It is important to consider payment options carefully, and this type of retail experience is likely to continue long into the future.
1.6.8 Vendor Relationships
Economic shocks can be extremely challenging, but they also provide opportunities to improve operations, and this is very true of our relationships with vendors. Rather than treat vendor visits as intrusions and assigning front office teams as gatekeepers, this is a great time to establish systems for prescheduling vendor visits (or even televisits), streamlining inventory to just those products needed, and leveraging vendor relationships to bring the most value to clients, the hospital team, and the hospital itself. This does not necessarily always favor the vendor with the lowest price, since value can be conveyed in other ways such as hospital support, continuing education, expedited delivery, and prioritization when supplies are in high demand but short supply.
As new products become available, rather than sales representatives visiting with any staff member who might be available, they can be requested to provide a packet of information to a formulary evaluation committee, in charge of making recommendations for what might be included in inventory. In general, if a product is recommended to be included in the hospital formulary, then the committee should also recommend which product in the same class of medications should be removed from the formulary, or only made available through the hospital's online pharmacy. If the committee evaluates a product and finds that it is not suitable to be included in the practice formulary, those reasons should be recorded and conveyed to the hospital staff so the product does not need to be reevaluated every time a representative makes a sales call.
1.6.9 Changing Business Models
With every new economic shock comes opportunities for improving the veterinary business model to be more responsive to current market pressures. Following the most recent pandemic, some of the most acute problems to be addressed include embracing pet‐specific care so that clients better understand the lifelong needs of their pets without requiring prompting by in‐hospital visits; making it easier for virtual care to be delivered to clients; facilitating e‐commerce and home delivery; and constructing a more profitable business model better able to withstand such economic shocks. Such crises should also convince practice owners of the importance of financial metrics and dashboards that allow clinics to be resilient and thrive despite challenging events. Veterinary care may be an essential service, but all veterinary practices are not recession proof.
Pet‐specific care allows clients to understand the lifelong needs of their pets in advance, and to financially prepare for dealing with them (see 1.2 Providing a Lifetime of Care). Even in the case of economic shocks, clients can appreciate where care needs to restart when situations normalize, what is to be prioritized, and discussions to be had with the veterinary team either virtually or in person. There is no need to wait for regular appointments to resume before instituting appropriate care.
Economic shocks tend to have an impact on consumer behavior long after the actual shock has concluded.
Consumer spending habits are often dramatically changed by an economic shock, and tend to persist as long as individuals feel vulnerable.
It should be expected that clients will have a heightened sensitivity to hygiene following a pandemic, and will be concerned for their own health and that of their family.
Hospital protocols need to change to reflect evidence‐based standards of care, including ways to keep everyone in the hospital safe.
Clients are likely to be receptive to services that allow them to interact with the hospital remotely, including telehealth, online purchasing, and home delivery.
1.6.10 Cautions
Economic shocks are difficult to predict, but often have profound effects that last long after the precipitating event has concluded. Because most shocks are not anticipated, it is difficult for veterinary teams to be completely prepared from one crisis to the next. Each crisis tends to provide its own lessons for the future, and veterinary practices need to consistently adapt to remain relevant and vital.
Recommended Reading
1 Ackerman, L. (2019). Why should veterinarians consider implementing virtual care? EC Veterinary Science 4 (4): 259–261.
2 Ackerman, L. (2019). Why pet health insurance is important for the profession. EC Veterinary Science 2: 6–7.
3 Ackerman, L. (2019). Ready to partner with an online pharmacy? AAHA Trends 35: 49–53.
4 Ackerman, L. (2020). Bracing for the new normal. EC Veterinary Science. 5(9): 49–52.
5 Ackerman, L. (2020). The new e‐commerce: E‐commerce is more than just selling products online. AAHA Trends; 36(11): 51–54.
6 American Animal Hospital Association (2012). Evolving to a Culture of Prevention: Implementing Integrated Preventive Care, 1–23. Lakewood, CO: AAHA.
7 Hamburg, M.A. and Collins, F.S. (2010). The path to personalized medicine. New England Journal of Medicine 363 (4): 301–304.
8 Zigrang, T. and Bailey‐Wheaton, J.L. (2020, March/April). Healthcare valuation implications of COVID‐19. Value Examiner: 28–34.
2.1 Based Veterinary Medicine and Personal Bias
2.1.1 Summary
Evidence‐based veterinary medicine (EBVM) is a set of tools for generating reliable research evidence, disseminating it to clinicians, and using it to support clinical decision making. Through the practical application of the philosophy and methods of science to medical problems, and the explicit and judicious integration of research evidence, clinical experience, and the goals and resources of pet owners, EBVM can promote more effective, proactive patient care.
Veterinary professionals use information intensively in their work. Meeting the goals of pet‐specific care, to identify health risks and to intervene with preventive and therapeutic measures to improve health, we must have accurate, relevant information. EBVM provides a system for ensuring that the information clinicians need is not only accurate and relevant but available and easy to use. More efficient information management supports easier and more reliable decision making, more effective client communication, and ultimately better outcomes for patients.
2.1.2 Terms Defined
Bias:
