Practice ideas?

Veterinary Alternatives August 2011 Newsletter

This month will be a little different format. I’m hoping many of you who receive this newsletter will respond to it, whether I have been treating your pets recently or not.

I am in the very beginning process of making plans for a full-service pet health center. The working name is Whole Health Pet Center and I plan to join with a conventional practice in this venture so we can offer all different medical services to our patients. Clients will have the choice of a conventional vet as their primary doctor, with holistic services proposed when appropriate, or they can have me as their primary doctor with conventional services as needed. We will share clients and refer back and forth as appropriate for their condition and needs. I will also be performing acupuncture and other treatments on surgical and hospitalized patients on the conventional side of the practice. I hope to also offer a good selection of supplements, herbs, and natural products such as shampoos and ear cleaners. A line of good quality organic food is an option. I hope to find a pet physical therapist and massage therapist to include in the practice as well. My plan is to become certified in veterinary chiropractic care within the coming year.

Why am I telling you this? I want your ideas and suggestions! What is YOUR vision for a perfect veterinary practice? What aspects of veterinary clinics that you are familiar with have you really appreciated? What aspects do you find distasteful or off-putting? If you could design your ideal veterinary clinic, what would it look like? Sound like? Smell like? Do you think a veterinary clinic should or should not have groomers or boarding facilities?

My vision for this practice is one that provides amazing service. Low waiting times, comfortable waiting room with beverages offered. Soft colors, music, aromatherapy. Staff that greets you and your pet by name with a smile. Services that go above and beyond the average. Medical and surgical standards that meet those of our human counterparts (in other words, pain medication and surgical monitoring equipment will NOT be optional as it is in some clinics—it will be standard). Cleanliness will be of utmost importance. Staff will be part of the care team for your pet—everyone will have their contribution to make and a clean kennel and good phone service will be just as important as the exam and diagnosis.

I don’t promise to include all the ideas I receive. I don’t promise to include any of them. But I want to hear them—as a veterinarian I don’t always have the same impression of clinics I visit as their clients do. Think of all the clinics you have taken pets to over the years and tell me your experiences—what did you like and what did you not like? How far would you drive to have your pet treated at a clinic like this? While I will still be doing some house-calls, especially at first, I hope to gradually phase most of them out so that I can see more patients in less time. I expect it will be 2-3 years before this vision becomes reality.

I hope to receive lots of feedback on this—feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends if you feel they might enjoy participating. Consider this market research—you have the chance to influence a business and help shape it into one you would enjoy visiting. I promise to read every e-mail I receive—put “Whole Health Pet Center ideas” in the subject line, please.