Inside AAHA: February 2020

View from the Board

Don’t Undervalue Your Time

MY INBOX IS SOMETIMES TOO FULL, but most of it is from self-inflicted signups to veterinary and business publications, lists, and websites. I try to keep in the know, learn about upcoming trends, or confirm that we are doing things right. Three topics covered in this issue of Trends—dentistry, stem cells, and biosecurity—range from critical to emerging, but each is frequently mentioned in my inbox.

One of the best business builders is dentistry. Continual client education that is followed by clients seeing improvements in their pets’ breath, energy, or appetite makes for true believers. From there, building on preventive dentistry rather than dealing with what my team lovingly calls “trench mouth” can be an easy way to grow your dentistry program. In our practice, we run three to five dental procedures a day, Monday through Friday. Most days, we try to balance one to two true grade 1 dentals, one to two grade 2 dentals, and then a known grade 3–4 (or sometimes 6) “trench” mouth. It’s not always a perfect workload, but we are seeing the results in the positive outcomes for our patients with the buy-in of their owners, who commit to coming back within the next 6–18 months for their next cleaning while the pet is still a grade 1. And with good dental medicine, we are also seeing good income—on average, nearly 11%–12% of our quarterly income is coming from dentistry alone and is growing. I believe we all should be doing this for the health of our patients and our practices.

Stem cells are an emerging technology that I’ll be honest to say I’m not deeply knowledgeable about—so I’ll be reading this month’s article for sure. Most of my exposure has been by seeing the positive effects in a few friends’ cases of cancer. But my inbox shows me that there is a big future in what I think of as individualized medicine—using the patient’s own cells or those of a donor to target a specific disease or condition. It seems amazingly simple in concept, which I know is not true, but studies are showing good results in so many areas.

Lastly, biosecurity—it’s not a sexy topic except in Trends—but every time I read or hear the word, automatically my thoughts bounce to zoonoses and pandemics, and then I’m off in sci-fi and zombie territory. However, biosecurity, according to the definition from the Oxford Dictionary, is a set of “procedures intended to protect humans or animals against disease or harmful biologic agents.” That, to my mind, is part of the definition of being a veterinarian. It is intrinsic in our role in One Health to treat and prevent infectious diseases, and in our role as purchasers to use products properly and choose those that do the job with low risk of harm to our patients and the environment.

I hope you enjoy and find takeaways to put into action in your practice from every article in this issue.

Margot K. Vahrenwald, DVM, CVJ, joined the AAHA Board of Directors in 2018. She is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

 

Veterinary Management Series: A Program for Every Practice Manager

Whether you’re looking for an introduction to veterinary practice management or are ready to fine-tune your skills in a specific aspect of practice management, AAHA’s Veterinary Management Series offers CE that will fit your needs. Here’s a look at both Veterinary Management Series programs to help you choose the one that’s right for you.

Veterinary Management Series: Practice Essentials

What: Formerly known as Veterinary Management School (VMS), this introductory-level CE program is designed to meet the unique needs of new and up-and-coming practice managers. It covers the basics, including practice finance, employment law, inventory and medical records management, and internal and external marketing practices.

Who:

• Head technicians or front-office team members interested in managing a practice
• Associates or owners seeking to strengthen their management skills
• Practice managers with less than three years of experience
• Practice managers looking to brush up on topics that change frequently, such as employment law or marketing best practices

When: April 15–18, 2020 (register by March 13 to save $200)

Veterinary Management Series: Culture, Human Resources (HR), and Marketing

What: The newest addition to AAHA’s practice management CE offerings, this program goes beyond a cursory overview to delve deep into these topics, from developing HR best practices to creating a winning—and manageable—digital marketing plan.

Who:

• Team members with HR responsibilities, including hiring, training, evaluating, or mentoring staff
• Team members with digital marketing responsibilities, including social media, reputation management, or maintaining the practice website
• Practice managers with more than three years of experience
• Practice managers who have a good handle on the basics of running a veterinary hospital but want more in-depth education
• Graduates of VMS

When: May 13–16, 2020 (register by April 3 to save $200)

For additional details about both programs, visit aaha.org/education.

The Dental Conversation: How to Calm Your Clients’ Fears

You’ve probably experienced a client who was hesitant or nervous about a pet receiving anesthesia before a dental procedure. Anesthesia can be a scary subject for pet owners, but there are ways you can help calm their fears. Lean on AAHA’s dentistry standards—check out some examples below—to develop talking points that you and your staff can use during the dental conversation.

• Only properly trained practice team members perform dental procedures
• Dental extractions are performed only by veterinarians
• All dental procedures are performed under general anesthesia with patients intubated and supplemental oxygen being administered
• Veterinarians perform thorough examinations of the teeth and structures of the oral cavity in patients presented for dental procedures
• A veterinary-approved active patient-warming device is used during dental procedures; examples include circulating warm water pads/blankets or forced-air-warming devices (excluding cage dryers)

Learn more about the AAHA Standards of Accreditation at aaha.org or reach out to us at practice.accreditation@aaha.org.

