All team members
9 Share and tell. The most important tool in your arsenal is communication. If one team member seems overwhelmed, talk about what each team
member has on his or her plate and redistribute tasks.
10 Discuss payment options before treatments. The last thing you want is to treat a patient and then realize the client can't pay the bill. Post links on your websites
to the pet insurance programs your practice recommends. Also provide handouts on insurance and payment plans at wellness visits
and in puppy and kitten kits.
It's helpful to designate one team member to handle financial conversations. This team member also can be responsible for
updating clients daily about their hospitalized patients and the related costs.
11 Prepare pet owners with handouts. Provide educational handouts on a variety of topics—including parasite control and prevention, as well as preferred websites—so
you can further educate your clients and streamline your practice. Arming pet owners with appropriate information helps prevent
conflict that can happen when they bring up incorrect information from less-than-credible sources.
12 Automate tasks in practice management software. Your software may allow you to create follow-up lists and auto attach the number of days when the follow-up should occur.
For a spay appointment, you could automate the system to remind you to perform a follow-up call. This way your list of callbacks
is in your software rather than your head, and you can look up the reason for the pet's visit.
13 Integrate your in-house lab system to input directly into your electronic medical records. This saves time and prevents inputting errors.
14 Use software that allows you to receive faxes as e-mails. There's an environmental benefit to using less paper, plus paper can be misplaced. And if faxed patient medical records are
received as e-mails, you can automatically attach them to your electronic medical records.
15 Explain the euthanasia process early. As touchy and as painful as this can be, you absolutely streamline the process when you discuss the financial component and
the body care component ahead of time. Consider the conversations you can have early to lay foundations and prepare clients
for what they're going to be facing emotionally and financially.
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