One-Man Mixed Practice

Abstract

Bob asked me to explain how I do practice work; how I do program work in my practice. I have a general practice in a small town and in Big Valley, California. He gave me six questions to answer. The first question was, "How did I get into herd work or program work?" I fell into it! I was called in and I worked strictly on a call basis for many years. Fortunately, I was working with well-educated, highly-intelligent people who didn't question my integrity and it was strictly on a call basis-either they called me or I went down on my own and provided all the drugs and vaccines, etc., on a 20% mark-up. This went along for probably15 years without one account. I picked up another account a few years later on the same basis and we worked along on that for about five years and then they tried me on a program where they paid me so much a marketed animal and that didn't work-I felt too much responsibility and they hated to see me come! In 1968 I had a job about 100 miles away from home and went up there three or four times. Then I went to them and told them I would do it on a once-a-week, full-day, so many dollars on the full day basis, based on 10 hours and if I was gone from my office eight hours it would be the same and for 12 hours it would also be the same. On my other two accounts this worked so well that with them I switched to that as soon as I could, and I am doing that now. I purchase all drugs with no mark-up to myself; I'm strictly their purchasing agent. This, changing from being on call, even though there was a great deal of understanding both ways, took me from being slightly on one side of the fence right over and I'm part of the management now. There is no question ever and I look at myself as an assistant manager and a consulting veterinarian.