Today’s Veterinary Business provides information and resources designed to help veterinarians and office management improve the financial performance of their practices, allowing them to increase the level of patient care and client service.
Issue link: https://todaysveterinarybusiness.epubxp.com/i/856474
14 Today's Veterinary Business Business The problem: Only a small percentage of pet owners choose dentistry work, and too few veteri- narians push it. One solution: a program from Midmark Corp. that provides den- tistry training to practicing veter- inarians and guides a hospital to lasting success in the dental arena. "When you ask general practi- tioners, 'How many patients do you see and of those how many dental procedures will you do?' you realize they're just scratching the surface," said Andrew Schultz, director of busi- ness development and clinical ser- vices for the Dayton, Ohio, compa- ny's Animal Health Division. "Unless they're making a recommendation for every other patient to do a dental procedure and a professional teeth cleaning and assessment, there's a lot of disease walking out the door." Midmark Academy was created so veterinarians can learn over two days all they need to know to see this segment of their practice grow. The series of courses is delivered in-clinic because "dentistry is a hands-on, skill-based endeavor," Schultz said. "We're exploring all different ways to blend that learning into more efficient online and electronic formats," he said. How to double your dentistry business Success starts with the owner. Veter- inarians need to understand and buy into the importance of dental health care and the need to improve dentistry within the practice. Also: • The entire staff needs to be trained to look for signs of dental disease. • A practice must be outfitted properly, especially with dental X-ray equipment. • Market your dental services on social media and make sure clients are aware. • Don't rest on your laurels. Continuous improvement is important. Business By Keith Loria Banfield Pet Hospital's "2016 State of Pet Health Report" estimated that periodontal disease could be found in 76 percent of dogs and 68 percent of cats. A great opportunity to grow a clinic's dentistry business, right? The program was developed in collaboration with dental educator Cindy Charlier, DVM, DAVDC, and a network of veterinary technician dental specialists. "The oral health care of our patients is a source of untapped patient care and practice revenue in most hospitals," Dr. Charlier said. "The reason for that is often that, as veterinarians, we didn't receive a good educational foundation in this area and we can't diagnose and treat what we don't know. "Education and proper equip- ment are the keys to developing a standard of care for oral health care in the hospital," she said. "We can impact patient care and make a difference." Pilot Program A year before Midmark Academy was created, the company brought together practitioners from five veterinary hospitals for a three-day pilot study that would serve as a recipe for success and shape what the program would become. First, Midmark created a checklist of questions to establish a baseline. They included: "How much revenue are you running from dentistry?" "How many procedures do you do in a year?" "How does this compare to your overall revenue and your overall patient population?" Midmark then looked at the equipment in the hospitals to make sure it was state of the art. Dental X-ray equipment was crucial, for good reason. "When you look at a pet's teeth in the exam room, you only have access to a small portion of the po- tential disease there," Schultz said. "In fact, 80 percent of the disease that's present in a mouth may be invisible or not visible because it's below the gum line." Once the hospitals were equipped with the proper equip- ment, Dr. Charlier came in to con - duct a three-day training session, followed by a "Double Your Den- tistry" lecture that talked about the five keys to success. "They closed down their clinic the first day," Schultz said. "Probably the biggest differentiator in our keys to a successful dental business A short educational program generated tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue for practices.