National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues - News Feeds

Client communication strategies

• 5 types of potentially litigious veterinary clients
  If you see them coming be concerns — and ask them to seek veterinary care elsewhere
  
• 3 ways to show clients you care
  Simple ways you can demonstrate the art of veterinary medicine.
  
• BizQuiz: What do clients think of you?
  See your practice through your clients eyes. Then get pointers on how to improve your image, no matter how you fare.
  
• Keep clients compliant with OTC products
  Don't let clients throw in the towel when it comes to learning a new skill.
  
• The top 10 diagnoses in dogs and cats by age
  This data package shows the top diagnoses by age for dogs and cats—lists that emphasize the need for veterinary teams to make strong recommendations for dental care.
  
• Blimp dogs and swiffer cats: Managing pet obesity
  Clients may think pets' bellies are cute, but you know the extra weight is hard on them. Time to talk fat with veterinary clients.
  
• Veterinary malpractice accusation: Diagnose the causes
  A lesson for new doctors—and a reminder for veterans—to avoid lawsuits and the licensing board
  
• Who's to blame for poor veterinary patient care?
  Veterinarians and team members overwhelmingly blame clients for noncompliance, but a few shoulder the burden themselves.
  
• Pet insurance: Veterinary coverage that cares
  Veterinary clients with pet insurance are willing to spend more to care for their pets.
  
• Ease the pressure in the exam room when communicating with clients
  Be persuasive, but don't push too hard. Otherwise, you run the risk of driving your clients away.
  
• Young veterinarians don't know how to talk to clients
  The younger generation of veterinarians lacks one critical business skill.
  
• Client communication: The games we play
  Last Thursday morning found me busily engaged in an animal hospital game I call "Where's the Lump?" Mrs. Carbuncle rus
  
• The hidden danger in today's pet treats: Sugar
  Pet obesity is a growing epidemic, and many pet treats contain ingredients that contribute to the problem.
  
• Tools for celebrating June as Adopt-A-Cat Month
  Celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month by downloading materials to help promote cat adoption and feline health care.
  
• Q&A: Spotlight on spot-on parasite preventives
  Recent EPA reports may mean your clients are struggling to sort fact from fiction about spot-on parasite preventives. Here's what you need to know to educate pet owners about how to safely and effectively use spot-on parasite preventives.
  
• Lead by following up with phone calls to clients
  Checking up on your patients can strengthen your bond between with clients—and keep your patients healthy.
  
• MyPetCARETV.com launches for pet owners
  Los Angeles -- Saddle Ranch Productions launches veterinarian-supported site featuring videos and news stories for pet owners.
  
• Everything you need to know about social networking in the veterinary profession
  Get up to date on how your veterinary colleagues use Facebook and Twitter—then learn how to get social yourself.
  
• Getting clients to "yes"
  Brian Conrad, CVPM, talks about what your team needs to think about to achieve client compliance.
  
• BizQuiz: Are you a social-media maven or a Web wipeout?
  Videos, friending, and tweets: Get hip to the newest way to reach potential and current veterinary clients.
  
• Florida DVM assaulted by distraught pet owner
  Palm Bay, Fla.— A pet owners whose dog died after a routine surgery allegedly attacked his veterinarian and threatened the hospital staff with a knife.
  
• Step-by-step guide to talking to clients about wellness programs
  Use this guide to keep wellness top of mind for clients and get pets the care they need.
  
• Stop feeling guilty about cash-strapped clients
  Shawn McVey says pet owners' financial situations aren't your business
  
• Give clients these tips on topical flea and tick products
  Pet Poison Helpline offers advice to pet owners following the EPA's investigation of spot-on products.
  
• Live from CVC: Develop more loyal clients with this script
  Consultant Karyn Gavzer, MBA, CVPM, opened the practice management program at CVC in Baltimore and talked about communication strategies that can boost clients' loyalty and trust.
  
• The dvm360 Five: Episode 12
  The Five looks at new flea-product labeling, a shark-wrestling veterinarian, and expert advice on marketing and client communication.
  
• 3 questions to help you discover (or rediscover) the road to success
  No surprise: Your team will help you find your way.
  
• Send sympathy cards with heart
  A simple craft project can comfort clients mourning a loss.
  
• Dog biting incident shoves DVM into media spotlight
  Lafayette, Colo. — Sometimes controversy comes in small packages.
  
• Tick talk: Clear up client misconceptions
  You know that only a veterinarian should remove ticks from pets. But do your clients know?
  
• Inside the black market: puppy smuggling
  The black market dog trade is vast and some believe it's growing.
  
