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Business Papers and Paperwork
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Paperwork checklist
- Billing forms
- Brochure
- Business card
- Forms for controlled drugs
- Health certificates
- Laboratory forms Letterhead
- Medical records forms
- New-client information sheet
- Preprinted envelopes
- Prescription pad
- Puppy and kitten health care packets / vaccination records
- Rabies vaccination certificates
- Referral cards Reminder cards (appointment and vaccination )
See The American Animal Hospital Association (www.aahanet.org> Resources).
Paperwork details
All your paperwork should reflect the fact that you are a business professional. You will need business cards, letterhead (a computer can print this out, so you no longer need to purchase a specially printed letterhead), client records, billing forms, envelopes, and more. Make a list of your needs, then shop around to save money. If there aren’t any discount office supply stores in your area, order from a catalog (see Appendix).
Envelopes that are pre-stamped and preprinted with your return address are a steal from the post office. You cannot purchase envelopes and stamps separately for the amount these cost. Go to www.usps.com for details. The only drawback is that your return address cannot include a logo. You can also use plain envelopes and a rubber-stamp return address, but that doesn’t look as professional as a printed envelope.
House call veterinarians need to create certain papers or client materials that are different from, or in addition to, the usual papers and records of the typical veterinary hospital. Some of those are listed below. .
Referral cards
A referral card is a small card for clients to take with them in the event of an emergency, or for in-hospital treatment. This card includes:
- Your name, address, and phone number;
- A notice that this pet owner is a regular client and that you should be contacted for any medical history
- Any other information that you think the hospital should have.
- A request that the hospital send you copies of medical records for the pet’s stay in their hospital;
Leave the back blank, or lined, for space to fill in specific information (e.g., “diabetic, receives 1.5 IU insulin daily”). Give several of these to each client. You can also make a form that you send to the clinic that requests information about your client’s visit. Some states’ veterinary associations have forms made for this purpose that you can copy
Veterinarian or hospital letter
This letter is sent to all hospitals and veterinarians in your area. It includes some of the general information that is also on your “referral cards.” Use it as an introduction of yourself and your services, and a way of asking for referrals. To increase referrals, note that you are prepared to send their regular clients back to them after a one-time use of your services (e.g., for a home euthanasia). (See Marketing and Hospital Connections.)
Hospital billing forms (invoices)
For use when you use a hospital’s facilities, doing the work yourself. If you have their receptionist give the client a bill, it should have your name on it, not the hospital’s. These invoice forms should be in triplicate: one for the client, one for you, and one for the hospital.
Client brochure
Whether you have a brochure or a typed sheet, you need something to give your clients to inform them of your policies and tell them about your practice. You can also hand these out if you give any talks, classes, or seminars to community members. Ask if you can leave a few at the senior’s center.
Making a brochure
You can purchase brochure paper that is preprinted with graphics and that is suitable for use in a copy machine. You then create the printed words that go on the brochure, print that out on your computer printer, and copy that onto the brochure form. For help in designing your brochure and creating an attractive layout, look in your library for graphic design books (there are a huge number of these, many specifically targeted toward creating a brochure).
Information you may want to include:
- A bit about yourself and the advantages of house call practice.
- Your telephone number and hours (times when you make and receive calls).
- Your schedule. What days / hours do you routinely visit what areas of the city?
- What hours are “routine” and what hours are considered “after hours” for increased house call fees? How far ahead should people call for an appointment?
- Your (fee) collection policy.
- Emergency phone number.
- Hospitals you recommend for cases that aren’t appropriate for a house call (daytime visits) and for emergencies (after hours).
- What services do you offer? What type of work you can do on a house call, and what procedures require a visit to a veterinary hospital.
- Your house call practice’s geographic boundaries.
- The days you do ordering, for clients who order prescription foods or whose pets receive regular medication.
- Your policy for delivering these orders, or for clients’ picking them up.
- A gentle reminder to have the pet inside well before the house call visit is scheduled (say something like, “even though your pet is usually indoors, pets have a way of disappearing just before the vet arrives. Please be sure your pet is indoors an hour before our scheduled visit.”) Include a request that the client call you if the pet should “get away” and is not found an hour before the appointment.
- Answers to any questions you find yourself repeatedly answering.
Patient records
Your needs for basic patient records aren’t that different than the needs of any veterinary hospital. One difference is that you will be carrying records with you in your vehicle. Get spillproof folders or some sort of portable file folder to contain these. Computerized records are ideal since that eliminates loss of papers. Whether you use paper or computerized records, look around at those used by other clinics to help you decide what’s best. Ask fellow veterinarians what they like or dislike about their systems. Examine different choices at the exhibit hall of your next meeting.
If you find that you’re not entering adequate info in the patient record during the visit, consider using a small digital recorder to verbally record your findings. Later, you or a part-time employee can enter those notes in the record.
Invoices
If you don’t have a computer program that generates invoices, you should have a standard invoice sheet that lists your typical services and products and their prices. This sheet will save you a lot of time that you’d otherwise spend writing out the same thing over and over (“vaccination, $25”), and it will help you to avoid “forgetting” to charge for certain items.
You can type up this fee sheet and then have it printed onto two-piece paper that gives you a copy of the invoice. Call your local printers or copy shop for information about how to do this. When you are starting out, don’t print a lot of them, since you are likely to make changes in your prices. Once you see how fast you go through the invoices you can print as many as you’ll use in a year.
Your business card
Your business card can be as simple as black type on white card stock (heavy paper); or, you can make a folded card with detailed information inside; or a refrigerator magnet. If you use a brochure, also give out your card, since brochures aren’t easy to keep next to a telephone.
What should you include on your card? At a minimum, include your name, your business name, your phone number, and an emergency phone number.
Extras include a logo, colored printing or colored card stock, plastic instead of card stock, and more. A folded card (final size the same as a regular business card) allows you to include more detailed information. Attention-getting colors or graphics aren’t necessary unless you are planning to have your cards sitting around for passersby to snatch up in places where they are only picked up when they are spotted (i.e., on a table at a pet fair or some such thing).
Otherwise, you probably hand the card to the person yourself. In that case, the basic need is to convey the information you want in a professional manner; you don’t need anything loud or attention-getting. As more people begin to use scanners on their smartphones, consider adding a QR code to the back of your card, which conveys your web URL and other data directly into the phone when it is scanned. Be sure it is big enough that it is readable by the phone.
To save money you can get pre-punched card stock that is made to be used in a printer or copy machine, with perforations that allow a bunch of cards to be punched out after you copy your information onto them. You design your card on your computer, copy it a bunch of times in nice rows that match the size and shape of the final card, print it out, and print it onto the card stock. You can get this perforated card stock at an office supply store.
Papers for the new client
Make up a form that new clients will fill out. To save time, mail this out before your first visit (that’s best, because they fill it out on their own time), or fill it out while on the phone, when the client first calls for an appointment (that takes up your time, but some veterinarians prefer to do it that way). The most time-consuming method is to have your client fill it out during your visit. Clients are apt to leave out information in this instance since they will be distracted by you and their pet.
Forms and templates are available from a variety of commercial sources and from the American Animal Hospital Association (www.aahanet.org > store )
Items to ask on the new client form
Personal: Name, address, telephone (day and evening), workplace.
If you take credit: Driver’s license number, social security number, and a place for them to sign that says they agree to the details of your credit policy as stated.
If there are multiple pet owners, the above info for both, as well as signed consent about which of them may make medical decisions about the pet (one, both, or either).
Pets: Names, ages, medical history (ask detailed questions, as you would see on a human medical form. Any past surgery, medical problems, or behavioral problems? When were last vaccinations, and what specific ones were given? Deworming? Flea control? Heartworm preventive?)
Scheduling: ask about timing of appointments: Do you prefer a definite time or is a window of time okay? What days are best for you?
Questions about the client’s wishes regarding pet care: low budget, etc. You can either have these questions on the form, or remember to always ask them yourself and then put a code of some sort on the client record. But don’t let that keep you from offering optimal care to everyone; some people who say they are “low budget” will change their minds when certain situations arise.
For clients with multiple pets, have a separate form for each pet and simply tell these clients that they only need fill out the client information part on one form (you can write in the rest later).
New client information sheet
If you are not using management software, you can create a client information sheet that asks for information such as the following:
Client information
Today’s date
Client name; Partner / Spouse
Street address (and mailing address, if different)
City, State, Zip
Place of work / employer:
Phone Day / Evening / Cell; Best time / days to phone:
How did you hear about Super House call Service?
Best times / days for house call appointments:
Do you prefer to schedule specific times (y) (n), or is a window of time acceptable (y) (n)
Method of payment (circle one): VISA Mastercard personal check cash
Pet information (fill out separate sheet for each pet)
Pet’s name, age, birthdate.
How old was this pet when you got it?
Species dog cat bird other
Male female / neutered spayed
Previous regular veterinarian
Last vaccinations (date, type, by whom; for animals under 1 year of age, list all vaccines given)
Heartworm preventive used? (Dates / product used)
Has this pet ever been de-wormed? (Dates / product used)
What flea control methods are you using? Do you need help in this area?
Has this pet ever been hospitalized? Explain (dates, clinic or doctor, reasons)
Has this pet ever had surgery? Explain (dates, clinic or doctor, reasons)
Has this pet ever been treated for any illness, or ever received any medication? Explain (dates, clinic or doctor, reasons)
Is this pet currently receiving medication?
Does this pet have any behaviors you’d like to change? (e.g., digging, jumping, barking, meowing, inappropriate urination / defecation, aggression, scratching furniture).
Reason for this veterinary visit
Get access to all handy features included in the IVIS website
- Get unlimited access to books, proceedings and journals.
- Get access to a global catalogue of meetings, on-site and online courses, webinars and educational videos.
- Bookmark your favorite articles in My Library for future reading.
- Save future meetings and courses in My Calendar and My e-Learning.
- Ask authors questions and read what others have to say.
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