VHMA Insiders’ Insight Commentary
July 2025
Brittany Yost, CVPM, CVBL, CCFP
Director, Customer Implementation and Engagement, Vetsource
The latest VHMA Insiders’ Insight data signals a clear shift in veterinary practice performance: patient visits and active client counts are still trending downward, and revenue growth is losing steam. While July 2024 showed a 10.1% YoY revenue change, this year’s second-quarter growth ranged from -0.8% to 5.1%.
So far, rising revenue per patient has masked the impact of declining volume, but the slowdown suggests that this strategy has run its course. Practices have relied on clients spending more to offset fewer visits, but that trend isn't sustainable. We may have already crossed the tipping point.
Meanwhile, lapsing patient counts remain relatively stable, suggesting that many clients aren’t actively leaving but are simply fading out of regular care. That gives practices an opportunity: there’s still time to re-engage before these patients are truly lost.
This moment presents both a warning and a window. If your practice has felt the squeeze - quieter phones, more midweek appointment gaps, clients asking about costs - you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are proactive, strategic steps you can take now to respond and reset the trajectory.
While revenue per patient continues to climb, May marked the first month this quarter where that increase wasn't enough to offset the loss in visits, resulting in a dip in total revenue. This is a turning point that could become a trend if left unaddressed.
The Invisible Loss of Quiet Client Churn
Lapsed patient counts haven’t spiked dramatically, which might seem like good news, but it’s more likely a red flag for something subtler: quiet attrition. Many pet owners aren’t leaving in frustration, they’re just drifting away. No complaints or big goodbye, just missed reminders, longer gaps, and eventually, silence.
This slow fade doesn’t trigger alarms. Phones still ring and exam rooms still fill, but steadily, your active base shrinks. Once that erosion passes a certain threshold, recovery gets more difficult and more expensive.
What to do:
- Identify the “almost gone” group - Patients not seen in 14–24 months are still within reach. Reach out before the two-year mark.
- Launch a targeted lapsed patient campaign - Using your email marketing platform (like Vet2Pet or Otto), craft a personalized “We Miss You” message and incentive for clients whose pets haven't been seen in 14–24 months.
- Make the return easy and valuable - Offer bundles that combine convenience and value, like a “Back on Track” visit with an exam, vaccines, and nail trim.
When Same-Day Appointments Become Too Common
The May 2025 VHMA Management Trends data reveals something counterintuitive: same-day availability is rising. At first glance, that sounds positive, but in context, it points to softening demand.
In August 2023, 7% of practices reported that they could accommodate a same-day non-urgent appointment. Today, it’s 17%. Same-day tech appointments rose from 21% to 30%, and weekend availability (Saturday and Sunday) nearly doubled, from 11% to 18%. Increased weekend access may be welcomed by clients, but it could also reflect more open slots and a shift in booking behavior that could be masking underutilization.
What to do:
- Align staffing with demand - Midweek lulls don’t always require full staffing, but they’re ideal for tech visits, wellness plan services, or recheck appointments.
- Segment Outreach for Lapsed/At-Risk Clients - Use the newfound capacity to dedicate focused outreach to patients who are due, overdue, or identified as "quietly lapsing," moving beyond general reminders to provide personalized calls or messages that invite them back
- Shape Demand with Value-Adds - Create urgency for slower days with benefits like extended consultation time, a personalized follow-up, or optimized drop-off/pickup convenience, rather than price reductions.
Bridge the Affordability Gap with Preventive Care Plans
Preventive care plans aren’t just helpful, they’re becoming increasingly important. Gallup reports that more than half of pet owners have delayed or declined care even when they believed it was necessary. In 71% of those cases, the reason was financial.
Clients want to do the right thing, but rising costs and economic pressure can make even basic care feel out of reach. Preventive care plans help close that gap. Done right, they reduce friction, increase compliance, and keep pets healthier by making routine care easier to afford and commit to.
Financial flexibility is part of the experience, too. Gallup found that only 23% of pet owners have ever been offered a payment plan, yet 64% say they'd be able to afford twice as much for life-saving care if given a year to pay, interest-free. Offering, even just mentioning, payment options can be one of the simplest ways to make care feel more attainable.
