VETERINARY ARTICLES

The goal of The Practice Solution Magazine is to provide practice owners with practice management information that will assist them in achieving success.

How You Can Monitor Productivity

Knowing how to monitor and measure productivity objectively is the underlying secret of success for any practice or business. No doctor would decide on a treatment plan without properly…

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Office Manager Purpose

The Office Manager is a key staff member in any private practice. A well-trained, positive and experienced Office Manager is worth his or her weight in gold…

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Putting New Employees on the Job

Practice owners bring on new employees for a variety of reasons. Often, when practices are undergoing expansion of production and income, they require increased staffing…

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Did you hire the wrong person?

A recent survey conducted with practice owners across the US revealed that the number-one management problem they have is personnel issues. Among the issues mentioned by hundreds of owners surveyed were…

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The Responsibilities of Managers and Staff

Dealing with staff can often be a confusing and complex subject.  Certainly if a staff member was overtly unwilling, refusing to do what was expected, gossiping, constantly complaining and so on, this is a staff member you wouldn’t tolerate. On the other hand…

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Screening Applicants

Screening Applicants

Finding a new employee is a very time consuming process. To consolidate efforts and streamline the initial stage of the interview and selection process, have all of the applicants who meet the basic criteria…

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Resolving Negativity in Your Office

Since dealing with staff bickering and personality conflicts can be a major source of stress in an office, knowing how to deal with it can be extremely useful. When you let employee situations linger too long…

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How to Handle Confrontation With Your Staff

A very common confession I hear when I analyze practices is that the executive isn’t good with confrontation and thus lets things slide when they shouldn’t.  I want to address this issue for a number of reasons:

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Presenting Treatment Plans – the Do’s and Don’ts

Proper treatment-plan presentation can boom your practice, give your patients the best quality of care and can give you the ability to demonstrate how much you care for your patients. It can also generate more referrals from happy patients and help the practice to grow to its fullest.

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Discussing Payment: How to be Both Polite and Effective

Discussing Payment: How to be Both Polite and Effective

You should always assume that a patient/client can afford the recommended treatment when discussing payment with him. Don’t be shy, embarrassed or apologetic about the cost of your services. This can give the appearance that the treatment isn’t worth the fee being charged…

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Leadership Attributes and Management Qualities

Leadership Attributes and Management Qualities

As a practice owner, you should be asking yourself the following questions objectively:

Am I a good leader?
Do I run from conflict?
Am I able to motivate my staff?
Is my office harmonious or is it filled with conflict?
Does my staff “own” their jobs, or do they just punch in and out?
Do I ever feel that my staff is “holding me hostage”?
Am I running my practice? …or is my practice running me?

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What Are the Four Components of Great Service?

What Are the Four Components of Great Service?

There are Four Components of Great Service. Great service to your patients/clients is one of the most important factors required to build a successful and thriving practice. Under the heading of great service, you will find the following key components…

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A Functioning Office Manager

A Functioning Office Manager

The primary function of the office manager is to accomplish the goals and purposes of the practice as determined by the owner of the practice. The OM should assist the owner in developing policies that forward the purpose of the business as a whole…

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How to Structure a Bonus Plan in a Private Practice

It is very wise to have a bonus plan for staff in operation in your office. If you reward staff for increasing their production and the production of the practice, they will naturally want to continue to do that, and the whole staff will tend to operate much more as a team.

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Providing a Firm Foundation Through Written Office Policy

Providing a Firm Foundation Through Written Office Policy

In order to function most effectively as a team, agreements must be known and adhered to for smooth, efficient coordination and cooperation. This is also known as “policy.” As long as people know what the rules of the activity are, and those guidelines are…

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12 Steps to Collect Past Due Accounts

Collecting on past due accounts is a function that the Accounts Manager will find herself/himself having to do. Any contact with a patient/client, even under these circumstances, should be…

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The 6 Recovery Strategies for Dealing With the Pandemic

COVID-19 has changed the healthcare profession forever, with practice owners feeling exposed to threats within and outside the clinic. The good news is that, with the right strategies, you can fly past competitors whose slow response time is crippling their ability to deal with issues as they arise.

