Halow Consulting

Veterinary Business Advisors

Loyalty

We believe that loyalty is an emblematic component of trust, an essential component to great relationships and teams.

About

Bash Halow is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and of the Veterinary Management Institute series at Purdue University. A veterinary professional for 20 years, he managed a practice in New York City before advancing to a regional manager position for Healthy Pet Corporation (later VCA) and finally the Administrator for a large 15 doctor practice in Princeton, NJ.  He is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and a Licensed Veterinary Technician. His strengths are public speaking, client service, team building, morale, practice finances, new client acquisition, and digital marketing

Building An Empowered Team

Bash believes in the power of an empowered team. He helps practices broaden the roles of all team members because learning new things and accomplishing goals feels good, grows businesses, and retains employees. It makes coming to work fun.

 

 

Independence

A chance to test your limits and take responsibility for who you are.

Fulfillment

All of us have the power to make a remarkable difference.

Motivational

Mr. Bash Halow is an accomplished Key Opinion Leader and management instructor. He has lectured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and the UK.  In 2018, he presented at the House of Lords in London to the UK Veterinary Management Association.  His presentations are both educational and motivational.  He uses live polling, case studies, audience participation exercises, and laughter to keep his education dynamic, entertaining, and effective.

Experience Throughout the U.S. and Abroad

Based in New York and Pennsylvania, Bash Halow is the founder of both the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Manager’s Association, the Big Apple Veterinary Management group in NYC and served as an advisor for the Mercer County Community College’s Veterinary Assistant Program, the first of its kind in the area.  He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, and the PVMA which recognized Bash with the President’s Award in 2013 for his educational work in that state.

Bash is on the editorial advisory board for Firstline Veterinary Management Magazine and the Fetch360 (formally CVC) veterinary conferences held annually in Virginia Beach, Kansas City, Atlantic City, and San Diego. You can usually find him in the line up at all four. 

Excellence

Doing one’s best affirms that we are best

Call Bash

Text Bash

L.I.F.E

It shouldn’t start after you punch out.

Productive teams are happy teams.  If your veterinary crew isn’t working together as best as they can, we can help. We look at workflow,  HR, and management and find ways to help everyone succeed.

 

 

Let’s Get Started

“I love Halow Consulting. His ideas bring employer & employees together. In Halow world everyone matters! Is your business 5 star? Halow Consulting can show you how!”

– Jennifer Kowaleski, Brandywine Valley Veterinary Hospital.

$1000

$1000.00 referral fee for veterinarian applicants. Sign on bonuses also available. More.

Veterinary Human Resources

Despite complaints of burnout, employee unhappiness, lackluster retention, and lower productivity, American veterinary hospitals persist in an outdated approach to hiring, training, reviewing, and disciplining team members. Should we continue to lead with HR practices...

Veterinary OSHA Compliance: So Much More Than Checking a Box

OSHA safety training can be so much more than fulfilling a government mandate. With the right approach, regular staff training on safety saves money, binds teams, improves workflow, and underlines your concern for employees' wellbeing. Here are some ways to quickly...

Artificial Intelligence in the Veterinary Profession and Your Day-to-day Work

What are the biggest obstacles standing in the way of your success as a veterinary business owner, leader or support team member? Chronic doctor shortages and a lack of qualified, trained team members? A sense that you are spread too thin between your roles as owner,...

The Training Manual for Training Veterinary Staff

Before building (or buying!) a training manual for a veterinary hospital, think about what you're ultimately training, who you are training, and how students best learn.   They got a manual, a checklist of things they were supposed to know, and four weeks of...

Monitoring Veterinary Financial Health

Monitoring Your Practice's Financial Health   Every practice leader should familiarize themselves with the following financial and PIMS reports, learn what they represent, and start evaluating each for change over time. Never mind that you don't have an...

Client Edumacation: Why our efforts to explain come out jumbled

In my capacity as a business advisor, I have observed dozens, if not hundreds of client exchanges in the exam room. One misunderstanding is the notion that more client education = better service.   More Client Education ≠ Better Service   Education, in the...

Why Won’t My Employees Solve Problems?

When a long-time client is late for her appointment, team members refuse to find a workaround. Instead, they tell her that she has to reschedule. Their seeming unwillingness to work with the situation leaves you peeved. Why won't employees take charge when matters go...

Connecting to Clients: 8 Tips from the Pros

Most techs and doctors know how to best approach a patient. The seasoned pros also know how to approach a client. Here are the top 8 ways to make your next client exchange purrfect.   Prepare   Many team members greet clients face-to-face, then dash to the...

Hiring, Onboarding, Training and Coaching in a Veterinary Hospital 2023

Complaints of veterinary employee disengagement, burnout, infighting, and demands for higher wages are widespread, yet most managers persist with the same age-old hiring and training protocols. Are our human resource practices failing to provide sufficient resources...

How to Create a Brand For Your Business

  Branding and a business’s identity are closely tied, but unlike your business’s identity, branding can change depending on your audience and your current business’s goals. Let's discuss both identity and branding, then drill in specific ways you can better define...

