Eye for Design
Help your customers design an office that looks great … and functions even better

You may not be a designer. You may not know a primary color from a secondary, or mission style from feng shui. But you do know when you step into a beautiful office. You do know, when you talk to the office staff, what works and what doesn’t in their office. And you do know, when you leave a vet’s office, whether you’re happy to get out or not.

The fact is, what you see, feel and experience in your customers’ offices - those so-called “gut feelings” - may be of tremendous value to your customers who are contemplating building a new facility or redesigning an existing one. That’s not to mention the technical knowledge you can share with them on equipment and products that work for your other customers.

Cathy Fish, DVM, figured as much when she decided to build the Apalachee River Animal Hospital in Dacula, Ga. “I asked two or three reps I really trusted to tell me about the hospitals they visited that they felt were really beautiful and well-designed,” she says. Then she spoke with the vets, got some referrals for architects, and began the project. And she recalls how, at the beginning of the project, one rep with whom she had worked before, Mike Stone, with Henry Schein, walked her through his catalogs, pointed out items she would need right away as well as others she might look at down the line, and put together pricing, so she could present the information to her loan officer. “Because of his attention to detail and all of his help, I have kept my sales business with him for seven years, and will remain a loyal client until he or I no longer practice,” she says.

And when Eric Winston, DVM, decided he just didn’t have the money to hire an architect to help him build out a new hospital, he turned to his rep, Mary Murphy, for help. She told him that her company, Webster Veterinary, could offer its expertise in helping him design the space. That began a months-long relationship with Equipment Manager Michael Reynolds, beginning with a review and tweaking of a number of stock plans, extended all the way to opening day. “When it came time to install equipment, [Reynolds] was here, screwdriver in hand,” recalls Winston.

More efficient use of space
Sales reps paying attention to their customers’ environs can’t help but notice a couple of things about them,
according to those with whom Vet-Advantage spoke. In brief, they’re bigger, brighter, better looking and better laid-out than clinics and offices of the past.
“I think space has become more efficient than in the past,” says John Tait, MS, DVM, MBA, CFP, Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph in Ontario. He is also president-elect of the American Animal Hospital Association.

“Trends include more professional input from architects and advisors in making traffic flow more efficient, improving workplace environments, improving the experience for clients, and making practices greener, [with such technologies as] geothermal heating and cooling. We have also seen more dedicated-use rooms for things like endoscopy, ultrasound, euthanasia and other specific procedures.”

Today’s more marketing-oriented vets are paying attention to such things as client service areas, retail areas, outdoor areas for pets, and comfort rooms for euthanasia, says Tait. They’re also focusing on making parking easily accessible, staff areas comfortable and functional, and facilities handicapped-accessible. Some vets have incorporated separate reception areas for dogs and cats, though that is still relatively rare, given the need for more square footage, separate entrances and barriers.

Office and hospital layouts are more circular today, to facilitate traffic flow, adds Tait. Linear, or back-and-forth, traffic flow causes people to bump into one another, often while carrying things or dragging reluctant animals.

Today’s veterinary offices and hospitals are also seeing changes in the guts of their operations, adds Tait. For example, as vets migrate toward digital technology, such as imaging and practice management software, they must consider the impact of computer systems and infrastructure in their new-office designs. Exam rooms are being designed to accommodate new technology, such as microchip scanners and video equipment for client education.

Surgery suites must be built to accommodate cameras, endoscopy, ultrasound and advanced patient monitoring equipment, he says. “Room size has to keep pace to accommodate it all. In fact, if there’s one part of today’s hospital that can be downsized, it might be the imaging room. Dedicated areas are still a necessity, given shielding regulations. “But with automated processing, developing tanks and storage space for developing fluids is no longer needed,” Tait points out. What’s more, digital X-ray does away with film and film storage.

Tech talk aside, special-purpose rooms for euthanasia, which are set up with soft lighting and more comfortable accommodations than traditional exam rooms, represent another trend, says Tait. Some have mats instead of tables, for the comfort of animal and client.

