Traffic Flow
Pattern of movement of patients through the practice
Outpatient
Patient that comes into the practice and is treated and leaves w/o staying
Strategic Planning
An organization's process for defining or updating its vision, mission, and strategy and allocating resources toward achievement of these goals
Walk-In System
Clients come into the practice at will with no appointment needed
Appointment System
System by which clients called ahead and are given a specific time and ate to come into the practice
Consultation
Specific period of time that the veterinarian meets with the client and the patient for the purpose of diagnosis/treatment
NCVEI
National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues
AAHA
American Animal Hospital Association; provides vet professionals w/ resources, including member services, continuing education, and hospital accreditation standards
CVPM
Certified Veterinary Practice Manager
Money owed to the practice by the client for the sale of goods and services
Accounts Receivable
The total money taken in by a practice before subtracting expenses incurred
Gross revenue
The amount of money left over after all business expenses are subtracted from the gross revenue
Profits
The measurement of the amount of money coming into and going out of the practice
Net income
A small amount of discretionary funds that are used to make small purchases for which it is not practice to write a check or use a credit card
Petty cash
A facility in which the practice conducted may include inpatient as well as outpatient diagnosis and treatment
Clinic
A practice that conducts its work from a vehicle that can make farm or house calls
Mobile facility
A facility that consists of a large staff of DVMs who provide clinical and hospital services, but who also perform significant research, along with education professional veterinary students.
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
A facility that is set up to allow large animals to be brought to the practice for examination or treatment.
Haul-in facility
A facility in which the practice conducted typically includes inpatient as well as outpatient diagnosis and treatment.
Hospital
A facility in which veterinarians with a special interest in a specific species or area of veterinary medicine provide services.
Referral facility
A practice that is limited in the service it provides as they do not have the facilities to perform inpatient diagnostics or treatment
Office
A facility in which the primary function is to treat and monitor critically ill or injured animals.
Emergency facility
An option provided by some veterinary facilities that will treat emergencies but do not necessarily have veterinarians and staff on the premises during all operating hours.
On-call emergency service
A facility where services are provided by board certified veterinary specialists.
Specialty Facility
Basic animal husbandry
Kennel attendant
Performing Surgery
Veterinarian
Updating Client and patient information
Receptionist
Animal restraint
Veterinary assistant
Making appointments
Receptionist
Patient assessment
Veterinary technician/technologist
Client education
Veterinary technician/technologist
Filling prescriptions
Veterinary assistant
Sending out vaccine reminders
Internal marketing
Sponsoring a Little League team
external marketing
Personal appearance of staff
Internal marketing
Sincere care for an concern about each client
Internal marketing
Creating a Facebook page for the practice
External marketing
Sending out newsletters
Internal marketing
Placing an advertisement in the Yellow Pages
External marketing
One-stop shopping
Internal marketing
A clean and attractive facility
Internal marketing
A sign outside the practice
External marketing
For a veterinary practice to be successful, most of the staff will play some type of role related to management. (T/F)
True
The types of staff positions that are needed will vary greatly depending on the size and type of practice. (T/F)
False
When it comes to naming veterinary facilities, the terms hospital, clinic, and office can be used interchangeably. (T/F)
False
When it comes to delegating tasks, the best-run clinics assign tasks to the lowest paid person who can legally and competently complete the task. (T/F)
True
In most well-run veterinary practices, job duties are performed by an staff member who is available to accomplish the task. (T/F)
False
Pet owners who have owned pets previously usually have a good understanding of the care their pet needs. (T/F)
False
A separate entrance and exit to the veterinary practice should be provided to make it easier for clients to enter and exit the practice. (T/F)
True
To save time during an appointment, it is okay to have a client restrain his or her own pet. (T/F)
False
If laboratory samples (e.g. blood, urine) need to be collected during an appointment, the patient should be taken to the treatment area. (T/F)
True
As long as clients wear the proper personal protective equipment, they can accompany their pet into the radiology suite. (T/F)
False
When discharging an animal and reviewing home care instructions with the client, it is best to have the client pay their bill before their pet is brought out to them. (T/F)
True
Anyone entering the operating room during a surgery, should be wearing the appropriate clothes, shoes, cap and mask. (T/F)
True
In a mixed animal practice, the same examination rooms are used for large-animal and small-animal patients. (T/F)
