Annual veterinary productivity in companion animal practice in the different provinces

Which province has the highest level of veterinary productivity in companion animal practice? Appointment books, client records, and staff schedules were explored to find out which province is the busiest.

The contest was restricted to companion animal practices, because it was felt unfair to challenge veterinary productivity in large animal practices. Most mixed and large animal practices across Canada are operating at below ideal productivity levels because of a drop in demand for food animal services post-bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). There is preliminary evidence suggesting demand is on the rise, but in 2006 that was certainly not the case.

Information on veterinary productivity in companion animal practice comes from the 2006 OVMA/CVMA provincial economic surveys, which were undertaken as joint partnerships between the CVMA Business Management Program, individual provinces, and the following corporate sponsors: Hill’s Pet Nutrition Canada, Petplan Insurance, Scotiabank, and Schering-Plough Animal Health (1). The comparison shows the data for all provinces, except Newfoundland where lower than expected response prevented detailed productivity analysis (Table 1).

Table 1.

Annual veterinary productivity in companion animal practice in the different provinces

Per FTE DVM	CAN	PEI	NS	NB	QC	ON	MB	SK	AB	BC
Appointments	2683	2125	2610	2575	2485	2735	2835	2305	2975	2655
Surgeries	320	290	260	465	425	265	340	290	345	310
Dental procedures	75	50	60	75	65	65	65	100	105	95
Active clients	1252	931	1071	1428	1329	1120	1747	1189	1526	1171
Client visits	5695	5027	7604	5569	5715	5376	6115	4637	7325	4684
Non-DVM staff hours	5284	3600	5800	4600	5000	5400	5600	4600	5600	5200

FTE— Full-time equivalent (2000 hours)

DVM— Doctor of veterinary medicine

CAN— Canada

PEI— Prince Edward Island

NS— Nova Scotia

NB— New Brunswick

QC— Quebec

ON— Ontario

MB— Manitoba

SK— Saskatchewan

AB— Alberta

BC— British Columbia

The Rules

Each province competed on annual productivity per full-time equivalent veterinarian (FTE). One FTE veterinarian represents 2000 veterinary hours per year. The number of full-time equivalent DVMs in each practice is calculated by dividing the total DVM hours (owners and associates combined) by 2000. Provincial figures represent the average or mean statistic.

Information on appointment schedules was obtained from 3-week samples taken in January, May, and September. Veterinarians were asked to go back to these 3 wk and calculate an average week for their practice. The weekly statistics were converted to annual figures for comparison.

The “active clients” category is the number of clients that have been to the veterinary practice in the past year. Many practices will have thousands of client records, but these often include people who have moved away or changed providers. The total number of records is not an accurate indicator of the activity in the practice. Restricting the category to clients who have visited the practice in the past year gives an indication of how busy the practice was for that specific period.

Along with the number of clients, the number of client visits helps the amount of traffic in a practice to be determined. A practice with a below average number of clients may be very busy if the number of client visits is high enough to offset the low number of clients.

The last figure looked at was staffing. On the assumption that busier hospitals needed more staff, the non-DVM staff hours per veterinarian hour were counted and compared to the number of non-DVM staff per full-time equivalent DVM.

The Results

Before the prizes are distributed, let’s dispel some of the rumors. Being busy has nothing to do with fees. If this were the case, Prince Edward Island would be the busiest province because it has, on average, the lowest fees in Canada after the cost of living adjustment (2). Veterinarians in Prince Edward Island also happen to have the fewest appointments and the lowest number of active clients, so fees are not a determinant for being busy.

So what makes a practice busy? If only the number of clients is focused on, then it would be the veterinary:client ratio and the density of pet owners in the province. This is where Alberta, with its oil-fueled population explosion, leads the pack. Alberta has the greatest number of appointments per DVM and the 2nd greatest number of active clients. Alberta also has the greatest number of dental procedures per year per veterinarian. This can’t be blamed on the oil; it is clearly the result of the promotion of dentistry. The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is the only veterinary association in Canada that I know of that promotes pet dental health on its homepage. I think this is working.

Mr. John Jamieson (left) from Scotiabank and CVMA past-president Dr. Paul Boutet. Scotiabank is a sponsor of the CVMA Business Management Program.

The prize for the greatest number of surgeries goes to New Brunswick, with 465 per DVM per year. With surgical productivity 45% above the national average, surgery days in New Brunswick must be busy. Although New Brunswick has busy surgery days, they are not the busiest province.

The greatest number of active clients is found in Manitoba. In fact, there are so many that on average, in 1 y, a veterinarian in Manitoba sees nearly twice the number clients as a veterinarian in Prince Edward Island. Manitoba veterinarians are busy. The veterinarian average in Manitoba outperforms the national average in each category, except dentistry. Manitoba comes in 2nd in many areas, but they are not the busiest.

Veterinarians in Nova Scotia are impressive. They do some amazing marketing to their clients. Nova Scotia veterinarians start with a below average number of active clients and they turn that into the greatest number of client visits in the nation (7604). The only province that comes close to Nova Scotia is Alberta, and they have 42% more clients.

The last category is staff, and it is not surprising that the province with the most staff per DVM is the one with the most client visits. Nova Scotia wins again with the most staff per DVM. The average FTE veterinarian in Nova Scotia is assisted by 5800 staff hours per year. Nova Scotia veterinarians are busy, but not the busiest.

The title of “Busiest Province in Canada” goes to Alberta. Alberta veterinarians are above average in every category and win top honors with the most appointments and the most dental procedures. Alberta placed 4th in surgery, but ran a close 2nd in every other category.

Second place goes to Nova Scotia with the most staff and the greatest number of client visits. What is really impressive about Nova Scotia veterinarians is that they accomplish this with just over 1000 clients. Nova Scotia should win on style points alone. Alberta veterinarians are busy because of their population boom, but Nova Scotia veterinarians are busy because they want to be. If on average veterinarians in Alberta focused on the same number of active clients as veterinarians in Nova Scotia do, they would see a 42% drop in productivity and would underperform the national average in every category but dentistry.

How you can win

Not to distract from Alberta, but a lot of Alberta’s production is demand driven and dependent on a higher growth population. Financially, Alberta underperforms many other provinces after the cost of living adjustment is made. Nova Scotia’s productivity is centered on supply and can be something to model your clinic after. Nova Scotia veterinarians do more with less. They spend more time with fewer clients and it works. After the differences in the cost of living are accounted for, Nova Scotia has the highest fees, the 2nd highest revenues, and the highest net incomes in the country. Alberta may be the busiest, but Nova Scotia wins overall.