Although the vet, designer/architect and contractor are key to the planning and carrying out of a new office, the distributor rep has an important role to play too, says Tait. “If distributors could provide a network or referral to an informed source on this topic, it would help steer vets in the right direction to get informed advice. They may have access to other models.”

Guidance through construction
In some cases, they can do better than that. Webster Veterinary, for example, has the ability to guide vets through the design, construction and equipment acquisition phases, all the way to open house, points out Mike Reynolds. That means plenty of opportunity for the Webster rep. But any rep, regardless of his or her company, can play an important role in the process, he adds.

“Reps who have been working with a doctor for a long time - at least the good ones - have developed a relationship that’s more than just a sales rep selling products,” he says. “[He or she] is a person the doctor can come to for guidance on a lot of things.”

That’s what happened when Eric Winston visited with his rep a year and a half ago. Winston, a 2001 graduate of Texas A&M Veterinary School, had practiced in South Texas, where he was born and raised, for a couple of years before moving up north to what the Texans call Hill Country, about an hour from Austin.

About three years ago, Winston decided to open his own practice. Looking at demographics and the competitive landscape, he settled on Bee Cave, about 15 miles west of Austin. “I found two pieces of land to build a clinic on,” he says. “But it would have been restrictively expensive to build a nice facility and purchase a piece of land, [while at the same time] lacking an existing client base.” So he scaled back and, with the help of a real estate broker, located a 4,000-square-foot freestanding building that had at one time been a golf retail store. He decided to lease the building and renovate it. Even so, the economics of the project were daunting. Architects that specialize in veterinary buildings command in the mid-five digits, points out Winston.

It was while considering his next move that Winston’s sales rep, Mary Murphy, told him that Webster had developed a design service. “I contacted Mike Reynolds, we sat down and went over some designs,” he recalls. A month and a half later, Winston had settled on a design that he felt would meet his needs, and he located a contractor who had experience building physicians’ and dentists’ offices.

Safe, comfortable place
What was he looking for? “We wanted the reception area to be open, welcome and well-lit, with sufficient room so everyone can keep their animals apart,” he says. “We wanted people to feel like it’s a safe place, and where their animals would feel comfortable.” Sixty feet of wall-to-ceiling glass along the front of the building provide ample distractions for the animals, and brightens up the place for their owners too. “It really makes for a welcoming atmosphere.”

Indeed, says Reynolds, offices have become much brighter and more open. “[Veterinarians] are much more concerned with the client experience than they were 10 or 15 years ago,” he says. “It used to be just total functionality without a lot of consideration for comfort - and not just comfort of the animal, but of the owner too.” While it’s true that some vets can create a “spa experience” in their waiting rooms, with fireplaces and other amenities, most lack the money to do so. “So they concentrate more on making an acceptably nice reception area, then spending their money in the back.”

When drawing up a new clinic, vets today are sensitive to the need to accommodate their equipment, adds Reynolds. That often means one thing: square footage. For example, is there adequate space for rolling equipment to be maneuvered where needed? “That’s what we think about. Is there enough room to get everything in and everything out?”

Closely tied to square footage is comfort - for staff and clients. “One of the biggest things we did was make [the hospital] very comfortable to work in, so one person can do one thing in one area and not run into someone else,” says Winston. “There’s sufficient room to do everything and sufficient room to expand.”
Winston’s practice - Village Veterinary Hospital - has four exam rooms. Three measure 10 x 10, and are outfitted with exam tables, cabinets and benches. The fourth measures 15 x 15 and is intended for large dogs and/or multiple people. The larger room, which also serves as the euthanasia room, has a Midmark lift table. Winston intends to put a couch in the room at some point.

The hub of the office is the treatment room, where procedures such as dental work, IV catheterization and minor non-sterile surgery are performed. Placing the treatment room in the center of the office was the logical thing to do, says Winston. Animals can be prepped for surgery there or easily transported to radiology or the isolation area.

