The Veterinary Practice Management Essentials (VPME) Resource Library is a collection of published articles by VetPartners members that offer further insight into the topics highlighted in the VPME Booklet. Veterinary professionals are encouraged to browse these articles to find tips, strategies and practical advice for how to implement many of the components covered in the VPME Booklet.
Strategic Planning
Time to Revise Your Mission Statement? If Yours Doesn’t Elicit an Emotional Feeling, Try Again
Mission statements are dull, boring and useless, and so are annual performance reviews…The issue with most veterinary mission statements, which is the subject of this article, and annual performance reviews, which is not, is that they typically are done poorly. READ MORE
Written by Debbie Boone, CCS, CVPM for Today’s Veterinary Business
Early Years of Your Practice: What to Consider
The best way to create the future you want is to set goals and then plan appropriately for them. Roadmaps are essential to your career plan! Here are key issues to consider and address during the early years of your practice. READ MORE
Written by Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc.
Finance & Accounting
How to Survive the Recession
Cash is king whether it’s coming or going. You should. Explore all the ways to persevere and succeed during tough ties, from negotiating with vendors and lenders to training and trusting you team. READ MORE
Written by Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA and Karen Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS. CVPM, CVA for Today’s Veterinary Business
The Whole Picture
A cash stockpile can leave you with a false sense of security if you fail to scrutinize all the systems that keep your practice humming. READ MORE
Written by Leslie Mamalis, MBA, MSIT, CVA, for Today’s Veterinary Business
Making the P&L Work for You
Profit and loss statements are likely the last thing you want to look at when managing your practice (because they don’t always tell the story you want to hear). But, this is important information to know when it comes to making decisions that can improve your practice. Truly understanding your P & L statement will show you what’s the best way to grow your P and shrink your L. So, let’s begin by breaking it down! READ MORE
Written by Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, CCFP, Sharing Success…Management Solutions
Business Tax – Digging into the Changes
Business Tax Changes Under Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (12-22-17), the good and the not so good. READ MORE
Written by Camala Bailey, CPA, CVA
Year-end Equipment Purchases
Debating an equipment purchase? Consider taxes-and the big picture. READ MORE
Written by Camala Bailey, CPA, CVA, for DVM 360
Veterinary Hospital Inventory can Cost you in Taxes
While politicians wrestle over tax reform in Washington, D.C., Camala shared some inventory tips to save you money this year, next year and every year. READ MORE
Written by Camala Bailey, CPA, CVA, for DVM 360
Planning a Stress-Free Road to Retirement
Succession planning. Two words when placed together make your heart race in light of the decades spent building this hospital from the ground. Who am I going to sell to? How am I going to sell? What do I value my practice at? When is a good time to sell? READ MORE
Written by Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc.
Negotiating a Commercial Lease
If you need to sign a lease for your veterinary practice’s location, here are a few tips to help you to successfully negotiate a commercial lease. READ MORE
Written Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors
Human Resources
The Multitalented Relief Veterinarian
A visiting doctor can be more than a fill-in. Use the veterinary professional in other roles, from telehealth adviser to house call provider. READ MORE
Written by Cindy Trice, DVM
Team Meetings: Treasure Trove or Waste of Time?
