The Pillars of Veterinary Clinic Success: Data Analysis, Staff Training, Medical Record Audits, and Client Satisfaction

Achieving long-term success in a veterinary clinic requires combining medical excellence with business savvy, focusing on data analysis, staff training, medical record audits, and client satisfaction.

Our education teaches us that the secret to success in the veterinary profession is primarily based on our knowledge, skills, and ability to analyze information to arrive at a correct diagnosis and formulate a precise treatment plan. Along the way, you’re informally taught that communication skills are helpful, empathy improves outcomes, and leadership proficiency allows you to scale your efforts.

If only it were that simple.

Over the past three decades, I’ve learned that running a successful veterinary clinic involves much more than providing excellent medical care to animals. It also requires considerable business and leadership acumen. The reality is you have to be both an outstanding veterinarian and a wise businessperson to achieve sustainable practice success. And anyone can if they commit to it.

But before I go further, I want to be clear that you don’t have to. I have plenty of good friends who are excellent at medicine and lousy at business. That’s okay. I have other friends who are incredibly competent business owners and leaders but are less interested in developing their medical expertise. The key is pairing each within a complementary team that supports and nurtures their respective interests and abilities.That’s a topic for another day, so for now, let’s return to that ideal of a veterinary practitioner and independent practice owner.

In the mid-1990s, when I started sharing my ideas and experiences of practice ownership, “business” was considered a dirty word among veterinarians. Many colleagues scoffed at the notion that a vet should be interested in such things; these tasks were “beneath a doctor.” It was hard for many peers to grasp the concept that you could be an exceptional veterinarian and business owner simultaneously, which I advocated. There were few continuing education sessions or articles on the subject outside my beloved (and now defunct) “Veterinary Economics” and the rare feat of sneaking a “business” topic into a medical track. Twenty years ago, when I received my first “Speaker of the Year” award at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando (now the VMX), there wasn’t even a “Practice Management” category. So there’s that.

In today’s competitive veterinary world, it’s never been more essential for independent clinic owners and managers to adopt a multifaceted approach to ensure the smooth operation of their practices. Critical components of this approach include analyzing business data, creating comprehensive staff training programs, conducting thorough audits of medical records, and measuring client satisfaction. By focusing on these areas, veterinary clinics can enhance operational efficiency, improve service quality, and ensure long-term success.

Analyzing Your Business Data

In today's data-driven world, making informed decisions based on accurate data is crucial for any business, including veterinary clinics. Analyzing business data helps clinic owners understand trends, identify areas for improvement, and make strategic decisions.

Consider the case of a colleague who owns a veterinary clinic in a small town outside of San Francisco. She reached out because she was experiencing an increase in appointment no-shows. The first analysis we ran was whether or not there was a temporal pattern of no-shows. By reviewing her clinic’s appointment scheduling data, she discovered that most no-shows (“I forgot!”) and late arrivals (“Honey, did you know Buster has a vet appointment in an hour?”) occurred on Monday mornings. Armed with this insight, she started sending an extra appointment reminder via text message or email on Sunday evenings, reducing no-show rates by nearly 30%.

According to a study published in the “Journal of Veterinary Science,” clinics that regularly analyze their business data see a 20% increase in operational efficiency compared to those that do not.

• 1. Collect Your Data: Gather data on various aspects of your clinic, including appointment schedules, treatment outcomes, and financial performance.
• 2. Use Analytics Tools: Use your practice management software (PIMS) or other business software to analyze and interpret this data and then act on it.
• 3. Implement Changes: Make data-driven decisions to optimize operations, such as adjusting staff schedules or introducing new services based on client demand.

Creating Staff Training Programs

When I actualized the power of staff training in 1996, it propelled my practice to unimagined levels of productivity, efficiency, expertise, and profitability. While I’ve written innumerable articles and given countless presentations on the mechanics of creating and maintaining a staff training program, it’s suffice to say that this is the tactic I recommend the most to any practice interested in improvement.

Comprehensive staff training programs are essential for maintaining high standards of care and ensuring that all team members are knowledgeable and skilled.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” And it’s compound interest.

Practice owner Dr. Lisa Jones noticed increased negative reviews and the impression that her clinic’s client satisfaction was declining. After implementing a series of staff training workshops focusing on client communication and focusing on her team’s most common medical procedures, her clinic saw a significant improvement in both employee performance and client feedback, and revenue generated during those visits increased by over 20%.

