Covetrus Connected Care

Episode 15 – Encore Presentation - Three Steps to Gain Efficiency and Increase Loyalty (Without Hiring)

Which of today’s technologies could make a meaningful impact on the health of your patients and your practice? We invite you to listen to an encore presentation of our interview with Eric Garcia*, an internationally recognized digital and information technology strategist who works exclusively with veterinary practices.
Addressing the demands of today’s pet parents can seem daunting, and expanding your staff may not be an option. This episode outlines three technological changes that can make a measurable impact on your veterinary practice, your team and your pet patients.
In this episode, Eric guides us through the current state of the industry. To meet today’s demands and prep for the future, he encourages practices to consider technological changes before hiring.
“I always tell practices that before you look at adding more bodies into your practice, look and see what you can do to make your practice more efficient, to make sure that you're using the right technology,” Eric says in the episode.
He also offers three practical steps to help team members to be more accepting of new technologies — so you can take advantage of today's opportunities.
You can follow Eric anywhere on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn using the handle @EricGarciaFL.
*Eric was compensated for his insights.
 

Episode 14 - Workforce, Workflow, and the Future of Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Lori Teller

As the world of veterinary medicine evolves, how do veterinary practitioners make sense of emerging trends and market forces so that more pets and practices thrive?
In this episode, Dr. Lori Teller answers practitioners' most pressing questions on the present and future of veterinary medicine. Dr. Teller, past President of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Clinical Professor of Telehealth at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine, offers expert advice on:
Workforce issues
Diversity in veterinary medicine
Telemedicine
Artificial intelligence
Practice technology
If you’re curious about trends involving today’s top-of-mind issues and opportunities, then this episode is not to be missed.
Resources:
Dr. Lori Teller: https://www.avma.org/about/avma-board-of-directors/lori-m-teller-dvm-dabvp-caninefeline-cvj
Journey for Teams: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/diversity-and-inclusion-veterinary-medicine/journey-teams
MentorVet Connect: https://www.mentorvet.net/connect

Episode 13 - How to Talk About Veterinary Care and Costs with Jonathan Wainberg

The power of the human animal bond makes pet parents feel passionate about their furry family members. When the subject turns to health-related costs, the result can be emotionally charged conversations, particularly when budgets are tight and treatment decisions become life or death. How can veterinary teams successfully navigate these conversations to benefit patients, clients and practitioners?
In this episode of Covetrus® Connected Care, Jonathan Wainberg, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pet at CareCredit®, a Synchrony solution, shares helpful tools and integrated solutions that veterinarians can offer and use to support pet parents when unexpected costs arise. Wainberg also shares research on client communication, done in partnership with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), outlining how veterinary staff can more effectively talk about pet care costs.
Resources
Communicating with clients: Using the right language to improve care | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org)
Lifetime of Care Study
CareCredit 

Episode 12 - The Human-Animal Bond and Service Animals: What Veterinarians Should Know

We know animals are good for us. Animal interaction, for example, releases powerful hormones that lower blood pressure and induce relaxation, among other benefits.
When it comes to understanding the human-animal bond, Dr. Maggie O'Haire, Associate Dean for Research and Professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, is an internationally recognized scholar in the field. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and has been highlighted in more than 1,000 media stories globally.
This episode dives into the latest research on the emerging role of the human-animal bond on the well-being of veterans, children with autism, and hospital staff. Dr. O'Haire describes how:
Service animals can complement traditional PTSD therapy for veterans by reducing PTSD symptoms and panic attacks and normalizing stress-hormone levels
Children with autism demonstrated more social behaviors and less "anxious activation" when paired with service animals
Hospital staff who were experiencing stress and burnout reported greater feelings of accomplishment at work and less desire to switch jobs with a facility-dog program
Dr. O'Haire also touches on the important work Covetrus® is supporting so that service dogs get the preventive care they need to live long, healthy lives.
Find out more about Dr. O'Haire:
https://vetmed.arizona.edu/person/maggie-ohaire-phd
Follow Covetrus on:
LinkedIn
YouTube

Episode 11 - Create a Psychologically Healthy and Safe Veterinary Workplace with Angie Arora, MSW, RSW

The veterinary community is increasingly turning its attention to the role of mental health in the workplace. Psychological well-being impacts everything from productivity to morale to safety, yet busy veterinary practices may be unsure how to best support staff mental health and well-being.
Our guest, Angie Arora, MSW, RSW, offers practical solutions to help practices foster psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. Angie is a Veterinary Social Worker, Well-being Coach and Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist. She specializes in veterinary well-being, end-of-life and pet loss support, and equity issues in veterinary medicine.
Angie outlines the conditions and environment that give rise to burnout and poor mental well-being in veterinary medicine. And she shares strategies and practical tools to positively support employees’ psychological well-being in the workplace.
Find Angie at www.angiearora.com and on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/angiearora and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veterinarywellbeingcoach/
Watch podcast outtakes on YouTube: Covetrus® Connected Care
Follow Covetrus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/covetrus

