1 Take advantage of exclusive brands
One simple tactic is to rethink your buying habits and switch brands. You might love a good designer brand, but status doesn’t register in the surgical suite. You care about the quality, durability, precision and efficacy of your supplies – not their labels. In an ideal world, you get all those things from your products, without paying premium prices.
That is the mold that Pivetal was born from. It’s an exclusive product line designed for performance and reliability. Manufacturers work with Patterson to offer veterinarians high quality items at a lower cost under the Pivetal brand.
As Colorado territory manager and 27-year industry veteran Bill Marks says, “Our carpofen is the bioequivalent of Rimadyl. It’s FDA-approved and it’s less expensive for your practice and clients. Why not try it? And that name brand gauze? Our gauze can be anywhere from $1.50 to $2.50 cheaper a sleeve. Save the money!”
By stocking your inventory with the economical house brand, your hospital can make pet care more accessible and easier for clients to say yes to treatment.
Discover Pivetal brand
2 Join a good group purchasing organization (GPO)
A GPO lets independent veterinary practices get better pricing with access to discounts and cost savings and sometimes, other perks. dvmGRO is a GPO – plus.
Megan Sturgill is a CVPM who is now CEO of dvmGRO and doesn’t want it to be just a discount GPO but rather a group resource organization. “In fact,” said Jeff McCaughey, VP of strategic accounts for Patterson Veterinary, “that is what the GRO part of the name is: Group Resource Organization. We’re the exclusive distributor with dvmGRO,” Jeff said.
“We are building this GPO from scratch and what makes it different is it’s not just about product pricing; it’s about the whole practice. We have an employee assistance program, practice insurance and a payment processor.”
Purina, Merck and Zoetis are our cornerstone manufacturers for nutrition, essentials and lab diagnostics – foundational partners to give practices a dependable partner to turn to for every part of their practice. Another feature included with membership is continuing education.
Talk with your rep or sign up at dvmgro.com
3 Recapture pharmacy sales
Pet owners are more cost-conscious, frequently comparing prices online. A Brakke study found 75% of veterinary practices have online pharmacies, but 50% of surveyed pet owners did not know about it.
Retaining pharmacy revenue can be a three-step approach:
1) Market your online pharmacy
Utilize free QR code creators that directly link back to your online pharmacy. Put that QR code on everything: discharge instructions, business cards, fridge magnets, initial prescription bottles, appointment confirmations, practice email signatures – everything.
2) Dialog with your customers when you receive outside pharmacy requests
“Over 30% of outside pharmacy requests can be converted to an internal sale if that pet owner is contacted,” said RVT Staci Thorne, senior manager of product partnerships for Patterson Veterinary. “And that percentage could be higher if you consider price matching their shopped item or loyalty programs.”
Thorne says to create canned messages to save time on these communications and to redirect customers where you want them to go. Send an email or text saying, ‘We received your Walmart request for Fluffy’s medication. Please use this link to our online pharmacy to complete your order.’
3) Know your return on investment and stack tools where it makes sense
Many practices could benefit from tiered solutions when it comes to prescription management.
First, line up your inventory to keep high-margin products stocked for pet owners to pick up in clinic.
Second, utilize a dedicated online pharmacy such as Vetsource for frequently price-shopped items like parasiticides or difficult to store items such as medications with short expiration dates or inventory that takes up a lot of space such as pet foods.
Third, approve refill requests for outside pharmacies you know you can’t compete with.
“It’s okay to approve some of those outside pharmacy requests that you know you can’t compete with,” said Thorne. “It saves you more time and money to just approve that $4 generic refill at a Costco or Walmart than it does for you to call the pet owner, convert it to a practice sale, use up white goods for pill bottles and Rx labels, then spending time physically filling script.”
Create your pharmacy
4 Grow career pathing through CE
For many team members, CE isn’t just about meeting requirements set by their employer or necessary for maintaining licensure, it’s about developing career paths, building resilience and finding renewed passion in their work. Ongoing learning keeps skills sharp, builds confidence and helps professionals adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of medicine, technology and client expectations.