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Covid-19 and it’s economic impact on private practices

Covid-19 and it’s economic impact on private practices

Hello, This is Ken DeRouchie, the editor of The Practice Solution Magazine. On March 11th, I decided that The Practice Solution Magazine needed to shift its focus to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is effecting private practice. This is still an ongoing research...

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Dealing with a Problem Employee

Dealing with a Problem Employee

I received an email from a doctor having a staff problem. I replied to her and thought this might benefit some other people out there. Please see our discussion below: Hi Ken, As an employer, how can you tell your employee to stop his/her: gum smacking, not to laugh...

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How Do You Hold Employees Accountable For Their Positions?

How Do You Hold Employees Accountable For Their Positions?

Surveys show that workers are happiest when they are productive and are contributing to the success of the group in which they work. To boost morale, efficiency and longevity of workers, one must: understand the importance of one’s production, know exactly what one is...

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Generating New Patients by Using Surveys

Generating New Patients by Using Surveys

How do you market for new patients in a cost efficient and effective manner? Starting with internal marketing is always the best approach­, as it produces the most cost effective return, which is of utmost importance in managing a practice. Surveys are one method of...

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Optimize Your Marketing

Optimize Your Marketing

In today’s economic climate a great deal can be said for the benefits of marketing effectively. There are many mediums for marketing a practice – referrals from existing patients/clients are normally the best and most cost effective means of getting new...

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How Healthcare Marketing Has Changed During COVID

Marketing and Promotion Ideas for Your Practice

In my nearly 23 years of delivering practice management training and consulting, I’ve found that of all of the marketing techniques available, properly asking for referrals is easily one of the most useful marketing and promotional ideas for your practice. There are...

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Proper Case Presentation and Better Case Acceptance

Proper Case Presentation and Better Case Acceptance

We have found that doctors can lose thousands of dollars per month because they are unaware of some of the principles associated with proper case presentation and case acceptance. In addition, sometimes the best treatment planning and case presentation doesn’t result...

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Recruiting New Employees

Recruiting New Employees

Who, what, when, where and how: It is a 100% certainty that with any practice you will need new employees at some point in time, either to replace employees who leave or to help the practice grow. Where do you find the type of people you want to work with, people that...

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The Key to Effective Marketing: Surveys

The Key to Effective Marketing: Surveys

Surveys can save you time and wasted effort. By properly utilizing surveys, you will not be shooting in the dark when you implement a new idea. You will not be left wondering why people are not coming back to your practice. You will know what your public needs and...

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Public Relations and Social Responsibility

Public Relations and Social Responsibility

This article concerns the benefits of getting out of the office and getting actively involved in your community. Whether it’s sponsoring your local little league team, encouraging your area’s children’s museum to do an eye screening or “Celebration of Smiles”...

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Get Your Promotion Organized: A Promotion and Marketing Calendar – Part 1

How to Set Reminders for Continual Services (Recall)

Whether you are using an automatic reminder system, or it is someone's job function to send out reminders; or a combination of both. The below information will be highly beneficial to increase your appointments scheduled, reactivating clients/patients and having them...

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How The Practice Solution Works

Here is a video that we have put together explaining how The Practice Solution works and how wego about compiling practice management articles and resources for our readers.As you can see, everything that we do depends on the help and cooperation of practice owners...

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Termination Series:A Constructive Face-to-Face Termination

Termination Series:

A Constructive Face-to-Face Termination

This article is a continuation of our termination series. To view the previous article, click here. This series will go over how a termination decision should be made, how the organization handles problems before making a termination and how to convey the news for a...

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Termination Series:Guidelines to Follow When Terminating

Termination Series:

Guidelines to Follow When Terminating

This article is a continuation of our termination series. To view the previous article, click here. This series will go over how a termination decision should be made, how the organization handles problems before making a termination and how to convey the news for a...

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Two Steps You Must Do Prior to a Successful Marketing Campaign

Marketing: Why are Surveys Important to Your Practice?

Are you as confident in your ability to get a steady flow of new patients into your practice as you are in your ability to provide high quality technical care? You should know that successful marketing has a technology that, when applied correctly, will get results...

