Episode #
48
Diagnosis & Repair of a Veterinary Practice.
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In this must-listen episode of The Veterinary Business Podcast, Dr. Joel Parker, a seasoned consultant and expert in veterinary practice management, shares powerful insights into diagnosing and repairing struggling practices. With over 20 years of hands-on experience, Dr. Parker has helped countless practice owners overcome financial challenges, improve team culture, and implement systems that fuel long-term growth.
This episode dives deep into the most common mistakes veterinary practice owners make, from underpricing services to neglecting team dynamics, and explains how small, strategic changes can unlock greater profitability and efficiency. Dr. Parker walks through his innovative approach to analyzing practice health—comparing it to a patient exam—and teaches you how to apply key performance indicators (KPIs) to diagnose problems, track progress, and refine operations.
Whether you’re a first-time practice owner learning the ropes or a veteran leader looking for fresh ideas to optimize your business, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways. Learn how to stop burnout in its tracks, increase revenue without losing clients, and build a team that aligns with your values and vision. You’ll walk away with practical strategies you can implement today to turn your veterinary practice into a thriving, profitable business.
Key Takeaways:
- The Importance of Profitability.
Learn why getting your fees right is critical to your practice’s success and how even a 20% fee increase can dramatically improve profitability without client pushback.
- Leadership and Ownership.
Discover why practice owners need to “step up” and take ownership, not just as veterinarians but as entrepreneurs, to effectively manage and grow their practice.
- Team Dynamics.
Understand the value of having a team that aligns with your practice’s goals, and how to deal with negative staff members that drain productivity.
- Eliminating Friction.
Small mistakes add up. Dr. Parker discusses the concept of a “friction-free practice” and how reducing inefficiencies can lead to higher productivity and less burnout.
- Low-Hanging Fruit for Improvement.
Adjusting fees and improving financial management are often the easiest first steps to making significant changes.
- Courage to Make Changes.
It takes courage to push through changes like fee increases and staff adjustments, but the results are often transformative.
Listen to this Episode on
Timestamp
- 00:00 – Introduction and welcoming Dr. Joel Parker
- 02:50 – Diagnosis and repair of a veterinary practice: What does it involve?
- 07:00 – Profitability as a key indicator of practice health
- 12:52 – Looking at your practice like a patient: Using KPIs for diagnosis
- 18:23 – The most common mistakes practice owners make and how to fix them
- 19:47 – Leadership: Becoming a business owner and entrepreneur
- 21:58 – How to deal with staffing issues and negative employees
- 25:05 – The impact of small mistakes and creating a friction-free practice
- 29:55 – Final thoughts and how to connect with Dr. Joel Parker
Joel Parker, DVM
Veterinarian | Entrepreneur | Speaker | YouTube Blogger | Author | Podcast Host
- Founder, Director, and CEO at Parker Business Systems
- Former Co-Founder and President at Veterinary Practice Solutions
- Former Consultant at Measurable Solutions
- Former Owner and Executive Director at Animal Medical Hospital, BC
- Former ER Veterinarian at VCA Canada Vancouver Animal Emergency and Referral Centre
- Former Veterinarian at Richmond Animal Hospital, BC
Dr. Joel Parker is a highly accomplished veterinarian and entrepreneur with decades of experience in the veterinary industry. He is the Founder, Director, and CEO of Parker Business Systems. Previously, he held roles as Co-Founder and President of Veterinary Practice Solutions, Consultant at Measurable Solutions, Owner and Executive Director at Animal Medical Hospital, BC, ER Veterinarian at VCA Canada Vancouver Animal Emergency and Referral Centre, and Veterinarian at Richmond Animal Hospital, BC.
Dr. Parker was born in Alaska and raised on the West Coast of Canada. His entrepreneurial journey began at age 15 when he started a landscaping business. His deep passion for animals led him to pursue veterinary medicine, earning degrees in both Science and Veterinary Medicine from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1986, Dr. Parker purchased the AAHA-accredited Animal Medical Hospital in West Vancouver, BC. His practice gained notable recognition for its state-of-the-art facilities, including a sound-proof dog ward that was featured in Trends Magazine.
Faced with the challenges of owner-dependent practice management, Dr. Parker sought effective business solutions. He discovered the Hubbard Management System, a proven management technology, which dramatically transformed his practice’s success. This breakthrough inspired the creation of two new ventures: Veterinary Endoscopy Service and Canine Equipment – Gear For Dogs, a company that manufactured and distributed high-end dog training equipment globally.
In 2004, driven by his own success, Dr. Parker co-founded Veterinary Practice Solutions to share this powerful management system with other veterinary practice owners, helping them elevate their practices to new levels of success, which he describes as the “Standing Ovation Practice.”
Today, Dr. Parker continues to share his expertise as a speaker, YouTube blogger, and co-host of the Veterinary Business Podcast, helping veterinarians thrive both clinically and entrepreneurially.
Connect with Dr. Parker:
