The challenge
Owner Paul Lukianovich, VMD, was looking for a practical and efficient way to grow the clinic’s revenue through the hospital’s reminder system. Traditionally, Marlton Animal Hospital only sent fecal and heartworm testing reminders to clients whose pets were also scheduled for other services, such as a physical examination or vaccinations. The clinic relied on receptionists to verbally remind clients to bring a stool sample to their appointment; this was often ineffective.
Additionally, the process of sending postcard reminders in-house was labor-intensive. An employee had to sort through patient records and reminder cards to determine which reminders needed to be sent, address and stamp each card, and make sure they were mailed at the correct time.
The solution
The practice implemented Rapport’s reminder postcard campaign in April 2017 to upgrade its reminder system, reach more clients, and improve compliance. As part of the new initiative, the hospital began sending fecal and heartworm testing reminders automatically to all clients whose pets were overdue for testing. Patients that were not due for vaccines or other services were no longer excluded when reminders were distributed.
What are the benefits?
Implementing the Rapport reminder postcard campaign to replace its in-house reminder system has already yielded significant profits, and the effect appears to be sustainable. Compared with annual revenue from the previous year, Dr. Lukianovich saw a 20% increase in the number of fecal tests being submitted to the diagnostic laboratory. “Rapport is paying for itself — just in fecals,” he said.
The practice also saw an average monthly increase of $300 to $600 in laboratory services revenue just from increased fecal testing.
“We’ve always had a hard time getting people to bring in their pets’ fecal samples,” Dr. Lukianovich said. Now that more clients are getting reminders, the response has been very consistent. Dr. Lukianovich commented that clients now come into the practice — sometimes with the reminder card they received — just to drop off a fecal sample. The new reminder system adds very little additional work from the perspective of the veterinarians and staff. PJ, practice manager and son to Dr. Lukianovich, commented about the time savings the practice has realized
since implementing Rapport’s postcard reminder system. “Rapport has been working very well for us, and we’re very happy with it,” he said. “I like the fact that I can reset the reminders at the beginning of the year. I set it, forget it, and don’t have to worry about it again, because it all drives itself.”
“Rapport has been working very well for us, and we’re very happy with it.”—Paul Lukianovich, VMD
Another benefit of Rapport’s reminder campaign is that the client or the practice can select which form of communication the client prefers (email, text, or paper). This increases the likelihood of actually reaching the client, getting a response, and improving compliance.
The bottom line
Rapport’s user-friendly practice solutions have streamlined Marlton Animal Hospital’s reminder system, improved the hospital’s patient care capabilities by increasing parasite screenings, and become a contributing factor to the practice’s continued revenue growth.
What’s next?
Dr. Lukianovich is now looking for other ways to optimize Rapport’s offerings. He was excited to learn about Rapport’s on-demand text messaging service, which allows an automated message to be sent to clients whose pets are in the hospital for the day (eg, for dental procedures, surgery). Marlton Animal Hospital is considering utilizing this for an immediate post-surgery followup and for notifying clients when a prescription is ready for pickup.
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