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Hospital of the year

2008 Hospital of the Year: Another view of reception 2008 Hospital of the Year: Canine boarding 2008 Hospital of the Year: Doctors' consultation area 2008 Hospital of the Year: Doctors' office 2008 Hospital of the Year: Exam room

VETERINARY ECONOMICS, May 1, 2008

Cover Story Share your lawsuit survival stories Readers can share their the trials and tribulations of malpractice lawsuits. Getting sued in small claims court vs. superior court By Bonnie Lutz, Esq. Know what to expect no matter which court your veterinary malpractice lawsuit takes you to. I've been sued. Now what? By Bonnie Lutz, Esq. Your Medical Career and financial stability flash before your eyes. A gut-wrenching feeling takes hold. This is it; you've been hit with a malpractice lawsuit. Glossary of veterinary malpractice legal terms Motion to strike is not when a snake starts coiling. You do what else? Up a river without a paddle By David Plante, DVM We wondered aloud over the din of the roaring river if these rapids were runnable. Slideshow: Veterinarian's wilderness travels Dr. David Plante has traveled the world and lived to tell about. And he's got the pictures to prove it. Practice Tips Bright ideas for going green Making a few small changes can have a big impact on your practice's utility bills and the environment Are your clients advocates, apathetics, or assassins? By Bob Levoy The tales clients tell can poison or profit your practice. Satellites need communication with the mother ship By Angie Hartin Communication failures between facilities lead to disconnect and tension. Custom ambulance transports pets A refurbished ambulance transfers referral patients between WestVet Emergency Center in Meridian, Idaho, and nearby practices. Build it, but will they come? By Jeff Rothstein, DVM, MBA Weigh your options before constructing a new clinic. Practice Management Q&A Shop till we drop By Jan Miller If you provide high-level care and compassion, most clients won't get worked up about fees. 4 ways to make your site sticky By Linda Wasche To get the most from your practice's Web site, think of it not just as an electronic brochure, but as a living, breathing marketing tool, says Linda Wasche, president of LW Marketworks Inc., in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. A well-run Web site is a cost-effective and powerful tool for building interest in your practice and creating a sense of community among your clients. Once current and prospective clients have found you online, give them reason to visit—and revisit. Here's how. Equine Solutions Your mission, should you choose to accept it By Tracey O'Driscoll-Packer Lead with the big picture and use it as a reference point for practice success. Forget marketing. Think service. By James Guenther, DVM, MBA, MHA, CVPM, AVA Rethink your stance on marketing and consider what it's really about: providing valuable information to a client so he or she can make an informed decision about purchasing a product or service. Personnel Solutions Make the promise. Keep your team By Brian Conrad, CVPM His motto? No team member will leave his practice feeling unchallenged, concede to a lack of direction, or have professional growth hindered. Industry Issues The shelter dilemma By Brendan Howard, Editor Everyone can start to break the impasse between private practitioners and shelters by listening. Rescue dog found a home; I found a mission A small terrier gave me a big love of foster pet parenting. A 5-step plan for helping shelters and rescue groups By Linda Wasche Reap the benefits of a well-managed relationship with an animal-welfare group. Organization supports spaying and neutering by private practitioners By Brendan Howard, Editor Maddie's Fund thinks veterinarians are the best way to stop overpopulation. Vetcetera I wannabe a vet! By Brendan Howard, Editor There's a dog on a surgical table and another on an exam room table—just like at your hospital. The difference is the dogs aren't real and the doctors are kids. Men, women run family businesses differently By Brendan Howard, Editor Do you see yourself—or your boss—in these findings about male and female owners of family businesses? Talking Points 7 strategies for finding and keeping great associates By Craig Woloshyn, DVM Good associates are rarer than hen's teeth, so how do you attract them to your cozy practice and keep them? Hot Button "But I read it on the Internet!" By Jeff Rothstein, DVM, MBA Do you ever get frustrated or annoyed when clients come to your practice loaded with medical information they found on the Internet—especially when it's wrong? Do you find yourself grumbling about the misinformation the client is spewing? Who's the doctor here, anyway? Heck, if people can find instructions for building a bomb online, maybe your clients can just whip up some Otomax or Tresaderm too. Then they can buy themselves an ultrasound machine and a textbook. Who needs a veterinarian? Click & Copy ROI worksheet Download this PDF worksheet to get an ROI formula and a list of essential questions. Make sure new equipment pays off Before this doctor bought a single machine, he did his homework. The first thing he considered: cost-effectiveness. Legal Ease Rethink respirators By Phil Seibert, CVT Should our pregnant associate use a respirator during surgeries to avoid inhaling anesthetic gases? Protecting for two By Phil Seibert, CVT Will anesthesia hurt her baby? Is it risky for her to be around sick pets or toxic drugs? Checking in What dreams may come By Kristi Reimer, Editor Seeing our board members at CVC East in Baltimore clearly got to me. Hospital Design Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. By Brendan Howard, Editor Dr. Dan Lorimer, DACVO, wanted his specialty practice to look professional. For that, he needed respectable neighbors. To attract those neighbors, he bought six acres and built a 40,000-square-foot building—which was not his hospital. Ownership Issues Who's in control? By Mark Opperman, CVPM A self-serving team member may be pulling the strings at your practice. Why are you letting it happen? Growth Center Educating clients about parasites A list from the Veterinary Economics archives. Worm your way into wellness visits Biannual deworming protects patients and encourages regular wellness visits. Products A library with a view The written word gets the best view in the building, with a second-floor balcony overlooking the pond and water fountain below. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. A steeple of an entrance Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. All eyes on ophthalmogy Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Blue room Dr. Dan Lorimer's architect made the break area special with soothing blue colors and flowing curves. "People work hard here," Dr. Lorimer says. "We wanted to make sure they were comfortable." Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Bright lights, big practice Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Cat lobby Clients wait in comfort and peace in the feline-only lobby. It sports a fireplace, cat-themed art and books, and segregation from dogs. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Choo chooooo! The train station look—a vaulted ceiling, storefront entrances, and synthetic slate flooring—is appropriate. Clients travel to lots of places from here: emergency, reception, consultation, the cat lobby, a play area, restrooms, a patio, and the snack bar. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Coffee stop Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Curvy entry Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Dog courtyard Canines gets their own space to roam in the dog walk, with custom iron gates and easy-to-clean pea gravel. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Fabulous fountain Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. It's all about branding Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Mechanical: behind closed doors Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. One fine feline-only lobby Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Radiation treatment room Thirty-six-inch-thick concrete walls and a door with 3,800 pounds of lead keep radiation in. Team members watch the linear accelerators work on video in an adjacent area. The imaging center, with magnetic-resonance, computed topography, and radiography machines, is a few feet away. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. Synthetic slate flooring Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. The old building and signage Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. The oval office The architect incorporated arches and curved walls where he could, nowhere more noticeably than in the "oval office," so named by team members. Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. The rock of reception Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital. White is where it's at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, Mich. Photo by Nathaniel Lam. Click here to read about this hospital.

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