Team meetings can be challenging, and team members are typically less than enthusiastic about attending, perhaps because they think meetings are a waste of time and do not effect change—this is likely true if meetings are not organized and well-planned. READ MORE
Written by Sandy Walsh, RVT, CVPM, PetOps, LLC, for Veterinary Team Brief
Successful Negotiations: Strategies for Salary, Benefits and More
When you’re offered a job at a veterinary practice, it’s important to get as much information as possible about the specifics. You’ll typically be offered a certain wage, often along with benefits such as health insurance, retirement benefits, vacation time and the like. But, the offer may not mention workplace flexibility and other perks that can have a significant impact on your job – and so it’s crucial to negotiate all of the key elements of the offer. READ MORE
Written Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors
Resurrecting Your Team
Practice morale can swing from one end of the pendulum and back again. Sometimes it is easy to pinpoint the problem or issue. Other times, there are several complicated issues. Managing people is a challenging job. Leadership must be intent to lead, direct and manage the entire team. READ MORE
Written by Shelley Johnson, BS, CVPM, Patterson Veterinary
Making Salary Negotiations a Win-Win
Salary and benefit negotiations should end with both parties feeling satisfied. Instead, both parties frequently gird their loins, go into battle, and one person loses. That person is then expected to go to work and perform at a high level with no hope of reward in the near future. A different approach can change this outcome. READ MORE
Written by Debbie Boone, CCS, CVPM, 2 Manage Vets Consulting, for Veterinary Team Brief
Mysteries of Fair Compensation 2017 Update
This article describes the factors that practice owners should consider when determining compensation for veterinarians and paraprofessional staff. Part I of this article discusses the use of financial benchmarks while Part II explores how motivational theory can inform compensation decisions. READ MORE
Written by Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors
Employee Benefits in the Veterinary Practice
This podcast explores what the typical practice offers, how to choose an insurance broker, and unique situations and options. LISTEN
Featuring Cory Friedman, Alera Veterinary
Do You Need A Letter Of Intent? What They Are And How To Beware
Letters of intent (LOIs) are used in veterinary medicine during employment and practice sale negotiations to put preliminary terms into writing. They can be useful for planning but unclear expectations and ambiguity in LOI language – particularly about the binding/non-binding nature of clauses – can cause proposed deals to fall through, and litigation can ensue.
Written by Charlotte Lacroix, DVM, JD, Veterinary Business Advisors
Operations
A View From the Curb
How do clients and team members really feel about drive-up appointments? Pet owners miss the face-to-face contact, while the veterinary staff reports some pros and cons. READ MORE
Written by Sarah Rumple for Today’s Veterinary Business
Improve the Client Experience
Do you need to change your hospital’s systems or the people you employ? Evaluating standards, protocols and training programs will get you started. READ MORE
Written by Amanda Donnelly, DVM, MBA for Today’s Veterinary Business
At Your Service
A management services organization adds a layer of structural complexity to a veterinary practice but offers non-veterinarians and even family members the opportunity to reap the financial rewards. READ MORE
Written by Peter Tanella, Esq. for Today’s Veterinary Business
A Clean Bill of Health
Everyone on the veterinary team, from managers to groomers, is responsible for ridding the hospital of germs and then doing it again and again. Cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing is a never-ending job. READ MORE
Written by Sandy Walsh, RVT, CVPM for Today’s Veterinary Business
Premium Advice
From requesting a risk inspection to raising their deductible, practice owners have numerous opportunities to reduce the cost of insurance. READ MORE
Written by Ed Branam, DVM, CIC for Today’s Veterinary Business
Fraud Prevention Controls Checklist
This checklist offers techniques and tips specific to veterinary practices for deterring employee theft. Many of the steps are quick and easy but still create barriers that can limit the opportunity to steal from your practice. Protect your practice by reviewing and implementing the suggestions on this Fraud Prevention Controls Checklist. VIEW and DOWNLOAD
What’s Missing in my Employee Manuals
Often we believe that everyone has an employee manual and uses it. In the past few years, I have realized that this is not the case. The main roadblocks to starting production of a manual are: READ MORE
Written by Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, CCFP, Sharing Success…Management Solutions
Managers: 6 Ways to Make Veterinary Receptionists Love You
Happy receptionists make for happy clients and a more pleasant workplace. Take these tips to heart and your team will love you. READ MORE
Written by Debbie Boone, BS, CVPM, 2 Manage Vets Consulting, for DVM 360
Compliance: A Team Effort
Learn how to improve compliance by properly utilizing your team. READ MORE
Written by Debbie Boone, BS, CCS, CVPM, 2 Manage Vets Consulting, for Today’s Veterinary Nurse
Why Not Follow Human Medicine?
Physicians offer payment plans to clients, and a veterinary practice can too. READ MORE
Written by Tony Ferraro, VetBilling, for Today’s Veterinary Business
Does It Make Sense To Do A Real Estate Deal In The Midst Of COVID-19?