What to do:
- Start small - If you’re new to care plans, begin with bundled basics like exams, vaccines, lab work, and build from there.
- Audit your current plans - Are they consistent? Are clients using them? Are they structured for simplicity and value?
- Frame the conversation around pet health, not discounts - Teach your team to present care plans as a smart, proactive choice, not a workaround for cost.
It’s Not Just What You Charge, It’s What Clients Feel They’re Paying For
In the past several years, price increases have helped offset declining visits, but that’s no longer a guaranteed strategy. In fact, recent data shows that practices that took smaller price increases experienced less drop-off in visit volume, and in some cases, even growth. Meanwhile, those that leaned hard on pricing saw more erosion.
It’s not just about the invoice, it’s about perception. Client loyalty doesn’t scale with price per patient, and it turns out that even loyal clients are stretching their visits further apart as the average number of days between appointments has jumped 18%.
And this isn’t limited to lower-income households. One in three pet owners earning $90K+ say they’ve skipped care due to cost. Gallup also found that 73% of those who declined treatment weren’t offered an alternative, despite the fact that 83% still believe the care their pet receives is worth the cost.
What to do:
- Audit for clarity - Make invoices easy to understand. Break down where the value is - expertise, technology, time.
- Empower the whole team - Everyone should be ready to speak confidently and compassionately about pricing and value through consistent training and a culture that encourages open discussion about client financial concerns.
- Offer flexible frameworks - Good/better/best packages, optional bundles, or tiered services can help clients feel more in control of costs without skipping care entirely.
An Elevated Client Experience is a Lifeline, Not a Luxury
When clients are making choices about where to cut back, experience becomes the deciding factor. It’s not always about pricing, it’s about how people feel. Did they feel seen? Heard? Respected? Did your team make things easier, or more complicated?
Practices that consistently deliver exceptional client experiences report significantly higher rates of retention and invaluable word-of-mouth referrals. This sustained engagement directly leads to stronger client loyalty.
What to do:
- Make reminders feel human - Avoid robotic language. Emails, texts, and calls should sound like they came from someone who knows and cares. Make sure they are branded to your practice, not the company sending the reminders.
- Follow up with intention - A quick check-in after a procedure or sick visit builds connection and retention.
- Empower every role - Client service representatives, techs, assistants, and every other person on your team can be part of what makes your practice feel different and better.
Your Practice’s Future Is Still in Your Hands
Today’s state of the industry is a clear call to act. The data shows that passive growth is no longer a given. Visit volume is down. Clients are drifting. And the price lever, while helpful, is no longer strong enough to carry your practice on its own.
This isn’t a cause for panic, it’s a call to action. The opportunity is still in front of you, but the window to act with impact is narrowing. If you move now, before today’s trends harden into tomorrow’s realities, your practice can take the lead. You can reconnect with lapsing clients, re-energize your schedule, and reset your growth path with intention, not just reacting to the market, but actively shaping your place in it.
Sustainable success won’t come from squeezing more out of rising prices or waiting for client demand to rebound on its own. It will come from doubling down on relationships, communication, and service delivery. It will come from making care feel more accessible, more valuable, and more aligned with what pet owners actually want and need.
In today’s environment, the best growth strategy isn’t just getting new clients—it’s keeping the ones you already have. That means understanding what’s holding them back, meeting them with empathy and flexibility, and creating experiences that make them want to return. Your clients are still out there. Your schedule can still be full. Your future can still be one of growth if you choose to adapt with purpose, rather than wait for change to force your hand.
Would you like to compare your practice’s performance head-to-head with other VHMA member practices and the national average in one convenient KPI dashboard? VHMA members can receive this report for free! Not a VHMA member? No fear, you can still sign up for this dashboard for only $41/month. Learn more here.
Read the VHMA's Insiders' Insights KPI Report - June 2025.
References
Gallup, Inc. State of Pet Care Study: Pet Parents’ Assessment of American Veterinary Care. Commissioned by PetSmart Charities, Apr. 2025. PetSmart Charities, https://www.petsmartcharities.org/state-of-pet-care.
Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. Survey of Compensation and Benefits for Veterinary Managers. Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, April 2025.
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