The treatment room has two tables - one dry and one wet, with space for a third. Oxygen and exhaust for anesthesia gases are accommodated in a central column. The room also holds cages, in which animals are housed either before or after procedures. “They’re always out in the open where we can see them,” says Winston. The room reflects the desire of many veterinarians to provide an open and airy environment in which to work, adds Reynolds. Winston installed a 42-inch TV monitor in the treatment area on which to view radiographs. The monitor also serves as the practice’s white board.

Village Veterinary Hospital has one surgery suite, which can accommodate two tables, though only one is located there now. A large-pane glass window separates the room from the treatment area. A pass-through area allows for efficient and safe transport of surgical instruments and packs. A scrub sink, storage cabinets and autoclave sit in an alcove outside the surgery suite.

When Winston built out Village Veterinary, he decided to equip it with state-of-the-art technology. The office is paperless, he says, thanks to an automated practice management system and digital radiography. If paper records are transferred to the hospital, the staff scan them in. Exam rooms are equipped with computers, so patients can view radiographs of their animals. What’s more, Winston equipped the hospital with a CBC machine, an onsite chemistry analyzer, digital tonometry, a coagulation machine and a digital microscope.

Prior to opening the facility, Winston faced the daunting task of hiring staff and making sure they were trained on all the equipment in time for the grand opening on Jan. 17, 2008. He credits his distributor with helping him through the process. “Mary is a very tenacious rep. If you have a question, she’ll get right back to you or find the answer quickly.” Regarding Reynolds he says, “Mike was over here probably three times a week, measuring things, going over the plans, saying ‘This is not right,’ going to bat for me.

“I’m very happy with the design of the office,” he says. “People are thrilled to come here. They say their animals are happy to come here too.”

Big dream, small pockets
As they did with Winston, economics played a role in Cathy Fish’s plans to open a new hospital as well. “I had big dreams and small pockets,” she says, referring to her desire to buy land and build a state-of-the-art clinic in Dacula, about 30 minutes outside Atlanta. But through perseverance, assistance from others (including her distributor) and some luck, she eventually did get her facility.

Fish, a 1996 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, worked in general and then emergency practice for six years before moving to Dacula. She wanted to establish herself in the small community as it began growing. So in March 2002, she opened a practice in a shopping center.
The location had its upside and downside, she explains. “We got a lot of traffic flow, which is great for a start-up,” she says. The center had the only grocery store in the area. What’s more, establishing a practice in a shopping center means you don’t have to deal with landscaping issues or parking lot maintenance.

On the other hand, shopping-center space tends to be limited. Fish’s clinic had just two examination rooms and a small reception area. Although she started an ambitious boarding program, it was hampered by space limitations. “During holiday times, we were very stressed with boarding in the shopping center,” she recalls. The practice also lacked a roomy place to walk the animals, or a yard in which they could play. To meet the demands of a growing client base, Fish brought on another doctor, but when she tried to add a third, the space limitations made things a little too tense, she says.

When she opened her practice, it was with the intent of staying in the shopping center three years, then opening up in a new building. But she found it difficult to find land at a reasonable price. And given that her practice was new, banks were reluctant to lend her a great deal of money. So when her three-year contract with the shopping center expired, she renewed it for another three years, to give herself some time to figure out the next move.

Land wasn’t cheap in Dacula when her real estate broker went looking. One problem was the expense of bringing water to all the new buildings going up. But everything fell into place when a developer bought land near the shopping center, and announced plans to build another shopping center and to sell and develop one-acre plots of land. Fish purchased one of them.

Next came the task of selecting an architect, something she considered essential to the success of the project. “When I moved into the shopping center, I designed my [practice] on an 8-by-11 piece of paper,” she says. “I went to the contractor, who did everything I designed. But the setup didn’t work. We didn’t use space appropriately.” She vowed not to make that mistake again.

That’s when Fish asked a couple of trusted sales reps to share with her the names of hospitals that they considered to be well-designed, and the names of architects whom their customers admired. One name came back several times: Mark Claar of Southeast Design, an Atlanta-area firm specializing in animal care facilities. Fish met with Claar and decided to work with him on her new hospital. Claar presented her with a 20-page questionnaire about what she wanted in a facility, then produced several designs. “We chose one and tweaked it, but he did all the designing,” she says. “I tried to stay out of it.”