• AVMA and WebMD collaborate to provide information for pet owners
  Schaumburg, Ill. -- Determined to combat Internet misinformation, the AVMA and WebMD have partnered to find a new way for pet owners to seek medical advice.
  
• Widows, bastards, and slugs
  Words aren't always what they appear to be.
  
• Communication: A finely honed skill
  Ask open-ended questions to learn more from clients.
  
• White knight syndrome: When pets are in trouble, clients need care too
  Don't just swoop in to save the day when a pet is sick. Remember that clients need care too.
  
• Exam-room communication: Truth in numbers
  These statistics reveal hard facts about average client interactions.
  
• Track parasite compliance to boost revenue
  You can make recommendations to clients, but if you're not tracking your practice's parasite compliance numbers, you could be missing out on thousands in revenue.
  
• A five-minute exercise for your next team meeting
  Employees will laugh—and realize that communication is a two-way street.
  
• The dvm360 Five: Episode 10
  The Five explores punishment in the pet-food recall, news from WVC, and advice on fielding lots of client questions on a busy day.
  
• Dog owners are more extroverted than cat owners
  People with pooches are more outgoing and agreeable, while cat owners get stuck with the "neurotic" tag.
  
• Video: Be comfortable offering alternatives to the "gold standard"
  Prognoses may not be as good, but a reasonable medical option -- even if it's not the best -- is better than nothing, says the CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.
  
• Twitter becomes fundraising tool for Haiti
  Veterinary groups join forces to spread the word about a Haiti fundraiser with just a few clicks.
  
• Q&A: How to defend fee increases
  How do I explain to clients why my fees have gone up?
  
• The dark side of the bond
  Do some clients go too far in their attachment to their pets? If so, what do we do about it?
  
• Why cats aren't "man's best friend"
  The MAF discovers why some people don't own cats—as well as who's most likely to adopt one.
  
• "Touch points" help retain clients
  Critical interactions impact client loyalty and practice growth.
  
• Use bad breath as an intro to discuss oral care
  Stinky pet breath. Your clients might find it off-putting, but they probably don't know halitosis can be a sign of serious medical problems, such as periodontal disease or oral or systemic infection.
  
• Sample script: Remind, remind, remind about dental care
  This short conversation can help you respond when clients refuse the care you recommend.
  
• Client handout: Bad breath (halitosis) in pets
  Download this PDF of a client handout on halitosis in pets, and help get your clients onboard with preventive oral care.
  
• Q&A: Can I fire veterinary clients who won't pay?
  Q&A: When you can fire a client who won't pay for services
  
• Helping clients pay
  The editors at dvm360 analyzed veterinary practices today and identified eight critical trends. Top of the list: More clients who can't or won't pay. We built this package to help.
  
• Dogs rule, cats drool: Americans prefer pups
  A new survey shows that dogs are the most loved animals in America.
  
• Talking to clients about feline elimination problems
  Cats that begin urinating outside of the litter box can be a challenge. Here's how to help pet owners deal.
  
• Ask Amy: How to handle know-it-all clients
  How to address overconfident pet owners.
  
• What to do when your clients complain online
  No matter how effective, careful or sensitive a veterinarian tries to be, somebody is going to complain.
  
• Video: Dr. Marty Becker's biggest client "oops" moments
  Dr. Marty Becker shares his most embarrassing moments in the exam room. Can you relate?
  
• Counting the cost of chronic disease
  Study shows what clients pay for common conditions in pets.
  
• Dr. Ernie Ward picks top fitness, weight loss products of 2009
  Health means exercise as well as nutrition.
  
• How to win back clients who've left
  Follow up on defections.
  
• The call of the client
  Giving clients quotes over the phone can be challenging—but that's what makes it worthwhile.
  
• How to have seamless vaccine changes
  How to talk to clients about changes in vaccination protocols.
  
• Why do dogs and cats eat grass?
  Dogs and cats are often observed eating grass and other plants of no apparent value.
  
• Form: Donations request letter
  Use this sample to politely request donated supplies.
  
• Rehab client education handout
  Download this PDF handout with all the owners about pet physical rehabilitation.
  
• Keep veterinary clients coming back
  Watch Dr. Kramer explain his top tip for client retention.
  
• CVC Live: Could clients slip through the cracks?
  It's clear that the management experts speaking at CVC San Diego agree that dropping transaction numbers are an issue for practices today. Tracking clients who don't respond to reminders promptly so you don't lose track of them could help.
  