Factoring in the state of business for most Landlords, the dip in construction costs, the all-time low on interest rates and the leverage a practice inherently has as a blue-chip tenant or buyer; now could very well be the best time in the last 10 years to complete a lease or purchase transaction for your practice. READ MORE
Written by Jeremy Burroughs for Carr Real Estate
Before You Sign Your Lease Renewal Option
Although tenants may feel good about having a renewal option in their lease, the truth is it’s typically drafted to benefit the landlord much more than the tenant. Tenants can often achieve much better terms if they understand the landlord’s intent behind a renewal option and how to execute a specific game plan to achieve terms in their favor. READ MORE
Written by Jeremy Burroughs for Carr Real Estate
Management
So You’ve Been Promoted to Management…Now What?
If you have been promoted to a management role within your practice and are still wondering how to tackle your new position—or if you think you might be on that path—don’t panic! Know that there are many resources to help you learn management skills, and even your mistakes can be opportunities to improve. READ MORE
Written by Sandy Walsh, RVT, CVPM, PetOps, LLC, for Today’s Veterinary Nurse
Marketing & Communications
There’s an App for That
Communicating with clients and seeing patients remotely has never been easier. READ MORE
Written by Sarah Rumple, for Today’s Veterinary Business.
How to Market Your Online Pharmacy
One-and-done promotional campaigns won’t sustain a valued revenue source. Email reminders, creative social media posts and an enthusiastic practice team can bring drug sales back to you. READ MORE
Written by Eric Garcia for Today’s Veterinary Business
Crisis Communication
Your digital messaging needs to stand out from the crowd if you hope to reach distracted clients. Great subject lines matter. READ MORE
Written by Sarah Rumple for Today’s Veterinary Business
Emotional Connections
Marketing to your clients and other pet owners is more effective when you engage them and encourage their involvement. Storytelling can open the floodgates and improve your practice’s visibility. READ MORE
Written by Eric Garcia for Today’s Veterinary Business
Stop, Look and Listen
Your social media managers spend time pushing out great content, but do they monitor reactions and complaints? You’re asking for trouble when you ignore pointed replies and simple questions. READ MORE
Written by Caitlin DeWilde, DVM for Today’s Veterinary Business.
Hold on to Your Clients
Retaining pet owners is more challenging in a fragmented market, but you’d do well to be transparent about vaccine prices, send multiple reminders and launch a subscription wellness plan. READ MORE
Written by Debbie Boone CCS, CVPM
Don’t Call Us – We’ll Call You!
The concept of callback systems is not new. We started years ago with lab results and then added surgery callbacks a day or two after the procedure. Sadly, many hospitals stop here – thinking that’s enough. These practices are missing an opportunity. READ MORE
Written by Sandy Walsh, RVT, CVPM, PetOpps LLC
Individualized Customer Service: Tips to Improve Your Client Relations
The challenge for every business, including veterinary practices, is to provide a client experience that each individual client perceives to be a positive one. READ MORE
Written by Carolyn Shadle, PhD, and John L. Meyer, PhD, Interpersonal Communications Services
Rethinking the Sales Funnel
Use a four-step online strategy to capture new clients and re-engage pet owners who showed initial interest. READ MORE
Written by Robert Sanchez, Digital Empathy, for Today’s Veterinary Business
Critical Points of Contact Build Pet Owner Loyalty
When pet owners visit a veterinary practice, their first and last interactions are typically with the front office team. Consequently, client service representatives (CSRs) need to be well-trained to create positive impressions. READ MORE
Written by Amanda Donnelly, DVM, MBA for Today’s Veterinary Business
The Calm After the Storm
Soothe angry pet owners and raise the level of service by training the team to listen carefully and respond the right way. READ MORE
Written by Amanda Donnelly, DVM, MBA for Today’s Veterinary Business
Asking the Right Questions at the Right Time
For veterinary teams, asking questions is a valuable communication skill. It increases trust with pet owners and in turn builds stronger client relationships. READ MORE
Written by Amanda Donnelly, DVM, MBA for Today’s Veterinary Business
Medical Management
Win Back the Drug Dollars
If you don’t use an online pharmacy, why not? Millennials and just about all other pet owners desire the convenience of home delivery. Start slow and the money will follow. READ MORE
Written by Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA for Today’s Veterinary Business
Rise to the Occasion
Don’t concede the loss of preventive medications to retail giants. A few corrections will get you back on a profitable path. READ MORE
Written by Louise Dunn for Today’s Veterinary Business