in last with their pet.   Many clinics have had great success in adopting these new strategies using the following methods: 1.        Start pre-booking now.  The sooner your team starts to pre-book clients for their next appointment, the sooner your clinic will start to see how easy it is...

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23 February

What can we learn from millennial staff members?

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The characteristics of each generation are a result of their upbringing and environment. Some have experienced wars, been parented by a single mother working two jobs, subjected to a parent losing a job due to an economic crisis, etc. All of these experiences shape an individual and can become a consistent group of characteristics for a generation. While no one wants to be painted with a broad brush, it is true that different periods in time give rise to people...

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02 February

Protect Now to Prevent Expense Later

wsvma   |   Practice Management

What would you do if a fire, flood or computer virus destroyed all of the digital data in your hospital? According to Price Waterhouse Coopers, seven out of ten small businesses that experience a data loss go out of business within a year. The Disaster Preparedness Council reports 20 per cent of the companies they surveyed suffered $50,000 to $5 million dollars in downtime losses following a complete wipe out of digital files. Nancy Dewitz, Veterinary & Marketing Technology Consultant with...

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26 January

Practice Owners – Please take brief survey about veterinary team attraction and retention

wsvma   |   Continuing Education, Practice Management

At our upcoming WSVMA VetMed Matters Conference “Corporatization, Unions and Your Veterinary Team” on February 25, 2018, we’ll explore why it’s difficult to attract and keep technical staff, how corporate medicine may or may not affect entry and retention of the veterinary team, and what it means for the profession to unionize. In an effort to inform the discussion, we would like to get some information from practice owners/managers about challenges you face in attracting and retaining technical staff. Included in...

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08 December

‘Tis the season to forward book ALL of your patients’ appointments!

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Happy holidays! We have a gift for you that will make your holiday season a whole lot merrier by making your appointment book a whole lot fuller! Last January, a collaborative program was introduced between Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP) and Veterinary Medical Association Executives (VMAE) to implement the concept of forward booking in all veterinary practices in the U.S. and Canada. 48 veterinary medical associations, including the WSVMA, officially pledged to promote the Ready. Set. Go! Forward Booking Campaign. We believed...

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03 November

Setting your (medical) records straight

Sherri Dean   |   Practice Management

If you have been practicing in Washington for several years, it is a good bet you have not reviewed the Practice Act since your initial licensing. It is important to remember, however, that the rules do periodically change. You should include a review of the Practice Act in your continuing education plans every few years to avoid inadvertent violations. Since the “Act” is not a thrilling read, I thought I would try to provide a more palatable review of the...

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13 October

Pre-booking appointments makes positive impact on Spokane veterinary practice

wsvma   |   Practice Management

In May 2016 Dr. Greg Benoit and the staff of Southcare Animal Hospital in Spokane began an experiment to test the impact of booking their patients’ next check-up before they leave the practice. Benoit was eager to improve the number of patients that receive regular annual exams and on-time vaccinations. The Southcare team responded with questions about how the program would work. What’s the responsibility of each team member? How will we ensure success? Will the clients actually show up? Initially,...

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