• AVMA Web site answers H1N1 questions for veterinarians, pet owners
  Schaumburg, Ill. -- The American Veterinary Medical Association has made new information available on its Web site for veterinarians and pet owners who have questions about H1N1 influenza in light of recent detection of the virus in an Iowa cat.
  
• November is Pet Diabetes Month
  Do your clients know how to recognize the signs of pet diabetes?
  
• Talking to clients about Cushing's
  Use these communication techniques to talk about a chronic but treatable disease like Cushing's.
  
• Teach clients how to handle their pet's motion sickness
  Pet motion sickness doesn't have to ruin your clients' travel plans.
  
• How to respond to client fears about feline diabetes
  Ward off client worries about feline diabetes in the first few minutes after diagnosis.
  
• Bargaining: It takes two to play
  Defining the word "bargain." When we bargain for goods, we use caution to avoid being cheated, so we should be careful not to cheat others in doing business as veterinarians.
  
• Hand-write your reminders to bond with clients
  Clients will be impressed when you take the time to put pen to paper.
  
• Video: 'You won't let my pet die, will you?'
  Tips on talking to clients when they ask a tough question before a procedure from Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Jim Kramer, CVPM.
  
• Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald: What happens when you assume
  Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald reminds us not to make assumptions about clients.
  
• Top 10 human medical conditions that affect pets
  From allergies to acne, pets often suffer from the same conditions as their owners.
  
• Affordability vs. excellence: Do veterinarians have to choose?
  Management experts differ on offering clients options.
  
• Dental health client letter
  This form can teach clients about the importance of pet dental care—and keep them coming back for more.
  
• Behavior medicine: Easing patient fear
  Fearful and anxious pets require a gentle approach in the clinic or hospital, to minimize and hopefully reduce the pet's fear and prevent escalation.
  
• Are we winning the war against fleas?
  A question-and-answer interview with Dr. Michael Dryden, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University, about trends in flea biology, compliance and control.
  
• Geodes: symbols of inner beauty
  If we look below the surface, often we will find that, like geodes, each person is unique. Look into others as well as looking at them. We are certain to find more than meets the eye.
  
• A handout for healthy teeth
  This practice fills clients in on their pets' dental health. See how doctors boosted compliance—and how you can, too.
  
• He said, she said: Which dog is best?
  An Australian study shows that dog owners often veer toward pooches of the opposite sex.
  
• Client handout: Pet wellness report card
  Your clients might request additional services after viewing a handout like this.
  
• Avoid phone pressure tactics
  Pushy team members can scare clients away with heavy-handed phone tactics.
  
• Q&A: Help pet owners navigate the Web
  How can we teach clients to determine what Internet information is reliable?
  
• Get creative with client reminders
  Take a personal approach with your veterinary practice's client reminders and increase practice visits.
  
• In defense of the client's right to say No
  Read Dr. Michael A. McLaughlin's commentary on veterinarian-client relations.
  
• AVMA blasts magazine for 'negative' article about DVMs
  Schaumburg, Ill. -- Dr. Larry Corry, AVMA president, skewered Smart Money magazine in a letter to the editor for an article titled "10 Things Veterinarians Won't Tell You." (Aug. 7, 2009).
  
• Want to earn $50? Submit a Practice Tip
  You could also win a $250 portrait of your favorite pet from Pet Picassos!
  
• Dog owners want more caring from veterinarians
  Communication and empathy skills score big with clients.
  
• Client taxonomy: Your field guide to identifying 3 more challenging subspecies
  As you may recall from last month's column, my friend Arnie is America's foremost pioneer in the field of client categorization.
  
• Concern for clients outweighs personal worries
  Team members seem more worried about pet owners than themselves during recession.
  
• Feline heartworms: The cat's got your tongue
  Team members don't know what to say to educate clients about feline heartworms.
  
• Is client compliance possible in the current economy? (Proceedings)
  Maintaining consistency in a multiple-doctor practice is a common challenge.
  
• Veterinary group to update all its Web sites
  New sites will feature blogging by doctors and news and tips updated monthly.
  
• Compulsive tail-chasing linked to high cholesterol
  Talk to dog owners about obsessive behaviors.
  
• AVMA coverage: State boards and standards of care
  A veterinary specialist asks tough questions and offers advice to practitioners on good habits to survive licensing board investigations.
  
• "Do-ya-wanna" turn callers into clients?
  Fill your appointment book by asking front desk team members to follow these phone tips.
  
• Study examines communication style of DVMs
  Fort Collins, Colo. — During problem appointments, veterinarians tend to hid behind their stethoscopes, which may lead to inferior patient care, according to a new study.