Practice Management

21 June

Avoid Common Pitfalls with Your Employee Benefits: Pitfall No. 3 – Other Benefits

wsvma   |   Practice Management

This is the third in a weekly series of four articles by financial expert Mackenzie Martin. The first article focused on pitfalls in employee insurance benefits and article number two outlines retirement plan pitfalls. Articles 4 will focus on pitfalls in paystubs. OTHER BENEFITS Pitfall #1: Health Savings Account (HSA) Or Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? Both types of accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax money. A health savings account (HSA) is money specifically set aside for health care, while a Flex...

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14 June

Avoid Common Pitfalls with Your Employee Benefits: Pitfall No. Two -Retirement Plans

wsvma   |   Practice Management

This is the second in a weekly series of four articles by financial expert Mackenzie Martin. The first article focused on pitfalls in employee insurance benefits. Articles 3 and 4 will focus on pitfalls in other types of employee benefits, and pitfalls in paystubs.  RETIREMENT PLANS Pitfall #1: Not Understanding How Employer Contributions Works Example from a small, privately owned, animal hospital:  The practice has a SIMPLE IRA which means there are two options (per the IRS) for matching contributions. The first option...

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07 June

Avoid Common Pitfalls with Your Employee Benefits: Pitfall No. One – Insurance

wsvma   |   Practice Management

This is the first in a weekly series of four articles by financial expert Mackenzie Martin. The first article focuses on pitfalls in employee insurance benefits. Articles 2 -4 will focus on pitfalls in retirement benefits, pitfalls in other types of employee benefits, and pitfalls in paystubs.  The intricate, complex world of veterinary benefits and compensation is full of landmines and pitfalls. All employers are unique, and each employee situation is highly individual, creating a lot of space for mistakes and...

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24 May

New Hire Process for Success

wsvma   |   Practice Management

A study on new employees from the Academy of Management Journal found that the first 90 days of employment, often referred to as the probationary period, is pivotal to building rapport with the company, management and coworkers. When support levels were high from the team and leaders, new hires often had more positive attitudes about their job and worked harder. When support and direction were not offered, the inverse occurred, leading to unhappy and unproductive employees who didn’t make it...

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12 April

The client service mindset

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Parasite season is a busy time for most veterinary hospitals. It’s the time of year when the client experience is most likely to suffer due to competing demands on staff time.  But it’s also a great opportunity to impress a large number of clients with amazing service. There are seven traits that great client service providers need to have to deliver a superior client experience: Empathy – Empathy is the capacity to understand, be aware of and sensitive to the feelings,...

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05 April

WSVMA introduces new event aimed at practice managers

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The WSVMA is hosting what we hope will become a regular series of events for practice managers. The intent of WSVMA’s Practice Managers: Peer to Peer – A Collaborative Learning Experience is to have interactive discussions regarding common management issues. Managers will be able to present issues they are currently dealing with and provide feedback and advice in a safe and collaborative setting. We will also provide speakers on relevant practice management topics that promote discussion and interaction. The first event...

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05 April

DEA warns of alarming increase in scam calls

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The Drug Enforcement Administration urges its DEA-registered practitioners and the public to be cautious of telephone calls from criminals posing as DEA or other law enforcement personnel threatening arrest and prosecution for supposed violations of federal drug laws or involvement in drug-trafficking activities. DEA continues to receive reports from the general public and practitioners indicating that they have received calls threatening legal action if an exorbitant fine is not paid immediately over the phone. The callers typically identify themselves as DEA...

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15 March

There’s Always Time for Fun

wsvma   |   Practice Management

“We don’t have time for fun around here.” Those were the sentiments shared by one practice manager at a recent clinic visit. There should always be time for fun in the workplace and if there isn’t, it probably isn’t a place many people would like to work.  ‘Fun’ isn’t just a great day riding roller coasters at a theme park - it can be as simple as working in a team environment with an upbeat attitude and positive energy. Creating an...

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08 March

Culture: Every Practice Has One…But Is It the One You Want?

wsvma   |   Practice Management

The concept of actively crafting corporate culture has been the topic of many articles and seminars over the years.  In 2016, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) commissioned a study1 performed by the Daniels College of Business at University of Denver to examine how organizational culture impacts veterinary hospitals. Key areas of focus included the different subcultures that exist in veterinary hospitals as well as evaluating how hospital metrics are impacted by culture.  The study evaluated eight areas of sub-culture,...

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01 March

Attracting New Clients

wsvma   |   Practice Management

If the number of new clients is low for a practice, management teams may be quick to jump to lack of marketing to blame when in fact, it may be due to marketing effectiveness and lack of staff training. Before investing marketing dollars into various outlets in an effort to attract new clients, consider the following: Client recommendations. According to a 2017 survey distributed to over 10,000 pet owning Ontario households, 37 per cent of pet owners selected their current veterinarian...

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