Archive for May, 2010

www.stolenpets.com

Sponsor: Columbus House Rabbit Society
. Campaign starts February 15th and ends on Easter.
 www.makeminechocolate.org

Sponsor: The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. Events in honor of Spay Day take place throughout the month of February. www.humanesociety.org/spayday

Don’t miss Tuesday’s webinar, Creating Client Value Through Communications: How to Implement a Client-Communications Workflow, featuring an exclusive Q&A session with presenters Dr. Ernest Ward, Jr., DVM and Gina Toman, Practice Manager.

This CE credited webinar will be held at  12:00 noon EST on February 23, 2010.

Following the main presentation, there will be an exclusive Q&A session for Pet Partners Hospitals where attendees can directly address their questions to either Dr. Ward or Gina Tomin.

Register for the webinar at www.idexxlearningcenter.com.

To Friends, Associates, Colleagues and Team Members,

With the toughest winter in decades dumping fresh white snow on all parts of the East coast and Mid Atlantic areas and with record low temperatures in Florida we are off to the greatest business challenges we have seen since I have been a veterinarian.  These are the times that teach our practice leaders how to create and execute new ways of communication and influence.  Trying to get pet owners through the news of and the reality of the weather is at this moment our greatest challenge.

In spite of these challenges the affiliated teams are doing a great job of keeping the practices open and making sure those pets with serious and even critical needs are being attended.  It is a pleasant experience to see the attitudes that our practice leadership demonstrate in these times compounded by the worst recession that any of us will likely see in our lifetimes.  In spite of all this our business is solid.

Our Leadership Meeting referenced in my blog last month has had profound responses from our teams and we are anxious to get going and apply what we have all learned together.  Dr. Tom Butera’s ongoing CE webinars are not affected by the current weather and our dental CE will predictably stimulate new and creative thoughts on how to better serve our clients.

On another note I reached out to all of our teams to direct me to practices in their locations that may be now or in the future for sale.  Pet Partners will be aggressive in the months ahead in selecting new affiliates to join our family of veterinary practices.  If you are reading this blog with the idea that you wish to sell your veterinary practice please contact me directly and I assure you that our communication will be confidential.

As stated throughout our website the Pet Partners operating model is different and we are all proud of that.  Unlike the branded model used by VCA Antech and Banfield we retain the community brand that the hospital was before our purchase.  We do not change name, signage or in any way associate the name Pet Partners with the client side of the hospital.  It is our thinking based on results in human medicine that this is important to the client.  Though every one of our practices provide better levels of care now than they did at purchase this comes from within the practice by the influence of our CE and awareness initiatives.  Pet Partners does not dictate the medicine, the protocols or the drugs used.  What we do is influence the back office systems, the administrative and management aspects of the practice and allow more contact with the client and more time and attention paid to the pet.  We are a medicine first Company with business and profits a product of good medicine.

We place high value on the goodwill of the practice and this goodwill points directly to the people, especially those who serve on the support teams.  In all our purchases we value the people the most.  I have stated over and over that we are in the “people business” and happen to provide veterinary care.  So if you are in the mindset of selling your veterinary clinic, of selling your veterinary practice, of selling your veterinary hospital please contact me directly and we will see if Pet Partners is right for you.  You will definitely find this veterinary directed organization a breath of fresh air.

Best regards as we work toward Spring,

Ted A Sprinkle, Jr.
Chief Executive Officer

Selling your veterinary clinic? Consider Pet Partners if you are interested in selling your veterinary hospital or clinic.

Pet Partners was created by veterinarians for veterinarians. By progressive veterinary partnership, Pet Partners provides veterinary hospitals with centralized administrative services, management expertise, marketing and personalized support, training and mentoring to facilitate top-class medicine that will help the business thrive.

Since June of 2003, Pet Partners has specialized in purchasing neighborhood veterinary hospitals and retaining their unique culture and local neighborhood style. Today, Pet Partners is the second largest private owner of free standing veterinary hospitals in the United States, with Veterinary Hospital Partners across the country.

