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.
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64 Today's Veterinary Business VetPartners Corner First, determine why you are in business. (View Simon Sinek's TED talk, "Start With Why," at http://bit.ly/ 2saFBPF.) What do you want for your patients, yourself and your family, team and clients? What was the desire in your heart to want to start a practice? What did you see yourself and your team accom- plishing in the world? You may be thinking, "I wanted to be my own boss, I wanted to gener- ate profit to pay off debt, I wanted to practice medicine the way I wanted and not be subjected to others' opin- ions." All are legitimate logical reasons for starting a practice. But dig deeper. Think of what you envisioned your future to be like if you were an owner. Did you see your hos- pital offering brief service to a lot of patients, like you would see in a lower-cost wellness practice, and protecting as many animals as possible from preventable disease? Your mission: Help the many and provide a lower cost of care to peo- ple who couldn't afford more. Or did you see yourself as an important member of the family health care team, a respected, frequently called upon resource for a pet's well-being? Perhaps you would do this by developing long-term relationships with clients and being their pet family doctor through generations of animals and human family members. Do you want to be Superman or Wonder Woman and come in on the specialty white horse and provide care that is unavailable in general practice, cure the almost incurable and prolong a good qual- ity of life when there is little hope of tomorrow for the pet? What excites you and lights a fire in your soul? Why did you start the hospital? Why do you want to keep it open? List your thoughts. What's in it for the Client? Second, who do you want your cli- ents to be? Create an avatar of your ideal client. Then consider what your practice will have to bring to the table to attract and keep that type of person. What can you do that will improve the client's life today and in the future? As a pet owner, my wish is that my pet has a long, healthy, vital life during which we enjoy each other's companionship for many years. Veterinarians and their teams are familiar with the human-animal bond. They personally are lovers of one or many creatures with whom they share their lives. Our clients are similar; they love and care for their animals. Sometimes that is not as apparent as we would like, but truthfully, the people who come to our hospital do care. According to the 2008 Bayer Veterinary Care Us- age Study, 25 percent of pet owners never took their pet to the vet. Just by coming to the hospital, they are proving to be concerned owners. What do we do that makes cli- ents' lives better? We can keep their pets healthy and alive longer. Thirty years ago, according to the late pet gerontology expert Richard Gold- ston, only 30 percent of 60-pound dogs lived to 11. Now, thanks to im- proved veterinary care and nutrition and more responsible pet owners, at least half will live 11 years or longer. Get to Work Now that you have thought about your purpose, set aside several hours to work on your statement. Mission statements are short — typically more than one sentence but rarely exceeding a page. But writing one is not a short process. Take time to come up with language that simultaneously describes an organization's heart and soul and serves as an inspirational North Star to everyone who works there. A mission statement is a public display of what you believe, intend and care deeply about. It will have to be updated as things change. New employees should know your business philosophy, and it should be complementary to their personal mission. If not, you have a poor fit. Many practices recite their mis- sion statement at the beginning of every staff meeting. Your team members should have the mission ingrained in their mind so every decision they make can be held up to the standards of the mission. If they are asked to do something that compromises the mission, they will refuse and easily know how to respond. Your clients should know your mission because it may not meet their personal pet care philosophy. By having your mission readily available, you will avoid misunder- standings about the level of care you provide. Debbie Boone is chairperson of the VetPartners Practice Management Special Interest Group and the owner of 2 Manage Vets Consulting LLC. Learn more at www.dboone2managevets.com. Founded in 2001, VetPartners is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping the veterinary profession improve practice management standards and elevate the levels of service, expertise, responsibility and professionalism provided by veteri- nary consultants, advisers and specialists. Learn more at www.vetpartners.org. VetPartners Corner LEARN FROM OTHERS Here are a few good examples of mission statements: • Facebook: Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. • VetPartners: To provide a community of networking, col- laboration and integrity to serve our members, for the good of the veterinary profession. • Debbie Boone's 2 Manage Vets Consulting LLC: To teach veterinary teams to be such outstanding communicators that all the animals in their sphere of influence live long, healthy, vital lives, and to help veterinary care providers thrive in a practice culture that enriches and improves their quality of life and personal and professional happiness. BRIEF SUMMARY: See package insert for full prescribing information. NADA 141-189, Approved by FDA ProHeart ® 6 (moxidectin) Sustained Release Injectable for Dogs CAUTION Federal (U.S.A.) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. INDICATIONS ProHeart 6 is indicated for use in dogs six months of age and older for the prevention of heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis. ProHeart 6 is indicated for the treatment of existing larval and adult hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala) infections. INFORMATION FOR DOG OWNERS Always provide Client Information Sheet and review with owners before administering ProHeart 6. Owners should be advised of the potential for adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, and be informed of the clinical signs associated with drug toxicity (see WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS and ADVERSE REACTIONS sections.) Owners should be advised to contact their veterinarian immediately if signs of toxicity are observed. The vast majority of patients with drug related adverse reactions have recovered when the signs are recognized and veterinary care, if appropriate, is initiated. CONTRAINDICATIONS ProHeart 6 is contraindicated in animals previously found to be hypersensitive to this drug. HUMAN WARNINGS Not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. May be slightly irritating to the eyes. May cause slight irritation to the upper respiratory tract if inhaled. May be harmful if swallowed. If contact with the eyes occurs, rinse thoroughly with water for 15 minutes and seek medical attention immediately. If accidental ingestion occurs, contact a Poison Control Center or a physician immediately. The material safety data sheet (MSDS) contains more detailed occupational safety information. WARNINGS ProHeart 6 should be administered with caution in dogs with pre-existing allergic disease, including food allergy, atopy, and flea allergy dermatitis. In some cases, anaphylactic reactions have resulted in liver disease and death. Anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions should be treated immediately with the same measures used to treat hypersensitivity reactions to vaccines and other injectable products. Owners should be given the Client Information Sheet for ProHeart 6 to read before the drug is administered and should be advised to observe their dogs for potential drug toxicity described in the sheet. Do not administer ProHeart 6 to dogs who are sick, debilitated, underweight or who have a history of weight loss. PRECAUTIONS Caution should be used when administering ProHeart 6 concurrently with vaccinations. Adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported following the concomitant use of ProHeart 6 and vaccinations (see WARNINGS). Prior to administration of ProHeart 6, the health of the patient should be assessed by a thorough medical history, physical examination and diagnostic testing as indicated (see WARNINGS). ProHeart 6 should not be used more frequently than every 6 months. The safety and effectiveness of ProHeart 6 has not been evaluated in dogs less than 6 months of age. Caution should be used when administering ProHeart 6 to heartworm positive dogs (see ADVERSE REACTIONS). Prior to administration of ProHeart 6, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infections. Infected dogs should be treated to remove adult heartworms. ProHeart 6 is not effective against adult D. immitis and, while the number of circulating microfilariae may decrease following treatment, ProHeart 6 is not effective for microfilariae clearance. ADVERSE REACTIONS In field studies, the following adverse reactions were observed in dogs treated with ProHeart 6: anaphylaxis, vomiting, diarrhea (with and without blood), listlessness, weight loss, seizures, injection site pruritus, and elevated body temperature. Dogs with clinically significant weight loss (>10%) were more likely to experience a severe adverse reaction. In a laboratory effectiveness study, dogs with 4- and 6-month-old heartworm infections experienced vomiting, lethargy and bloody diarrhea. These signs were more severe in the dogs with 4-month-old heartworm infections, including one dog that was recumbent and required supportive care, than in the dogs with older (6-month-old) infections. Post-Approval Experience (Rev. 2010) The following adverse events are based on post-approval adverse drug experience reporting. Not all adverse reactions are reported to FDA/CVM. It is not always possible to reliably estimate the adverse event frequency or establish a causal relationship to product exposure using these data. The following adverse events are listed in decreasing order of frequency by body system. Immune: anaphylaxis and/or anaphylactoid reactions, urticaria, head/facial edema, pruritus, pale mucous membranes, collapse, cardiovascular shock, erythema, immune- mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (signs reflected in other system categories could be related to allergic reactions, i.e., gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and hematologic) Gastrointestinal: vomiting (with or without blood), diarrhea with or without blood, hypersalivation General: depression, lethargy, anorexia, fever, weight loss, weakness Dermatological: injection site pruritus/swelling, erythema multiforme Neurological: seizures, ataxia, trembling, hind limb paresis Hematological: leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia Respiratory: dyspnea, tachypnea, coughing Hepatic: elevated liver enzymes, hypoproteinemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hepatopathy Urinary: elevated BUN, elevated creatinine, hematuria, polydipsia, polyuria Cardiopulmonary signs such as coughing and dyspnea may occur in heartworm positive dogs treated with ProHeart 6. In some cases, death has been reported as an outcome of the adverse events listed above. To report suspected adverse reactions, to obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet, or for technical assistance, call 1-888-963-8471. For a complete listing of adverse reactions for moxidectin reported to the CVM see: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductsSafetyInformation/ ucm055394.htm Revised: July 2014 Sterile Vehicle - Made in Spain ProHeart 6 Microspheres - Product of Italy Distributed by: Zoetis Inc., Kalamazoo, MI 49007 P1160-500US/05-14A&P;