Preparing Your Veterinary Practice for Recession 2023-24

As of September 2023, the majority of economists forecast a recession by Q2 of 2024, but economic conditions may already be eroding your clients' ability to pay for veterinary care.   The Case for Recession   International Monetary Fund Report, July 2023...

What to do when a veterinarian gets a bad review?

They Were Trying To Help   Samson was a 6 year old cat presenting with signs of urethral obstruction. The family attending him, a father, a mother, and an adorable, heartbroken girl of 8, were all in tears. They had been presented with a medical treatment plan...

Work-Life Balance: Taring things up

Have you heard? Everyone is 'burned out' these days, but what are employees actually saying and what, if anything, can leaders do to make things better?   What is Job Burnout?   In the past 2 years, I have heard lots of employees and managers tell me that...

Solving the Burnout Issue

Ask team members to better define what they mean when they say they are burned out. With more specifics on what everyone is feeling, you'll come up with more effective solutions.   Collect Accurate Information   Remember that time you raised prices and then...

Feline Idiopathic Cystitis Lecture Resources

Thanks for attending the Feline Idiopathic Cystitis lecture at the Hill's World Symposium. Here are the resources that you'll find helpful: 2014 AAFP/ISFM Guidelines for Diagnosing and Solving House-soiling Behavior in Cats AAFP Guidelines for Feline House Soiling...

Valuable Conversations

Addressing angry clients, talking to grieving pet owners, telling an employee that it's time to go... swallow that lump in your throat. Let's get these difficult discussions right by remembering the essential elements of managing loaded convos.   Reflect on Your...

5 Terrible Things About Your Veterinary Practice You’re Afraid To Admit

Just because you’re working in the trenches every day, doesn’t mean you can see all the dirt. Here’s an attempt to call respectful attention to what holds managers back as leaders and, sometimes, as people.

Operating Your Veterinary Practice In An Inflationary Economy

In December 2021, the Consumer Price Index, a benchmark for inflation, rose to 7%, a height not seen such 1982. The steady rise of consumer prices has both the Federal Reserve and financial analysts concerned that inflation will remain through the 1st quarter of 2022. Here are some considerations for managing your veterinary business during this current inflationary cycle…and what may come after that.

Better Solutions and Employee Engagement With Design Thinking

Have you tried to get new ideas off the ground at your practice, but you were met with employee pushback and a lack of teamwork?  Design Thinking is an approach to innovation that has helped some of the largest companies in the world dominate global markets. It's...

I Heard Your Management Approach To Gossip Sucks

Gossip Studies have shown that up to 70% of all employees report experiencing gossip in the workplace, indicating that it is common. Gossip at work can damage relationships, erode trust, result in harassment or hostile work environment accusations, and increase...

Communication and Workflow in the Age of Stress

Revised workflow protocols and internal communication guidelines are reducing stress in some well-managed veterinary practices. Here's more on what these hospitals are doing.   Encourage Empathy and Compassion   The Pandemic walloped everyone. Depression...

Annual Reviews: Time biased, wasteful and ineffective

Ready for one of the best presents you've had in years?  Here it is: I absolve you of ever having to do another employee annual review for the rest of your management life. Here's why.   What's The Point?   Do me a favor. Take a piece of paper and pen and...

Veterinary Audience Polls: Sentiments from the frontlines

During the 2021-year, interactive conference platforms allowed hundreds of veterinary professionals to be polled in real time.  Here’s what they said about staffing, inflation, workplace stress, and the future ahead.   Concerns About Inflation   The Federal...

Intraoffice Communication Best Practices

2020-21 saw tensions rise as curbside care, staff shortages, grumpy clients, and record caseload pushed teams to the brink. Those practice teams that didn’t boil over put a lid on bad behavior, inefficient workflow, and unproductive communication. Here’s more on what they did.

Veterinary Price Calculator

This calculator is designed as an exercise tool to accompany the article The Right Way To Increase Prices At Your Veterinary Hospital. It will help you identify all the costs you incur when delivering services at your hospital and automatically calculate a price based...

The Right Way to Increase Prices at Your Veterinary Hospital

Demand for veterinary service is up and supply is down. Time to raise prices? Probably, but let’s think this through.

SQUEEZE Em In! Raising Prices On Same Day Appointments Is Not The Answer

High caseload, staff shortages, and ongoing pandemic protocols are pushing veterinary teams over the edge. To slow things down, managers are raising prices on same day appointments, new clients, and urgent care. It’s a bad idea.

Alarming Results From National Survey On Veterinary Stress

Results from a national survey conducted by VitusVet show that team stress levels remain high, that team members don’t believe things are going to get better any time soon, and that 25% of all vets and vet techs plan on leaving their current jobs in the next 3 to 5 years.

What’s The Buzz 2021: Trends and New Tools Shaping Veterinary Medicine

Consumer habits, technology, and pet ownership have converged to give small veterinary practices a considerable competitive edge.2

How They Did It: Telemedicine in small-sized veterinary offices

On April 7th, 2023, veterinary telemedicine caught the eye of the New York Times. Does that mean it's time for you and your business to take a second look?   In an article entitled The Virtual Vet Will See You Meow, author Emily Anthes gushes with a lot of...