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How to take ownership of your Google+ and Yelp pages

How to take ownership of your Google+ and Yelp pages Over the past few months we’ve done several articles about consumer reviews and their importance. A question I often get asked has to do with claiming one’s business page in Google+ and Yelp. Many practice owners...

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The Truth About Referral Marketing

The Truth About Referral Marketing In my nearly 23 years of delivering practice management training and consulting, I’ve found that of all of the marketing techniques available, properly asking for referrals is easily the most useful. There are several reasons for...

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Getting Your Staff on the Same Page

Getting Your Staff on the Same Page

  This article is a continuation of Critical Practice Foundations. If you haven’t done so yet, we recommend reading the first article to get a better context. The Staff Meeting One very important activity you, as the owner, should implement is a...

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Critical Practice Foundations

Most doctors, when starting their practices, miss some of the basic actions that should be established prior to opening. An owner of a healthcare practice should always, as a first step, work out the following basics:

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Real Office Policy Examples and Checklist

Below is a list of items that should be included in any basic office policy or policies: Patient Relations Sexual Harassment Orientation and Training Work Hours Fringe Benefits Solicitation Equal Opportunity Statement Terms of At-Will Employment...

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Forming Office Policy

All doctors are extremely well trained in their profession. Unfortunately, very few doctors are trained in business or employee handbook policy creation and their appropriate implementation.

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Internal and External Marketing

Internal and External Marketing

There are two areas in a practice that are targeted when marketing your practice. The first is internal; the second is external. “Internal” deals with dissemination and promotion within your practice and to already-established patients. It includes things such as:

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Guest column: Coping With Conflict – Part Two

A Layperson’s guide to resolving conflict in the office By Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA President, American Dental Company Part two in a series of two articles In last issue’s article, we discussed models and tenets used to resolve conflict. In this part, I’ll go over the...

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PROFILE: EZEKIAL THOMAS, DVM

PROFILE: EZEKIAL THOMAS, DVM

PRACTICE: RIVER FOREST ANIMAL HOSPITAL LOCATION: SARASOTA, FLORIDA Handling National Chain Competition by Learning How to Run a Business. Dr. Ezekial (Zeke) Thomas has been in practice for 46 years. He is a small animal vet and works with exotics such as reptiles and...

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When the Doctor is Away

How you keep the office running If you as the doctor/owner are planning to be away from the office – even for a day or two – the staff has some free time, too. The doctor/owner or office manager can make lists of things that need to be done. Make sure that if your...

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Veterinary Foundation Offers Grants To Cover Costs

Veterinary Foundation Offers Grants To Cover Costs Of Care After Hurricanes The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) is urging veterinarians to apply for grants of up to $2,000 to cover costs incurred by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Eligible applicants are...

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Project Could Help Pets Serve As Disease Watchdogs

A national surveillance network that uses the medical records of companion animals could help prepare for a wide variety of emerging disease threats to humans and animals, including avian influenza, according to veterinary scientists at Purdue University’s School of...

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AMA Joins AVMA Initiative to Strengthen Medicine

AMA Joins AVMA ‘One Health’ Initiative to Strengthen Medicine by Working Together The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced today that the American Medical Association (AMA) has adopted a resolution calling for collaboration on a One Health...

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The Benefits of Regular Practice Newsletters

Marketing is a vital part of the management of any business, whether a health care practice or any business in general. Implementing successful marketing actions that help increase the number of new patients/clients as well as help facilitate the retention of existing...

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Veterinary Medicine Contributes to New England Economy

Veterinary Medicine Contributes $3.3 Billion to New England Economy Newswise – Veterinary medicine contributes $3.3 billion to the economies of New England-and the region faces a shortage of as many as 658 veterinarians by 2014, according to a study released today by...

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NC State Offers Canine Bone Marrow Transplants

Newswise – Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting....

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Veterinary Researcher Studying Brain Tumors

Veterinary Researcher Studying Brain Tumors in People, Animals Newswise – A veterinary neurologist on faculty in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech has been awarded funding from the Wake Forest University Translational...

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Search Engine Marketing for Practices

(Article 2 of 4 Part Series) By Lisa Thayer, GoldfishNetwork.com “Spiders and crawlers and bots…oh my!” – Two views of the same website One of the most challenging aspects of optimizing a website is that there are two audiences to appeal to: 1) standard website users...

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Cruel Deaths in Mexico a Result of…

Closing U.S. Horse Processing Plants Efforts to shut down horse processing plants in the United States have led to increased abandonment and neglect of horses in this country and the inhumane death of horses in Mexico, according to the American Veterinary Medical...

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Veterinary Advisory: Canine Influenza Virus

University of Florida researchers report that outbreaks of canine influenza virus, which causes an acute respiratory infection, have been identified in dogs in shelters, humane societies, boarding facilities and veterinary clinics in Florida, predominantly in Broward,...

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Root Canals Just as Effective as Dental Implants

Dentists Emphasize Saving Natural Teeth and Patient-Specific Considerations For patients torn between the best way to treat a compromised tooth, the choice just got clearer. A recent systematic review comparing two of the most common treatment options – root canals...

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THE GOVERNMENT HELPS OUT ON NEW EQUIPMENT PURCHASES

Taking Advantage of the IRS Section 179 Write-Off Written by Brad Beck, Vice President Bank of America Practice Solutions What did you think the chances were that a banker would not start anything that is printed on paper without a disclaimer? Well if you took the...

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Help Stop This Deadly Disease

BATAVIA, Ill.-(Business Wire)-April 2, 2009 – According to a recent study conducted by The American Heartworm Society (AHS), heartworm disease continues to be a major health concern throughout the United States. The study indicates the need to continue to raise...

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Are Online Pet Drug Companies Stealing Your Business?

How to effectively compete with the internet drug companies There are many companies online that are severely undercutting the profits of veterinarians who would normally be filling the prescriptions. This may or may not be currently affecting your practice but, in...

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Veterinary Cardiologist Discovers Gene for Heart Disease

WSU veterinary cardiologist Kathryn M. Meurs discovered a mutant gene in the Boxer breed that causes a type of heart disease that can be fatal in animals and humans. The disease is called Boxer cardiomyopathy. The more formal term is arrhythmogenic right ventricular...

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Employers Pay High Price for Vision Disorders

Uncorrected Vision Problems Contribute to Decreased Employee Performance Vision disorders carry a hefty price tag for employers and result in a marked decrease in productivity costing businesses an estimated $8 billion annually, according to a new report released by...

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Diagnostic Lab Is Kansas’ First Line Of Defense

Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Is Kansas’ First Line Of Defense Against Bird Flu If the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza ever comes to Kansas, diagnosticians at Kansas State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will be the first to know. The lab, which...

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Guide For Veterinarians

Includes Unusual Species Adopted Into Human Households And Potential Hazards To Human Health Ferrets, frogs and finches are becoming more common as pets, but the list of unusual species adopted into human households now includes some of the most exotic creatures on...

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From a Hyundai to the AVMA

Dr. Wendy Emerson Practice: Putnam Veterinary Clinic Location: Topsfield, MA From a Hyundai to the AVMA Dr. Wendy Emerson is a very dedicated veterinarian, both to her practice and to the profession as a whole. After graduating from Tufts University’s School of...

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New Hope for Pets with Chronic Kidney Disease

A new product available only through veterinarians has been shown to reduce the toxins that build-up in dogs and cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may help improve the quality of life for affected pets – and possibly extend their longevity. “By removing...

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Veterinarian Shortage Poses Threat to Industry, Society

Projected Serious Food Supply Veterinarian Shortage Poses Threat to Industry, Society - America’s livestock and meat industries have one of the world’s best health and safety records, but that status may be threatened in the years ahead because of a projected severe...

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Contagious Cancer In Dogs Confirmed

Origins Traced To Wolves Centuries Ago A new study in the journal Cell provides evidence that a form of cancer afflicting dogs has spread from one individual to another by the transmission of the tumor cells themselves. The disease demonstrates how a cancer cell can...

