{"id":5538,"date":"2019-06-01T00:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T00:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2022-03-08T20:54:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T20:54:42","slug":"problem-solving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/problem-solving\/","title":{"rendered":"Problem-solving"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know that successful treatment outcomes start with knowing what we are battling. The key then is having the client, who controls the patient and the credit card, say \u201cyes\u201d to our diagnostic recommendations.<\/p>\n

The steps I will discuss in this article have proven successful in my hospitals. But first, let\u2019s briefly discuss what is a diagnostic.<\/p>\n

I like to break down diagnostics into two categories: illness and preventive care. Illness is when a pet presents to us because of a specific change from the normal \u2014 lameness, vomiting, weight loss, et cetera. Preventive care is when a patient presents for a vaccine visit or annual exam and the owner is unaware of any problems. Diagnostics during an illness visit often include a physical exam, bloodwork and imaging. A preventive care visit often includes a physical exam, parasite screening and bloodwork.<\/p>\n

What is important for the pet\u2019s health and the health of the practice is for clients to say \u201cyes\u201d to our diagnostic recommendations at all types of visits.<\/p>\n

Be in Agreement<\/h3>\n

The first step to driving diagnostics in the practice is to align all the doctors on care standards. This is often the hardest step. I do not promote cookie-cutter medicine, but without hospital-wide standards, we see client confusion and disengagement. For example, a practice where some doctors recommend a senior canine screen at 7 years of age and others recommend starting at 10 creates doubt among clients. They hear different things, so their natural reaction is to say \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team alignment does not remove the art of veterinary medicine. Rather, it creates a consistency that drives compliance. I recommend that you review every reason a pet comes to you and talk through your standard process for the presentation. For example, a lame dog at my hospital will receive a complete physical exam and, if indicated, a lameness exam. Afterward, further diagnostics might be needed and could include bloodwork and radiographs.<\/p>\n

Another example: An itchy dog will get a complete physical exam and history. Further investigation might be needed to look for secondary infections and might include allergy tests<\/a>, skin scrapes and skin cultures. These sound very basic, but I have been surprised by the inconsistency in hospital teams.<\/p>\n

Educate the Staff<\/h3>\n

The second step to drive diagnostics is to educate your team. When I say team, I mean everyone from office manager to kennel assistant. Any staff members we hire are viewed as experts in veterinary medicine. Our job is to make sure they know what we recommend as a practice and why. If you include SDMA in all your chemistries, teach the team why we do so. Today\u2019s hospitals cannot be 100% dependent on the veterinarian educating clients. We need the team to be helping, too.<\/p>\n

Do not assume that everyone on your team knows why we run preoperative bloodwork and an EKG on surgery patients. Teach them. A major benefit of educating the team is that job satisfaction and employee retention will improve. I recommend doing this at every team meeting. (Yes, you need to have regular meetings.)<\/p>\n

Educate the Client<\/h3>\n

The next step is educating the client about the diagnostics you recommend and why. This starts when the client calls to schedule the appointment. Prepare the client for what to expect. Tell her that because her Labrador appears to be lame, Dr. Brown might need to take X-rays after he does the physical examination. I was amazed at how this approach increased client compliance with an imaging recommendation. The more prepared a client is for what to expect, the more likely she is to be compliant.<\/p>\n

Other ways to educate clients:<\/p>\n