AAHA-accredited members: Don’t forget to check out the new and updated standards effective February 1.

Dear AAHA

What Are Some Best Practices for Surveying Clients?

Dear AAHA,

We would like to begin surveying clients after their appointments to get a better understanding of what customers experience at our practice and where we can improve. Any tips?

—Curious in Canton

Dear Curious in Canton,

We’re so glad to hear that you’re pursuing this; surveying your clients is an excellent way to gather feedback! To ensure a positive survey outcome, your AAHA team recommends that your survey is . . .

Clear: Ensure your customers understand why they are receiving your survey and how to answer each question.

Specific: Ask about particular points of their experience or parts of the exam rather than broad concepts.

The right length: Ask enough questions to get the important data you need, but don’t bog customers down with a survey that becomes a burden to complete.

Timely: The sooner clients receive your survey after their visit, the better; sending your survey within 24 hours of an appointment is ideal.

And be sure to continuously share the results of your survey with team members so they can help implement changes based on the feedback you receive.

Many free and low-cost tools exist to help you develop your own survey, but if you need a place to start, AAHA members have access to a free client satisfaction survey in their member portal. Simply log in to aaha.org and click “Client Satisfaction Survey” in your practice dashboard.

—AAHA’s Member Experience (MX) Team

AAHA Meetings and Events

Veterinary Management Institute

Fort Collins, Colorado

First session: February 13–15
Second session: June 18–20
Third session: November 19–21

AAHA Board of Directors Applications Due

February 14

AAHA@WVC

Las Vegas, Nevada

February 16–19 | booth #3908

AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year Applications Due

February 28

Veterinary Management Series: Practice Essentials

Lakewood, Colorado | April 15–18

Early registration deadline: March 13

Veterinary Management Series: Culture, HR, and Marketing

Lakewood, Colorado | May 13–16

Early registration deadline: April 3

Last day to renew your AAHA membership!

June 30

AAHA Pack Trip

Jackson Hole, Wyoming | July 16–19

AAHA-Accredited Hospital Day

July 22

Connexity by AAHA

Denver, Colorado

September 30–October 3

2020 AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year Award

Recognize your practice team’s achievements and help them bond as they work together toward a common goal: Apply for the 2020 AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year Award. Applications are due February 28, and the award will be presented at Connexity in Denver on October 1.
Learn more and apply at aaha.org/awards.

Educating Clients During National Pet Dental Health Month

National Pet Dental Health Month has officially arrived, and it’s the perfect time to take advantage of some of AAHA’s great resources to help educate your clients about dental health. Here’s a look at a few:

• “Pets Need Anesthesia for Routine Dental Care” This handout educates clients about the importance of regular, thorough dental cleanings with anesthesia (aaha.org/dentistry)
• “Your Pet’s Dental Care” A client brochure that provides oral hygiene tips, signs of dental disease in pets, and more (aaha.org/dental_resources)
• Healthy Mouth, Healthy Pet: Why Dental Care Matters With compelling photos, this book will aid in persuading clients to accept your dental recommendations (aaha.org/dental_resources)
• “Dental Anesthesia” A brochure that will quickly get your clients up to speed on dental anesthesia
  (aaha.org/dental_resources)
• 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats Reread the guidelines and access the suite of accompanying tools, such as a template that allows you to give clients customized, printable discharge instructions 

Headed to WVC in Las Vegas?

Put AAHA’s sessions on your agenda to learn more about topics like our latest guidelines and improving your practice culture:

2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats Symposium

Sunday, February 16, 9:00–11:50 a.m.

Learning facilitators: Tamara Grubb, DVM, PhD, and Jennifer Sager, BS, CVT, VTS

The objective of the 2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats is to make the anesthesia period as safe as possible for dogs and cats. Join us at this three-part symposium to develop a practical plan for delivering a continuum of anesthesia care before, during, and after the anesthetic procedure.

Practice Culture Symposium

Tuesday, February 18, 8:00–11:25 a.m.

Learning facilitator: Randy Hall

Sponsored by Merck Animal Health

Your culture is largely responsible for both the level of success of your practice and the level of stress associated with working there. These three culture sessions will explore the process of creating a thriving, balanced, enjoyable, and successful practice by shifting the culture to one that creates the best future for your hospital.

2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines Symposium

Tuesday, February 18, 11:35 a.m.–3:50 p.m.

Learning facilitators: Jesse Grady, DVM, MS, and Jinelle Webb, DVM, MSc, DVSc, DACVIM (SAIM)

Sponsored by CareCredit

This three-part symposium will highlight the information provided in each section of the 2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines. You’ll walk away with the framework needed to effectively implement the guideline recommendations into your practice, with the goal of improving health and longevity in your clients’ canine pets.

Get the details here.

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