A study in the *Veterinary Record* journal found that veterinary clinics with structured training programs reported a 15% increase in employee retention and a 25% boost in client satisfaction.

• 1. Identify Training Needs: Conduct a skills assessment to determine areas where training is needed. Begin by focusing on the conditions and appointments you see most frequently. Don’t forget annual exams and the more “mundane visits.” Those “routine” appointments often are the primary drivers of revenue, and a little tweak can amplify your returns.
• 2. Develop a Training Plan: Create a structured training program that includes initial onboarding and ongoing education. To kick off my training program, I started with the top twenty products and prescriptions we sold and the ten most frequently scheduled appointments.
• 3. Monitor Progress: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the training programand make adjustments as needed.

Conducting Medical Record Audits

Around 1999, I took a peek at a handful of clinic records. We were beginning to transition to “paper-light” medical records at the time, and I wanted to ensure I was incorporating the data we needed into the computerized version.

What I discovered shocked me.

Some appointments were logged thoroughly and accurately, while others needed more essential information and indicated missed follow-ups and opportunities. As I dug deeper, I determined that the busier we got, the sloppier our record-keeping became. While this is familiar to everyone in practice, I took this information and reimagined how we recorded patient information instead of using how busy we were as a rationale to do nothing. I was also concerned about the potential impact the missed follow-up opportunities were affecting patient outcomes.

Thorough and accurate medical records are vital for providing high-quality care, ensuring continuity of treatment, and protecting against legal issues.

We began conducting monthly record audits of ten random appointments. My wife and hospital administrator, Laura, discovered patterns in these inconsistencies, particularly in documenting patient histories. We refined our exam reports, heightened our individual and group training on medical records, and noticed a boost in revenue, increased follow-up procedures and product sales, and improved patient outcomes within six months. By addressing these data gaps and implementing more stringent record-keeping protocols, our clinic improved its overall care quality and reduced the risk of legal complications.

A study in the “Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association” highlighted that clinics conducting regular medical record audits report fewer errors and higher standards of patient care.

Before you dismiss this as “more work,” the goal is to reduce workload, improve efficiencies, and decrease time spent writing up records. We created a series of automated and assisted flow sheets and exam and procedure reports and divided these tasks among appropriate team members. The result was more information captured in reduced time with less effort.

• 1. Schedule Regular Record Audits: Set up a regular schedule for auditing medical records. To start, I recommend pulling ten random visits monthly. That period can be extended as you successfully implement changes.
• 2. Use Checklists: Develop checklists to ensure all necessary information is included in patient records. Enough said.
• 3. Provide Training: Train your staff on proper documentation practices and the importance of thorough record-keeping.

Measuring Client Satisfaction

A successful veterinary practice strives to provide the best patient outcomes and exceptional client service. It’s a tall order, but it brings me back to the value of being a good vet and businessperson concurrently.

Satisfied clients are more likely to return and refer others to your clinic. Measuring and improving client satisfaction is crucial for building a loyal customer base.

Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, said, “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” Well said, legend.

I usually advise practice owners and managers to conduct some sort of client satisfaction survey to uncover their strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of their customers. In most of these surveys, you’ll discover that wait times are a significant source of client frustration. Streamlining appointment scheduling and improving efficiency can reduce wait times and increase positive client reviews.

Research published in the “Veterinary Clinics of North America” journal indicates that clinics that actively measure and address client satisfaction see higher client retention rates and increased revenue growth.

• 1. Collect Feedback: Gather feedback from clients using email or text surveys, comment cards, and online reviews.
• 2. Analyze Results: Review feedback regularly to identify trends and areas for improvement. It’s scary, but every criticism is a chance to improve.
• 3. Implement Changes: Based on client feedback, make necessary adjustments to enhance their experience. Otherwise, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

By focusing on analyzing business data, creating robust staff training programs, conducting thorough audits of medical records, and measuring client satisfaction, veterinary clinic owners and managers can ensure their clinics not only survive but thrive. These strategies improve operational efficiency, raise standards of care, and increase client loyalty, ultimately driving the clinic's long-term success.

Here’s to being a better veterinarian and businessperson,

Dr. Ernie Ward
Chief Veterinary Officer, VerticalVet