Apr-23-2016 11:34 AM
May-05-2016 01:11 AM
4X4Dodger wrote:
(Respectful brevity snip)
I dont expect perfection or easy answers. I have had cancer myself so I know. But I do know that the system is out of whack.
May-04-2016 03:39 PM
Pawz4me wrote:4X4Dodger wrote:
Secondly my main point about large vet practices and the amount of money they MUST bring in to pay the salaries, overhead, service debt et. al are real world and there is no denying that there HAS to be tremendous pressure to increase income at every opportunity to meet those costs, to say nothing of profit or a decent living for the Vet.
It depends on what the extra employees are doing. Are they really unneeded, a product of poor management? Then sure prices will have to be raised to meet the extra cost. Or are they productive employees who are bringing in money to the practice--are they groomers and boarding kennel attendants and things like that? If so they're making money for the clinic. In most clinics nowadays the vets aren't the only ones who generate income.
May-04-2016 12:27 PM
May-04-2016 05:23 AM
May-04-2016 04:00 AM
May-04-2016 03:33 AM
4X4Dodger wrote:
.....But in all that process some things struck me about Vet Care in today's world:
Veterinary Practices are far larger than ever before. Two of the vets we visited had 11 or more employees.
Veterinary Medicine is following Human medical services delivery in form and function. Putting you in small rooms waiting for the doctor, meanwhile a "Nurse" or Vets Asst comes to hear your story and enters it on a large patient computer program. If you are lucky you will get a few minutes with the doctor before he decides on 8 tests to be done.
What does this mean for the dog or cat owner?
My experience is that all of this growth in the size of vet practices isn't necessarily serving the best interests of the Pet or it's owner.
The BEST care my dog Nigel got was finally at a small vet practice with three employees, dedicated to the health and well being of the animals and not the necessity of generating 1.5 million dollars a year.
I think our Veterinary care is suffering due to this "industrialization" ....
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
May-04-2016 03:17 AM
4X4Dodger wrote:
Secondly my main point about large vet practices and the amount of money they MUST bring in to pay the salaries, overhead, service debt et. al are real world and there is no denying that there HAS to be tremendous pressure to increase income at every opportunity to meet those costs, to say nothing of profit or a decent living for the Vet.
May-03-2016 06:37 PM
May-03-2016 09:13 AM
dturm wrote:
I have avoided commenting on this topic. While I believe 4X$Dodger’s observations may be accurate, I don’t feel all of the conclusions are warranted.
It is true that with the technological improvements and increase in knowledge have changed the field of veterinary medicine. This offers a much wider understanding of animals and their diseases and so many more options to deal with them. This does come at a cost, but the benefits are real. To say that this is “harming pet care overall” just isn’t warranted.
Another aspect to what has happened may be a misconception that many have about medicine. There is a reason it’s call “the ART of medicine.” So many think all you have to do is run a test, take a blood sample, do a radiograph/mri/ultrasound and you have an answer. That’s just NOT the way it is. Diagnosis is hard and many conditions/diseases don’t follow the book or multiple diseases are present at the same time and complicates our job. It’s sad to admit how many times we guess about what’s going on – with some pretty good evidence and reasoning – but still a guess.
You can end up spending $$$$ and still not have an answer or the answer you want. This situation can result in frustration and anger aimed at your vet. This situation is more often unreasonable expectations compounded by poor communication.
I hope the profession has not gotten to the point where needless tests or procedures are done in the name of $$$ or CYA.
I know after running a 4-5 doctor practice with 15 employees, the decisions about equipment purchasing can be difficult. It has always been about patient care, not income generation. Business decisions were never about the equipment purchase then pushing utilization to justify cost. It's always about the need for utilization for patient care to justify the cost.
There is no doubt that veterinary care costs have risen. It is also true that there are some veterinarians who push the best care/technology/medicine available.
You always have a choice and I still believe that veterinary care in this country is a bargain.
Doug, DVM
May-03-2016 05:24 AM
May-02-2016 09:36 AM
May-02-2016 09:35 AM
Pawz4me wrote:
I'm sorry about Nigel.
But . . . your experience isn't universal, and thus your observations very likely aren't entirely accurate. The vet group I use employs way more than eleven people. And yet I've never felt rushed or pressured to have testing done until I had time to think it over.
Apr-30-2016 02:04 PM
Apr-29-2016 06:08 PM
Apr-29-2016 04:51 PM