A practice’s productivity can vary day to day, based on the number of team members, patient caseload, and scheduled appointment load; therefore, putting operational systems and processes in place, including equipment maintenance, is key maintaining high productivity levels and minimizing frustrations.

One study of nurses working in a human hospital found they spent, on average, 42 minutes of each 8-hour shift resolving operational failures (eg, running out of medications, dealing with broken or missing equipment).¹ 

Calculating the equivalent loss of productivity for a licensed veterinary nurse with 6 to 8.9 years of experience shows that operational frustrations can account for a $12.25 loss per veterinary nurse per 8-hour shift.

Operational failures, which cause frustrations and lost productivity, can be reduced by decreasing the time veterinarians and veterinary nurses spend dealing with broken or faulty equipment.

What is the cost to a veterinary practice when broken or faulty equipment causes delays or return trips to a veterinary practice to complete a diagnostic or procedure? It may very well cost the practice the client. Prolonged waits and unexpected return trips to the practice may be just enough to make a client leave, especially given today’s culture of impatience and immediate gratification.

To truly understand the impact of losing a client, calculate a client’s lifetime value to a practice this way²:

According to the AVMA US pet ownership statistics³:

• Average number of pets per dog-owning household = 1.6
• Mean number of annual veterinary visits per dog = 2.6
• Mean veterinary expenditure per dog = $227

Data on the average number of years a client is expected to own pets is not available; however, it could be argued or assumed that adults who own a dog will remain pet owners for most of their lifetime. For the example calculation, 20 years is assigned for this value, and 3 is assigned as the number of friends a happy client might refer to the practice.

To calculate the lifetime value of a dog-owning client:

Keeping a client happy can, and likely does, dramatically impact a practice’s revenue over time. A client’s longevity hinges on a veterinary practice’s ability to deliver services and products in a timely manner.

Regular equipment maintenance can prevent equipment (eg, microscopes, radiography equipment) from causing lost time and revenue. To calculate  the cost to a practice if a microscope is out of service for a single shift, look at the average number of fine-needle aspirate (FNA) cytologies and ear cytologies performed in a day. (See Benchmarks.)

If a practice determines the average number of FNA cytologies per day is 1 and the average number of ear cytologies is 6, then:

Maintenance schedules vary according to the equipment. Some maintenance will be based on the manufacturer’s recommendations, whereas other equipment will have maintenance included in a service contract. An assigned team member will carry out some maintenance (eg, cleaning) in-house.

Understanding the impact of broken or faulty equipment to a veterinary practice’s costs and revenue makes it easy to see that maintaining practice equipment is essential. Assigning maintenance schedules and specific equipment maintenance responsibilities to individual team members will prevent lost time and revenue.