This book is the 2nd of the Blueprints series by the same author. The author, a veterinary practice manager, is a CVT with an MBA degree who has worked in the veterinary industry for over 20 years. This 137-page paperback consists of 115 pages of text, tables and photographs written within 9 chapters, followed by 3 appendices and an index. The book took a relatively short time to read, as approximately half of the 9 chapters was comprised of tables, forms, and black-and-white photographs. Some extra time was required, however, to digest the tables, which were not laid out as simply as they might have been.
The theme of the book is that with sufficient management, one can create a very profitable service or group of services within a veterinary hospital — a “profit center.” The author describes the steps that are necessary to ensure that the diagnostic laboratory and imaging areas of a veterinary hospital are run in a business-like fashion.
In chapters 1 and 2, compelling reasons are given for offering more diagnostic services within a hospital and explain the profit center concept is explained. In chapter 3, a business plan for implementation of these services is outlined, while in chapter 4, the training required to obtain the participation of the entire veterinary team in the implementation of the business plan is explained. Chapters 5 and 6 are primers in designing a diagnostics area and a radiology department.
In chapter 7, the need for excellent records once the decision to create a profit center has been made is detailed and the need to charge appropriately for these services is stressed. Chapter 8 provides a marketing plan for the profit center and chapter 9 is a summary. The appendices are primarily lists of references and resources.
I liked the book, though I suspect many accomplished practice managers and owners would not glean a great deal of new information from it. Much of the book contains what would be common knowledge or common sense to this group. I did, however, take away a few “golden nuggets,” as the author calls them, from this book. Many hospital owners and managers look at the presence or absence of profitability in their businesses from the perspective of the entire hospital. The profit center approach allows one to ascertain whether a particular service is indeed profitable as a stand-alone service. Once these principles are applied, some may be surprised to learn that although their business is profitable they are actually losing money in the provision of a certain service, unbeknownst to them.
The book did an excellent job of underscoring the importance of pricing services appropriately. Modest increases in fees can have a dramatic impact on the bottom line without offending clients. The book provides a nice reference list of manufacturers and suppliers of diagnostic equipment.
I found the many tables somewhat confusing. The corresponding columns of words and numbers often required a little extra thought and some arithmetic that could have been provided by the author.
This book would be a great resource for a novice practice manager or owner. It would also be mutually beneficial to associate veterinarians and their employer. The book would give an associate a good appreciation of the high cost of running a veterinary hospital. Furthermore, associates who promote and perform more diagnostic testing, when appropriate, as a result of reading this book would help their patients, themselves, and their employers as they hone their diagnostic skills.
Finally, there may be veterinarians who do not offer diagnostic testing as often as perhaps they should. This may be out of a sense of pride in their physical examination skills or due to a belief that their clients will not pay for the services as they are offered. If this book were the key to rekindling the zeal for veterinary practice by stimulating a practitioner to develop as a diagnostician and perform more diagnostic testing, then it would be priceless.