False
Many larger equine practices have a single room used for anesthetic induction and anesthetic recovery. (T/F)
False
Job descriptions should be used for hiring new employees and for replacing existing employees. (T/F)
True
If an applicant submits a resume and cover letter to a practice, there is no need to have them also complete a job application. (T/F)
False
When a practice hires a new staff member who has many years of experience from previous work at a different clinic, training is not necessary. (T/F)
False
Stress can be caused by both positive and negative life events. (T/F)
True
The terms marketing an advertising mean the same thing. (T/F)
False
The main goal of external marketing is to attract new clients to the practice. (T/F)
True
If a client does not respond to the first reminder they are sent, the practice should follow-up by sending a second reminder, and even a third reminder, if needed. (T/F)
True
Veterinary practices are relying less on the use of telephone Yellow Book advertisements as a marketing tool. (T/F)
True
Newspaper advertisements are a good marketing tool for a practice that is located in a larger metropolitan area. (T/F)
False
The money that a veterinary practice owes for the purchase of a new piece of equipment would be considered an asset of the practice. (T/F)
False
To insure that clients pay their bills in full at the time of service, clinics should not offer payment options to clients. (T/F)
False
If a pet is brought to the clinic with life-threatening injuries, the pet should be stabilized before a treatment plan/estimate is prepared. (T/F)
True
Pet insurance works in a similar manner to human health insurance. (T/F)
False
Ideally, physically counting the inventory in a veterinary practice should be done once a year. (T/F)
False
Some veterinary practices have completely eliminated paper medical records and replaced them with electronic medical records. (T/F)
True
Increased competition, new technology, increasing numbers of malpractice threats, and shifting client expectations have
Made it more difficult to manage a veterinary practice
In a typical veterinary practice, the person who acts as the CEO and delegates areas of responsibility is usually the
Veterinarian owner
When it comes to practice management positions, individuals who are typically responsible for all activities of the practice and run the hospital in conjunction with the practice's owner(s) would be referred to as the
Hospital administrator
The best way to insure that all of the major pieces of equipment in a veterinary practice are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis is to
Assign each member of the team a specific piece of equipment to clean and maintain
To minimize the amount of time clients have to wait in the reception area, there should be _____ examination rooms available for each veterinarian working on a particular day.
Two
Placement of the laboratory and pharmacy in a central location is very important because
They are often used for both outpatients and hospitalized patients
Practices need to get the maximum use of out of their storage area beacuse
This space typically generates very little income
It is more common to perform a necropsy when a large animal dies than when a small animal dies because
There is a need to determine if the rest of the herd is threatened
A client's judgment regarding the quality of medicine provided at a veterinary practice is generally based on
The level of service the client receives
One of the most common selection criteria used by clients when choosing a veterinary practice is
The location
Complaints against veterinary practices are usually caused by
Ineffective communication
Which on of the following practices should be most successful when it comes to animal strategic planning for the practice?
The practice in which all staff are involved in the planning
A document that is a visual representation of how authority and responsibility flow between the various areas of the practice or practice staff is called a(n)
Organizational Chart
When it comes to determining compensation for an employee, it is best to base the employee's pay on
performenace
One of the most important reasons for holding regular employee evaluations it to
improve the employee's performance
Which one of the following statements is the most accurate when it comes to describing what marketing is for a veterinary practice?
Any effort the practice makes to retain or obtain clients and make the practice more visible in the community
When it comes to the sale of products such as pet food, the veterinary practice is at an advantage over feed stores and grocery stores because
practice employees can educate clients about the food they purchase
When it comes to a veterinary practice's website, it is important that
the website is updated on a regular basis
One of the financial tasks that many practices won't do on their own is
Prepare a yearly tax return
A financial report that lists a practice's assets and liabilities is called a(n)
Balance sheet
A financial report that is used to evaluate the financial performance of a practice for a specified period of time is called a(n)
Income statement
When determining the financial success of a veterinary practice, the ________ is the most important indicator.
Profitability
One of the main reasons for why inventory management is so important in a veterinary practice is because
Inventory is a significant expense for a practice