We want your visits here at our hospital to be as pleasant and informative as possible. You should be aware of several unique aspects of our outpatient routine:
- We only schedule 2 consultations per hour per doctor. Our appointments are more than twice the length of the national average for small animal hospitals. Longer appointments mean more thorough physical examinations, more detailed histories, and we can more fully involve our clients in the healthcare decision making process. In a recent study, it was shown that in the current human healthcare climate, many physicians are being forced to spend 20 minutes or less with their human patients. The study concluded that most patients have inadequate time to understand their treatment options and that they are inadequately prepared to make sound decisions regarding their own health. We began scheduling 30 minute appointments in 1996 because we knew that involved pet owners expect to have a full understanding of what healthcare options are available to them. We recently added a 15 minute technician appointment to each doctor appointment, to allow for a more detailed history and initial discussion, which allows the doctor to spend more time examining the patient and discussing any issues and treatment plans with the client. This routine also helps us to maintain a better on-time appointment schedule. Emergencies and unexpected arrivals can still create occasional delays but this is rare.
- We work very hard to create a positive attitude amongst our patients. Our Happy Visits and proactive positive reinforcement during each visit has created a generation of canine patients that cannot wait to get in the front door.
- While fewer cats than dogs truly look forward to a veterinary visit, our dedicated cat only outpatient examination area minimizes their stress, with a Feliway diffuser in the room, and no dogs allowed. We follow the American Association of Feline Practitioners guidelines for cat examinations.
- Proactive stress reduction and pain management have been evolving at our practice for well over a decade. This improves the quality of the treatment outcome as well as improves the pet’s attitude when returning for future visits. There are few equals to our capabilities at any veterinary practice anywhere in the country.
- Our outpatient examination rooms are fully integrated through 2 computer networks allowing access to our Computerized Medical Records, Medical Photographic Library, Client Education Files, Veterinary Internet Resources, and our Therapeutic Diet Programs