Timberland Animal Clinic
Corporate Buy-Outs in Veterinary
Medicine?
broker." A "clinic broker" is an individual who appraises the value of a clinic, helps find prospec-
tive buyers and helps set up the terms of the sale. The letter says (I'll only quote part of the first paragraph) "Dear Dr. Marks--Our market place is rapidly changing. The days of one and two doctor practices are coming to an end. Now may be the best time to consider merging, or selling
your practice to a corporation". Well, I've read a lot about the
newest
trends in veterinary medicine and I have to admit that I've seen a lot
written about the new "mega-practices". Let's look at the developing
trend
of "corporated medicine" as I call it--and we can use the human
medicine
model as a guide to help us along.
Advantages of "mega-practices" in veterinary medicine.
Corporate "mega-practices" would have a pool of income to draw from
to allow for greater, more sophisticated equipment such as lasers,
cat-scans
(no pun intended), MRI's, and the latest in ultrasound and surgical
equipment.
They would have a greater flexibility in clinic hours open (16-24
hours/day
for example) and would be able to have a larger staff. Nobody would
deny
that in human medicine many more lives are being improved and saved due
to the new technology that seems to be coming out on a daily basis.
Disadvantages of "mega-practices" in veterinary medicine.
Those practices are around and the complaints I hear are many--"The cost was way too much"--
"Nobody there remembers me or my pet"--"I never get to see the same doctor twice"--"They shuffled us in and out of the room without so much as a hello"--"Whenever I call I get a machine
to talk and listen to". In human medicine we all know how
de-personalized
it is becoming and how we are treated as an HMO insurance policy and
not
a person with a illness.
Let's face it--corporate "mega-practices" are run by corporate managers--someone who doesn't
see the clients face-to-face and makes most decisions based on the bottom line--what will make the most money. I can't compete financially with the corporations, to acquire all the new technology and be here 24 hours a day. But that was never my goal. I think pet owners want a doctor who will be dependable--someone they can count on to know their pets' ongoing health
problems and understands the owner's relationship with their pet. As long as I am convinced that that is the most important issue for an owner, I believe that the one and two doctor practices have plenty to offer and will around for a long, long time. As for Dr. Becky and me--we ain't sellin'
out anytime soon!!