Recently added articles from Veterinary Economics:

Women. Communication. Money

Jun 01, 2008; Reimer, Kristi ... We've been talking a lot here about how women talk. "When you regularly calculate production, you can see immediate results of any changes you implement." I wish you could've heard our conversations in the last few weeks as the Veterinary Economics team discussed this month's ...

MAILBOX

Jun 01, 2008; Leonard, Tracy A ... Bad Internet reviews do bite Thank you for Mark Opperman's article, "Don't Let Bad Internet Reviews Bite," in the May issue. After reading his article, I went online and checked out the customer review Web sites he'd listed. It didn't take me long to find a bad review about my practice ....

Swiss law orders pet buddy system

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Guinea pigs need friends, dog owners need classes. A new law in Switzerland taking effect Sept. 1 widens animal rights laws in revolutionary ways. Consider the law's fine print: * Animals classified as "social species"-such as guinea pigs and parrots-will be considered victims of ...

Poster shows health of lean-fed dogs

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Nestle Purina PetCare is sharing the results of a canine life span study on a poster you can get free of charge. The study found that dogs fed to their ideal body condition lived 15 percent longer than other dogs. The poster shows three sets of ...

June calendar/July calendar

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... * Adopt a Cat Month * Adopt a Shelter Cat Month * Take Your Dog to Work Day June 27 July calendar * ...

Bring on the surfers: How can I increase traffic to my practice's Web site?

Jun 01, 2008; Wasche, Linda ... You've built an online home for your practice and you're confident your new Web site will get tails wagging. Now your job is to promote it to build traffic. Linda Wasche, president of LW Marketworks in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., says to include your Web address wherever possible: in your ...

Goodwill for sale

Jun 01, 2008; Glassman, Gary I ... I'm considering selling my practice's real estate to a nonveterinary entity and then selling the goodwill to a practice that could benefit from the potential business. How do I go about selling the goodwill? Your best option is selling goodwill-the intangible assets you've built up over ...

Take five

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... If you wait to complete patients' charts and paperwork until after your last appointment of the day, you probably end up working well past closing time. Wouldn't you rather make it home for dinner with the fam? Consider extending each appointment slot by five minutes so ...

It's OK to give it away

Jun 01, 2008; Khuly, Patty ... Practicing attorneys in Florida are required to complete a few hours of pro bono work every year to maintain a favorable bar status-and it's excellent PR for their profession. Giving their services away, even if it's only to help family and friends who can't afford their services otherwise, ...

Pay up front for poop

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Dr. Melisa Hicks and her team at Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., improve compliance by encouraging clients to prepay for fecal tests. Her team members always recommend a fecal test during a pet's wellness exam, but often they're unable to obtain a sample at that time. So ...

Trash old computers responsibly

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... If you plan to install new computers in your practice, think about how you'll dispose of your old ones-tossing them into the dumpster is a no-no. And if your old computers are such ancient relics that no one could possibly find any use for them, donating them isn't an option. So think green: ...

Get everyone involved in hiring

Jun 01, 2008; Levoy, Bob ... Success file Show your team that their opinions on potential hires matter. Here's what usually happens when a veterinary practice hires new employees: The owner or practice manager screens job applicants and selects the most qualified person based on skills and experience. What ...

A pat on the back

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Each employee at VetSelect Animal Hospital in Dearborn Heights, Mich., receives two bonus certificates with every paycheck. Employees fill out a certificate when they notice coworkers going above and beyond their regular duties, then ask the office manager to sign off on it. When an employee ...

The lowdown on lighting up

Jun 01, 2008; Seibert, Phil ... Stay on the right side of smokers, nonsmokers, and the law. The most obvious component of any indoor air quality program has to be control of tobacco smoke. More than one-quarter of employees in the United States are smokers, according to a National Health Interview survey. This presents ...

Depression dilemma

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... If an employee tells me he's taking medication for anxiety and depression, am I allowed to request a note from the prescribing physician stating that this employee is able to perform his duties? Yes, you can ask for that note, says Dr. KaH Salzsieder, JD, of Salzsieder Consulting and ...

Talking teeth with timid clients

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Chew on this advice for improving dental compliance at your practice. What is it about a pet's mouth that's most unappetizing? The layers of crunchy, multicolored tartar? The receding, inflamed gums? The smell-putrid fish in cats, and in dogs ... ugh, let's not talk about it. Instead ...

Look but also touch

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Communication tools Seeing is believing for clients when it comes to pet dental health at Falmouth Veterinary Hospital in Falmouth, Maine. Video touchscreens in exam rooms show clients how quickly damaging plaque can build and harden. The screens also let clients type in their e-mail ...

Martial arts give her kicks

Jun 01, 2008; Tickle, Deanna ... To put it mildly, I'm not athletically gifted. I've always been a couch potato and never liked working up a sweat. I gained weight during and after veterinary school and made several failed attempts to stick with a fitness program. After taking a self-defense class, I became interested in tae ...

Six simple tips to rev up refills-and revenue

Jun 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Make prescription requests easier on your team and your clients. Your receptionist is irritated, and the client on the phone can tell. It's a prescription refill request, but the doctor didn't include refill information in the patient's record. Now the receptionist has to leave the desk, ...

Effective communication strategies for women-and men

Jun 01, 2008; Miller, Jan ... The right words In Talking From 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work (Harper, 1995), Deborah Tannen, PhD, describes typical genderbased conversation like this: Men use banter, joking, and playful put downs to establish authority. Women try to maintain an appearance of equality, downplaying ...