The Pet Partners senior management team includes respected veterinarians and business leaders with a wealth of experience in veterinary environments and/or multi-site service businesses. Headquartered in Wilton (Saratoga Springs), New York, Pet Partners is actively seeking new partnership opportunities with qualified candidates. For more information on selling or buying a veterinary practice, please visit www.petpartnersusa.com.

Pet Partners adheres to the highest standards. Many Pet Partners hospitals are accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA - www.aahanet.org), which is the only organization that accredits animal hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. AAHA (AAHA - www.aahanet.org), -accredited hospitals voluntarily choose to be evaluated on over 800 standards in the following areas: quality of care; diagnostics, analytics & pharmacy; management; medical records and facility.

Pet Partners offers convenience and opportunity for veterinarians, which translates in better care for clients. Pet Partners streamlines the day-to-day administrative tasks, and offers conveniences for clients, like offering Care Credit (link to http://www.carecredit.com), which is a payment facilitating program. Pet Partners is able to obtain discounted prices on products and services along with continuing education opportunities that are offered on a monthly basis with some of the most renowned experts in the field of veterinary medicine.

We have some of the best and most impressive veterinarians. Unlike other acquisition companies such as VCA Antech Animal Hospitals and PetSmart’s Banfield Hospitals, veterinary clinics, doctors and staff that join the Pet Partners team keep their individualistic style of practice. Many professionals have developed negative opinions of veterinary acquisition groups like VCA Antech Animal Hospitals and “corporate medicine” similar to PetSmart’s Banfield Hospitals. However, the professionals at Pet Partners really set themselves apart and allow the hospitals to maintain their community identity. This philosophy leaves the “true ownership” and management at the hospital level. This added support allows everyone at the hospitals to focus on delivering the highest quality care possible.

There are many benefits of selling a veterinary practice. With all of the changes taking place in the veterinary profession, selling a practice is a big decision. Pet Partners allows sellers to divest in the practice but still work and manage in partnership. This enables more flexible schedules and a finer focus.

The Pet Partners network offers support not only from a business aspect, but also aids medical, personal and professional development. The veterinarians within Pet Partners offer a strong camaraderie of idea-sharing and mentorship, and they come from the best veterinary schools and colleges such as Auburn University , Cornell University , Purdue University , Texas A&M University , Tufts University , University of Florida, University of Pennsylvania, University of Georgia, University of Illinois, University of Missouri, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

The Pet Partners group is talented and would be more than happy to talk to any person interested in selling a veterinary practice.

About Pet Partners, LLC
Pet Partners was created by veterinarians for veterinarians. Through a unique approach to progressive veterinary consultation, Pet Partners provides centralized administrative services, management expertise, and personalized support, training and mentoring to help businesses thrive. But as veterinarians, the Pet Partners team knows that this is much more than a business.

For many, this is a calling driven by the desire to care for animals. Pet Partners understands this and always focuses on medical excellence, customer service and human-animal connection that is at the heart of the practice. Since June of 2003, Pet Partners has specialized in purchasing neighborhood veterinary hospitals and retaining their unique culture and neighborhood style.

Today, Pet Partners is the second largest private owner of free standing veterinary hospitals in the United States, with veterinary hospital partners across the country. Headquartered in Wilton (Saratoga Springs), New York, the Pet Partners senior management team includes respected veterinarians and business leaders with a wealth of experience in veterinary environments and/or multi-site service businesses. Please visit www.petpartnersusa.com for more information.

Dr. Kunze will be on our conference call line at 2 pm EST on February 3rd to have a 20 to 30 minute Q&A on “Thoracic Radiography:  Pulmonary Pattern Recognition and Interpretation.” Please make sure you attend this important educational seminar. The conference call line and passcode are listed below.

Conference call line:  888-296-6500
Passcode:  132185#