Continuing education can serve as a key differentiator for practices. Clinics that prioritize CE signal to staff that they are invested in their long-term success. You’re also essentially targeting individuals with a growth mindset, so it’s twofold: you attract more people, and you attract the RIGHT people.
Patterson Veterinary Academy’s Oriana Gradeles-Scislowicz, CPTD, PMP, MHRM, LVT, notes, “Employees emphasized the importance of job-relevant course design and managerial support.
So, you really need to make sure leadership is not only onboard, but supportive and nurturing in staff development.”
Patterson Veterinary Academy has affordable CE packages, with 180 courses, available 24/7, up to 10 seats, for everyone on your team – from vet techs to practice managers and front desk staff.
Find your CE
5 Consider digital marketing and taking a look at your website as a starting point
How old is your website? Shannon Perry of LifeLearn Animal Health says a lifespan for a website is three to five years. After that, enough has changed in the world – and likely in your practice – that it’s time to rethink. Your website should reflect an up-to-date, modern practice.
It’s not all on you, though. For example, LifeLearn can walk you through digital marketing recommendations for your practice within the context of your market.
It starts with a kickoff meeting and within about a month, your site is up and ready to go. Additional digital marketing can grow from there. Your website can operate like a second front office staff member, too.
- Consider online booking. We are all accustomed to this as humans with our own healthcare provider. The expectation is there for owners for their pets.
- Consider an educational blog, which can include keywords that bring clients to your site, educating them in the process.
- Search engine optimization means your clinic is returned as a top result in a Google search. The above-mentioned educational blog also helps with this.
- Social media is important and builds familiarity and trust with current and new clients. LifeLearn has a social media package that posts five times a week; you post two.
Digital marketing and websites
Listen to Social Media: It’s A Party on the All Things Veterinary podcast
6 Invest in digital imaging that pays for itself in newfound issues and procedures
Anecdotally, when this writer started at Patterson Veterinary 10 years ago, we offered one CT scanner. We now have 45, from small and portable to large enough for a Great Dane. It’s one of the biggest investments you can make in your clinic – and one of the most profitable.
When Dr. Shane Whitaker was considering a CT, he wanted to ensure a) that it get used every day, multiple times a day and b) that the unit pay for itself quickly. His decision was to raise the price of dentals by $60; each patient gets an 18-second scan of the entire head. He found more instances of nasal cancer in the first six months than he had in 11 years of practice. And the payment for the CT was nearly wiped out within six months. And the dentals made up only a fraction of the ways his practice used CT.
Depending on your community and market, your clinic can offer CT and provide surgery/treatment utilizing diagnostics, keeping imaging in house and more affordable for clients. You can refer to a specialist if needed. The result? Better care and client convenience.
A purchase of CT technology from Patterson Veterinary includes not just training on how to use the CT but also the surgical procedures that come along with all the issues you’ll find. It starts with a conversation to find which unit is right for you.
Discover 3D CT options
Sources
avma.org/news/survey-results-highlight-pet-owner-price-sensitivity-veterinary-services
Hajdari M, Qerimi F, Qerimi A. Impact of continuing education on employee productivity and financial performance of banks. Emerging Science Journal. 2023;7(4):1158-1172. Continuing education explained 40.2% of employee productivity. Employees who received ongoing training reported higher skill development, career growth, and efficiency.
Myers WS. What to say when clients ask for prescriptions to outside pharmacies. Veterinary Practice News. September 11, 2025. veterinarypracticenews.com/what-to-say-when-clients-ask-for-prescriptions-to-outside-pharmacies
Ostovarfar J, Ostovarfar M, Zare S, Moradi L, Makiabadi E, Asadollahi, A. Evaluation of Continuous Educational Programs as Viewed by the Employees of the Great Naft Hospital. Journal of Health Sciences & Surveillance System. 2018 Jul;6(3):130-135.
Weaver C. Exploring the adoption and use of CT. Veterinary Practice News. October 7, 2025. veterinarypracticenews.com/exploring-adoption-use-ct/
VHMA Trends, August 2025
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