The end of a year is always a good time to look back on the past 12 months to see what has been accomplished, what worked and what didn’t, and what still needs to be done going forward. At VCP, 2017 was a busy year with lots of new practices launching wellness plan programs, software improvements and interesting iterations like telemedicine, membership clubs and much more. So far, 2018 is lining up to be just as exciting, as more practices come on board and existing practices with mature programs learn to navigate the renewal process and add new plans and features to grow their client offerings.

In 2017, we blogged on a variety of wellness plan related topics, from optimal plan design and marketing strategy to understanding churn, and everything in between. But when you strip away all of the statistics, recommendations and details, what is it we have been talking about in these articles and why is it important?

At the heart of it all, we are talking about changing the ecosystem of a veterinary practice simply by bundling optimal preventive care services and offering the ability for clients to pay for these services over time. And yet as simple as that sounds, we can all agree that the transition to this new eco-system has been slow to evolve and fraught with the anxiety that accompanies major change initiatives. But we also know wellness plans work. They improve the health of your business and your patients. Practices that do it, and do it well, will tell you it is the best thing they have ever done.

Most likely as you read this, you are in one of three different states pertaining to wellness plan implementation. Maybe you have not yet implemented a program, either because you have been on the fence or felt you didn’t have the infrastructure to support the initiative. If that is the case, then a new year is yours for the taking! Challenge yourself to make now the time that you move forward (review industry data, articles, blogs – it’s all out there) and start offering what pet owners are asking for.

Or perhaps you already offer wellness plans, but need to breathe new life into your program to maximize the benefits. Whether that means redesigning your plans or working on practice flow and training, a new year is the perfect time to do things differently. As with anything, your program is only as good as the people that believe in it and the culture that supports it.

Or lastly, maybe you already have a tremendously successful program with hundreds of members and a high renewal rate but you aren’t one to rest on your laurels and are ready to pursue new membership initiatives such as the addition of chronic illness or lifestyle plans. The sky is the limit when it comes to making veterinary care budget friendly and accessible to all.

And the best part is that no matter what state you are in, VCP is here to help you at every step of the journey — from implementation to mastery. If you are ready to start the conversation, or if you are already on board and just need to re-energize your initiative, let’s talk. Changing it up and truly embracing this new ecosystem may be just what your practice needs to accomplish great things in the coming year.

Cheers, health and happiness from all of us at VCP.