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Zoonotic disease control strategies

Zoonotic disease control strategies discussed at 2006 ACVIM forum As global security issues surrounding mad cow disease, avian influenza and the West Nile virus increase, veterinarians across the globe gathered in Louisville, Ky., at the 2006 ACVIM Forum, to discuss...

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Guest column: Coping With Conflict

A Layperson’s guide to resolving conflict in the office By Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA President, American Dental Company Part one in a series of two articles Conflict is inevitable. As long as people possess the capacity for independent thought, there will be differences...

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Study Shows Quality of Life For Both Dogs and Their Owners

Can Improve When They Buddy Up To Beat The Battle of the Bulge A Combined Dog/Owner Partnership Can Help Both Succeed in a Weight Loss Program A study by Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, “The People and Pets Exercising Together (P-PET)”...

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Exposure Trial Shows ALLERCA Cat is Hypoallergenic

Allergy Sufferers Can Now Enjoy Cat Ownership Dr. Sheldon Spector, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine, has designed a protocol and conducted an independent exposure trial that attests the hypoallergenic nature of the ALLERCA GD cat, the...

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US Prepares for Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu in Wild Birds

Avian Influenza (AI) — the bird flu — is a disease caused by a virus that infects domestic poultry and wild birds (geese and ducks and shorebirds). Each year, there is a bird flu season just as there is for humans and, as with people, some forms of the flu are worse...

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Natural Treatments Offer Best Hope For Cats With Feline AIDS

A new book offers hope for cats diagnosed with Feline AIDS, a disease once thought to be untreatable. Feline AIDS: A Pet Owner’s Guide by Thomas Hapka explains the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and outlines effective treatment strategies. Often confused with HIV...

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Avian Influenza Strains Continue Growing

Pandemic Potential at High Risk Beginning in late July 2005, official reports to the OIE (World Organisation of Animal Health) from government authorities indicate that the H5N1 virus has expanded its geographical range. Both Russia and Kazakhstan reported outbreaks...

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Veterinary Foundation Offers Grants To Cover Costs

Veterinary Foundation Offers Grants To Cover Costs

Veterinary Foundation Offers Grants To Cover Costs Of Care After Hurricanes The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) is urging veterinarians to apply for grants of up to $2,000 to cover costs incurred by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Eligible applicants are...

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Getting New Patients: A Practice Management Mantra

Doctors all over the country and the world are still trying to figure out, “How can I get more new patients?” The quest for new patients or customers is not indigenous to the medical professions. Every business is looking to find more people to buy their wares or sell...

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Successful Treatment for Canine Spinal Injuries

Successful Treatment for Canine Spinal Injuries

Lab tests have shown that an injection of a liquid polymer known as polyethylene glycol (PEG), if administered within 72 hours of serious spinal injury, can prevent most dogs from suffering permanent spinal damage. Even when the spine is initially damaged to the point...

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Vets Keep Close Watch on Canine Disease

Vets Keep Close Watch on Canine Disease

Veterinarians Keep Close Watch on Potentially Deadly Canine Disease – New Website Profiles the Latest Info on Recent Outbreak of Leptospirosis - From Boston and Buffalo, to Chicago, Denver, Houston and San Diego, veterinarians across the country are keeping a close...

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West Nile Virus Remains Threat For Unprotected Horses

West Nile Virus Remains Threat For Unprotected Horses

1,341 U.S. Cases Reported in 2004: Equine Health Experts Urge Vaccination OVERLAND PARK, Kan./PRNewswire/ — Despite extensive media coverage of equine West Nile virus — as well as the availability of a vaccine for horses — the potentially deadly disease continues to...

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California VMA Files Lawsuit Against City of West Hollywood

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA /PRNewswire/ — The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) filed a lawsuit against the City of West Hollywood in Los Angeles County Superior Court in March challenging the city’s ban on animal declawing. The CVMA contends the ordinance —...

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PROFILE: Dr. Kathleen Bartos and Lou Bartos

How did Halifax Veterinary Clinic go from $0 in collections to over $1 million a year? PROFILE Dr. Kathleen Bartos and Lou Bartos Practice: Halifax Veterinary Clinic Location: Port Orange, Florida A general small animal veterinarian, who specializes in veterinary...

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