Claar had a good relationship with a contractor, and selected him to do the building. “That’s what helped me,” says Fish. “And I was running a very busy practice. I didn’t have time to come over every day and check every inch of construction. I had to know I trusted them.” She also selected an interior designer - a client - to help with the project.

Bigger is better
Starting from the front, Fish knew she wanted a big reception area, in marked contrast to her space in the shopping center. “Our waiting room is now just a little bit smaller than our entire facility in the shopping center,” she says. “It’s very open, with a lot of seating for clients if they have to wait.”

The new facility has five exam rooms (the shopping center office had two). “We definitely wanted them to have sinks, in case we ever decide to go for AAHA accreditation,” says Fish. She also upgraded the furniture in the rooms, with nicer tables and cabinetry, and bench seating. The new facility also has a consultation room, which is also used for euthanasia.

Like Winston, Fish decided that the treatment room would be the hub of the practice. It is situated in the center of the building, with the surgery suite, cat ward, radiology room and special-procedures room branching off it. “We have our treatment board there, so everybody knows what needs to be done,” she explains. “And they can branch out to different areas to get it done. If someone needs assistance in the treatment room, they don’t have to run and hunt for someone.”
Also off the treatment room is Apalachee River’s in-house lab, where the staff can run almost any test it might need on an immediate basis. All surgical blood work is done in-house as well. The lab links to the practice’s automated medical records system. So does its digital radiography system, located in the radiology room.
The surgery suite is large enough for two tables, but at the moment, it only has one. Meanwhile, a special procedures room is reserved for dental procedures, ultrasound, etc.

Moving into a new facility while implementing new technologies, such as digital radiography and the in-house lab, was no small challenge, says Fish. Claar knew what accommodations would have to be made for the technologies from a design point of view, she says. Naturally, her sales reps played a key role here as well, she says. “Reps should be able to help the contractor with questions about size, weight and electrical needs” of the equipment they sell. And they should be able to guide the veterinarian on what the potential utilization of a particular machine or technology might be.

What’s more, reps need to be the training experts on the new technology going into the practice. “The reps who sold us equipment were very good at conducting quick seminars and training, and then making sure there was one employee who would be the expert, to help others with any problems,” says Fish. “And helping the vet move in is always nice!” she adds.

Indeed, her reps were onsite during move-in day, Friday, Nov. 30, 2007. On the very next day, Dec. 1, Apalachee welcomed the community for an open house. Another busy move-in day on Sunday, Dec. 2, and the hospital opened for business that Monday.
The final days might have been a little rushed, admits Fish. If she had it to do over again, she’d try to time the process a little better. Still, she got what she wanted: a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic.

Sidebar: Trends to Watch

Here are some key attributes of today’s veterinary hospitals and clinics, and some questions with which you might challenge your customers contemplating building a new facility.

• Overall openness and airiness are a huge plus.
• Lighting must be generous. The more the better.
• Windows are important. As with lighting, the more the better. Large-pane windows on outside walls can help put animals and clients at ease. Internal windows further a feeling of openness, facilitate communication, and allow clients to watch as their pets are treated.
• Waiting rooms must be big and comfortable. Amenities, such as deluxe coffee makers, will help. Separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs are on many vets’ wish lists, though budget constraints may overrule all.
• Think big. Plan with growth in mind. Can the treatment room accommodate another table if the practice grows? Is there room for people to move around without bumping into each other? Can the surgery suite accommodate today’s technology as well as tomorrow’s?
• What’s outdoors? Is there adequate space for a play area for pets? Can patients be walked in comfort and ease?
• A comfortable, sensitively appointed euthanasia room will be appreciated by your customers’ clients.
• Sales reps: Don’t underestimate your value in the building and/or renovation process. Not only are you a source of information on equipment needed in the new facility, but you are a valuable source of references to vets who practice in beautiful or functional accommodations, and to the architects who helped them.
• Final note for sales reps: BE THERE ON OPENING DAY. Bring a screwdriver and safety goggles.