Building Blocks for Effective Veterinary Practice Management

Whether it’s a jam-packed day or a busy time of year, keeping up with your veterinary hospital’s pace can be challenging at best – and overwhelming at worst. Your downtime might be rare, but it is also powerful if you make the most of it. These slower moments can be prime opportunities to revisit core functions and make sure your hospital is running efficiently and effectively.

By focusing on the fundamentals, veterinary hospitals can ensure they have a solid foundation for future growth and success. Here are a few building blocks for effective veterinary practice management:

1. Reminder Follow-Ups

Every hospital has those pesky situations where clients miss appointments, costing you valuable time and money. To help solve this challenge, consider setting up automatic appointment reminders – especially for clients with a history of ghosting.

Reminders are only useful if they’re actually being delivered. For starters, establish a monthly habit of checking the hospital’s email for a test reminder just in case. Then review the practice management system reports to ensure clients who missed appointments are acting on the reminders they receive.

2. Finding Missed Revenue

Increasing the number of booked appointments might be your go-to strategy for boosting overall revenue. But capturing charges for services already provided can add to the bottom line without much additional effort.

Simply pull a few random invoices and compare that to a pet’s chart. Check to see if all the services noted on the chart were billed correctly on the invoice. Keep an eye out for trends like missed charges related to a specific doctor or a specific service. If you notice a pattern, a quick staff in-service training can help prevent future mistakes.

3. Forward Scheduling

Many of us have made our next dental cleaning, annual doctor’s visit, or hair appointment right as we’re checking out. This approach, called forward scheduling, encourages compliance.

By booking ahead, appointment scheduling is streamlined, reducing the amount of time staff spends sending reminders. Not to mention setting up appointments in advance can help ensure patients are seen regularly, which results in better patient care while also increasing revenue.

To implement forward scheduling, make sure all staff members – from the front desk to the technician to the checkout area – are prepared to communicate the same message: Book now to ensure your pet’s best care later.

For three more keys to effectively managing your veterinary practice, download the Veterinarian’s Guide to Best Practices, Vol. 7.