Stayin’ Alive: Best Approaches to Influencing Change in the Veterinary Industry

Generally, those within any industry have a bias against outside influences affecting structural change. Change itself, regardless of the source, is often messy and painful before it is positive. The mess and pain can be particularly acute in veterinary care when change ultimately affects the well-being of a patient.  

Some of the recent changes in the veterinary industry are driven by the desire to increase profit margins and focus solely on the “bottom line.” That is not the change or work that this article will focus on. For the purposes of this article, we will set aside the broader changes brought by the “corporatization” of animal health.  Instead, we will address how the perspective of those outside the industry is both healthy feedback and essential for growth.  

Reframing Industry Disruption 

Mark Zuckerberg famously described Facebook’s early philosophy as “move fast and break things.” Those of us in the veterinary industry do not have the luxury of moving too fast (though some will try) because “breaking things” ultimately could mean affecting the health of a patient. Rather than argue that the practice of animal medicine needs a “disruptor” to come in and rewrite the framework of the industry, we advocate for listening to reasonable, well-intentioned voices that provide perspective and are additive to the way things are, and have been, done. We will call them “modifiers.”  

It is important to have a diverse set of voices throughout a company to act as “modifiers”. Note that when diversity includes those outside the industry, there will be an inherent knowledge gap specific to veterinary care. We are not advocating to lead clinical decision-making by those without experience. Instead, we advocate to include those from outside the industry to generate ideas for discussion.  

For discussion to be fruitful, a certain temperament is required of the people within an organization to effect change. In addition to what is required of the individual, the company should be mindful of both the employee culture and patient care ecosystem. 

Influence from the Individual  

Change must start with humility. Modifiers must be self-aware enough to know they do not have all the answers. When trying to implement change, it is important to acknowledge that processes exist because they have been historically proven to work.

Additionally, no one motivates a team to initiate change by loudly telling everyone they are wrong. That is not how human behavior works. Both the industry veterans and the newcomers must be willing to see things from different perspectives. Individuals should be incentivized to respectfully challenge each other and approach problems with the ability to take feedback. Everyone should enter the discussion empowered to admit there might be a better way than their current view. With this disposition, viewpoints from both sides can be used to find the best solution. 

Where to Influence Change 

Where, in our opinion, can these external industry modifiers contribute the most? Company culture, the client journey, hospital processes and marketing.  

Company Culture 

How do you end up offering a better client service at the clinic level? It is an animal-centric industry driven by people, so it should start with its people. Why have technology companies notoriously spent billions of dollars on perks that cater to employees’ every desire at work? Ego and money to burn? Sure. The ultimate thesis, however, is the happier the employee, the more productive the employee. In our case, the happier and more motivated the employee, the better the experience the client and patient will have. Combine motivated employees with effective marketing strategies and efficient processes at the clinic, and you have a recipe for success: a clinic (and company) that can not only provide premium care, but financial performance.  

At Papaya, we embody this mindset by setting up training and leadership development programs. We are setting up these programs to both honor an employee’s development journey and strengthen our company infrastructure for success. We have a philosophy that we would much rather grow leaders from within than hire them from outside. This helps with organizational performance in our retention and employee satisfaction, and altruistically, it enables people to grow and provides them a personalized path for their career goals.  

Client Journey 

Unfortunately as the veterinary industry has evolved, the care of an animals has become increasingly segmented. Specialization in itself is not a bad thing. Generally, specialization is good. If every veterinary becomes extremely skilled in their area of focus, the animal ultimately benefits. That is, if a client can navigate and afford the system. Thus, we encourage organizations to create a continuum of care for the patient to remedy the downside. Broadly speaking, you will not walk into general practice clinics and find ER services, or vice versa, but DVMs at each location should know each other, speak to one another, and consult. We believe this leads to better outcomes for the patient and an easier journey for the client. This isn’t a novel idea, but we, like some others in the industry, have seen the inevitable outcome of segmentation in human health, and want to avoid animal health following an identical path. 

Hospital Processes 

In many ways, human and animal medicine industries have influenced each other. A human physician’s workflow has been made more efficient by utilizing highly trained nurses and mid-level practitioners. Much in the same way, we can maximize a veterinarian’s time by augmenting them with VTs and RVTs. As their capacity fills, supplementing their caseload with staff members will enable them to function at maximum efficiency. This prioritizes their time to provide quality care and a high touch with clients and patients — essentially helping them achieve their highest and best use. There are state and industry laws and regulations to consider as well as the veterinarian’s general comfort level, but these methods, originally stemming from human medicine, would increase productivity. 

Marketing  

Marketing and business development strategies are still emerging in the veterinary industry. Professionals in this space are usually engaged to generate referrals or sales for an underlying business. This is most common in retail and commerce; however, we believe there is a growing need for these employees in the veterinary industry. An effective marketing professional can help build relationships for an emergency hospital, or work with other affiliate animal businesses to build referral programs. These team members can partner with hospital staff to combine both digital and local marketing strategies that help drive clients to the door. 

In Conclusion 

Many veterinary companies (and companies in every industry) preach about a “different way of doing things”, but people and companies should be judged not by their words, but by their actions. At Papaya, what different means to us can be summed up in how the organization is structured, not by what we preach. We aim to enable pet care by providing different perspectives. We recognize that there is always more to learn, whether from those in the veterinary industry or outside of it, or those within our company or outside it. Feeback and an openness to correct our mistakes is essential to our success. This culture and approach are largely driven by the experiences of people within the industry and have been influenced by receptive feedback from those outside of it. It has been “modified,” rather than disrupted.