**Encore Presentation** The Veterinary Workforce Crisis: What’s Behind It and How Do We Move Beyond It?

Do staffing and retention keep you up at night? We invite you to listen to this previously released episode with Matt Salois, the former chief economist at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).  
Be sure to follow the podcast and look for a new episode next month.  
The Veterinary Workforce Crisis: What's Behind It and How Do We Move Beyond It? 
A trained economist, Matt Salois is a pro at parsing the latest veterinary industry data on employment, productivity and employee well-being. Salois is President of Veterinary Management Groups, where he's charged with enhancing the economic and cultural success of more than 1,800 veterinary member practices.   
In this episode of Covetrus® Connected Care, Salois makes sense of the real-life reality behind the numbers — normalizing visits, high turnover and burnout. For practices looking to tackle today's challenges, Salois cautions against investing solely in a bigger pipeline of veterinary talent. With a deeply knowledgeable and optimistic outlook, he offers concrete steps to begin to remedy systemic issues, such as turnover, low productivity and poor mental health among veterinary practitioners.   
The ultimate goal? To help practices achieve a more sustainable business model, connect more deeply as a workforce and with clients, and improve animal health. 
Resources: 
Veterinary Management Groups 
Matt Salois 

Episode 9 - Three Steps to Gain Efficiency and Increase Loyalty (Without Hiring)

Addressing the demands of today’s pet parents can seem daunting, and expanding your staff may not be an option. This episode suggests three technological changes that can make a measurable impact on the health of your veterinary practice, your team and your pet patients.
Our guest is Eric Garcia*, an internationally recognized digital and information technology strategist who works exclusively with veterinary practices. An award-winning speaker, Eric was recognized as Speaker of the Year by VMX in 2020.
In this episode, Eric guides us through the current state of the industry. To meet today’s demands and prep for the future, he encourages practices to consider technological changes before hiring.
“I always tell practices that before you look at adding more bodies into your practice, look and see what you can do to make your practice more efficient, to make sure that you're using the right technology,” Eric says in the episode.
He also offers three practical steps to help team members to be more accepting of new technologies — so you can take advantage of today's opportunities.
Additional information:
https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/how-to-market-your-online-pharmacy/
https://www.diggovet.com/blog/maximizing-online-veterinary-pharmacy-traffic-and-sales/
https://covetrus.com/study-reveals-new-covetrus-technology-saves-time-provides-relief-to-overworked-understaffed-veterinary-practices/
https://go.covetrus.com/pulse-veterinary-practice-management-software-google
You can follow Eric anywhere on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn using the handle @EricGarciaFL.
*Eric was compensated for his insights.

Episode 8 – Why 3,000+ Veterinary Practices Said Yes to vOS™

Around a year ago, Covetrus® launched a first-of-its-kind solution called Covetrus Pulse™, a cloud-based veterinary operating system or vOS™. Since then, Pulse has helped veterinary practitioners serve over 3.5 million patients across more than 14.6 million appointments.
But what is a vOS™? And, importantly, amid today’s demands, how has the Pulse technology improved the lives of veterinary practitioners and the animals they care for?
In this episode, Benny Estes, Director of Product Management at Covetrus, shares real-world insights gleaned from the practices that have been using Pulse. He describes how Pulse helps address many of today’s pain points in veterinary medicine, including:
Workloads
Inefficiency
Low Morale
Work-Life Balance
Whether you’re a practice owner, doctor or veterinary technician, this episode is full of actionable learnings gained from veterinary professionals just like you.
Additional information:
https://covetrus.com/study-reveals-new-covetrus-technology-saves-time-provides-relief-to-overworked-understaffed-veterinary-practices/
https://www.dvm360.com/view/newday-veterinary-care-chooses-covetrus-pulse-as-veterinary-operating-system

Episode 7 - Care Plans, Compliance and Revenue: What Veterinarians Need to Know

Now more than ever, pet parents need help budgeting for veterinary care. At the same time, higher compliance, revenue and iron-clad client relationships are the chief goals of many practices. Are care plans the answer?
In this episode, Dr. Karen Felsted, a veterinary industry thought leader, explains why care plans are good for animal health and a practice’s bottom line. Dr. Felsted is the former CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues and served on the research team for several major veterinary industry studies, including the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study.
Drawing on research and decades of experience, Dr. Felsted answers veterinarians’ most pressing questions about care plans, debunking common misconceptions about the plans. She emphasizes the role technology plays in modern care plans and the appeal of care plans to Millennials. She also shares the most effective steps to add customizable plans for preventive care, chronic care and dentistry to your practice flow.
Additional information:
Dr. Karen Felsted, MS, CVPM, CPA

Episode 6 - No-Nonsense Steps to Save Time and Drive Revenue in Your Veterinary Practice

Is your veterinary practice team overwhelmed by today’s hectic pace? We know practices could be more efficient, but what are the steps to get there?
Episode 6 of the Covetrus® Connected Care podcast explores proven, no-nonsense strategies to:
Uncover and understand areas of inefficiency in your veterinary practice
Streamline workflows without changing how you practice veterinary medicine
Tap into technology to recapture precious minutes and grow revenue and relationships
The episode features Dr. Link Welborn, Chief Veterinary Officer for Covetrus in North America and the owner of 6 AAHA-accredited hospitals in Tampa, Florida, and Stephanie Foster, Director of Customer Education at Covetrus.
A recent study by the American Veterinary Medical Association found that highly efficient practices saw 75% more patients per veterinarian than less efficient ones. If you’re looking to level-up your practice’s efficiency, see more patients and increase revenue, then this episode is a must-listen.
Sources:
Study explores secrets of highly efficient veterinary practices. AVMA. October 26, 2022
Covetrus study shows benefits of new technology. DVM360. July 27, 2022