Practice Management

18 August

Growing Leaders in Your Practice

wsvma   |   Practice Management

While facilitating a leadership workshop, I asked “Who are the leaders in your practice?.” This question stimulated some robust discussion. While some groups discussed the positions in their organizational leadership chart, one thoughtful response was “Everyone is a leader in my practice”. I asked this practice manager to describe to the group what leadership looked like in her hospital. She explained that every employee was invested in the success of the practice. Rather than defined leaders, the management team in...

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04 August

Preventive Healthcare Certificate Program: The Swiss Army Knife of Preventive Healthcare

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Do you have an associate veterinarian who is a recent graduate? Did you hire a new team member? Does your staff need a refresher course in the importance (and necessity) of preventive healthcare to your practice and patients? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then we encourage you to check out the Partners for Healthy Pets Preventive Healthcare Certificate Program. It is a free, ten-module certificate program designed for healthcare team members, veterinarians and veterinary students. The...

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14 July

Tramadol seeker hits up 17 WA veterinary hospitals over extensive period

wsvma   |   Animal Health, Practice Management

The owner of a female Blue Heeler has a history of drug seeking at Kitsap County veterinary hospitals. The woman, whose name is withheld, has brought her dog to almost every hospital in the area over the last five years attempting to secure Tramadol. Comparing notes among the practices eventually alerted veterinarians to stop dispensing or scripting out controlled drugs to the dog’s owner. The abuse of prescription drugs is a serious social and health problem and telling the difference between...

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22 June

Communicating with Clients through Body Language

Sherri Dean   |   Practice Management

When a potential client calls your hospital, do your team members exude friendliness and professionalism over the telephone?  When a client walks thru the door, do they feel immediately welcomed by staff? During the JumpStart Boot Camp session held for WSVMA members on May 20th and 21st, the importance of non- verbal communication (i.e. facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice) was highlighted. Non-verbal communication is frequently overlooked in veterinary hospitals in spite of the fact it accounts...

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15 June

New reminder tool to get inactive clients back in the door

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Need help getting lapsed clients back in the door? Partners for Healthy Pets’ new inactive client reminder program is designed to do just that with proven success in reengaging clients who have been absent from their veterinary practices. Within six months of implementing the reminder program, participating veterinary practices: Generated an average of 128 patient visits from formerly inactive clients. Had an overall 8.5% inactive-client response rate (percentage of clients who responded to the email and brought their pets in...

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09 June

Free resource – AAHA/VMG Standardized Chart of Accounts

wsvma   |   Practice Management

Traditionally, the accounting methods of individual veterinary practices are as diverse as the owners themselves. Times are changing … and for the better. Through a partnership, led by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), Veterinary Management Groups (VMG), VetPartners, and the Veterinary Hospital Manager’s Association (VHMA), individual veterinarians now have access to a free, powerful finance tool.  Working with VMG, AAHA’s previously ‘member’s only’ Chart of Accounts, was revised and expanded. The AAHA/VMG Chart of...

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09 June

Having success with forward booking appointments? Enter this contest!

wsvma   |   Practice Management

We're excited to announce the Forward Booking WORKS! Testimonial Contest! What is a testimonial contest you ask? To help publicize the benefits of forward booking we are asking practices to send us testimonials regarding their experiences with forward booking. Through these testimonials we hope to spread the word to the veterinary profession about real-life experiences in which practices have benefited from implementing forward booking and encourage all veterinary practices to adopt forward booking as a best practice. To enter the...

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28 April

Electric heating pads for warming patients? Don’t make this mistake

wsvma   |   Practice Management

A local TV news station recently reported a story about a Seattle area dog that died from severe burns while the dog was under anesthesia for a dental procedure. The heating device used to prevent hypothermia was an electric heating pad and the dog was reported to have suffered burns on 90% of her body. Perioperative Hypothermia is a real concern and steps should be taken to prevent even mild hypothermia. But what methods are considered the appropriate standard of care? Conventional...

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14 April

Why Implement Genetics Testing in Companion Animal Practice?

wsvma   |   Practice Management

As veterinarians and animal health care team members there are many factors that compete for our attention.  Balancing practice ownership and hospital operations, patient case management and client interactions is time consuming. As a result, most of our time is spent managing the present.  What trends and opportunities are you missing by not planning for the future? In 2005, researchers at Harvard and the Broad Institute of MIT released the genomic sequence of the dog.  Researchers based at the National Cancer...

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14 April

Forward booking testimonial contest – win big prizes!

wsvma   |   Practice Management

We're excited to announce the Forward Booking WORKS! Testimonial Contest! What is a testimonial contest you ask? To help publicize the benefits of forward booking we are asking members to send us testimonials regarding their experiences with forward booking. Through these testimonials we hope to spread the word to the veterinary profession about real-life experiences in which practices have benefited from implementing forward booking and encourage all veterinary practices to adopt forward booking as a best practice. To enter the...

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