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Hospital of the Month

Dr Mike Hoge quotes the wise saying, “You run yourpractice or your practice runs you.” He took this adviceseriously eighteen years ago when he was trying to figureout how to take the insanity out of a solo veterinary prac-tice. Now he believes he has found the formula for anequine veterinary practice that allows every practitionerto have a life outside of the practice environment and domostly those things he/she enjoys in practice.

“This is the wave of the future for veterinary prac-tice,” says Dr Hoge, one of the many equine practitionerswho prefer ambulatory practice over the investment andmanagement of a high overhead equine hospital. “If vet-erinarians can set aside their egos and work together, theycan make life a lot more simple and enjoyable for them-selves.”

0737-0806/$ - see front matter© 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2004.07.010

Murrieta Equine Associates

Eight like-minded veterinarians in Murrieta,California, agree with him. They form a loose associationthat allows each practitioner to work out of his own vetwagon in a way that best suits each personal preference.Surgical and advanced diagnostic procedures are referredto one of the nearby equine hospitals that specialize inthose procedures. Each is on-call one-eighth of the time,and pays one-eighth of the facility overhead. Individualpractitioners pay only for the drugs they use from thelarge drug inventory of the practice.

The arrangement not only allows for a sensible man-agement of time for each individual, but saves each prac-titioner 15%-20% on drug costs due to volume purchases.It eliminates payroll paperwork for individual practition-ers. Other vets outside the practice often purchase drugsand supplies from the group. Each vet in the practice ownsa one-eighth share of the drug inventory, as each pays adrug inventory fee when they enter the practice.

The practice has five veterinary technicians and anoffice staff of three. The office manager, Jill Cadwell, or-

356 Journal of Equine Veterinary Science August 2004

ders the drugs and bills each practitioner monthly for hisshare of the staff wages and other overhead expenses.

The facility is kept to a bare minimum. The office ishoused in a modular structure. There is only one stall,two paddocks, 8 outside pens, and a treatment area withstocks for restraint. Each practitioner owns and carriestheir own ultrasound machine, portable x-ray unit, etc.Calls are taken by staff member Kathy Morlang andplaced in a call box for each practitioner, who works outhis own schedule. Usually, callers asks for their regularvet, but the volume of calls and accessibility of so many

vets make it easier for a practitioner to naturally selectout the type of work he desires most. Currently one of thepractitioners prefers emergency work, and he takes thelion’s share of evening and weekend calls. Otherwise,they all take a turn at being on call after 5 PM and onweekends.

The grounds and buildings are owned by three of theveterinarians and a rent charge is part of the overhead.The owners have formed a partnership, Murrieta Equine

Figure 1. Dr Hoge does a relaxed day’s work, doing whathe prefers.

Figure 2. The work area is kept to a minimum.

Figure 3. Dr Hoge examines a radiograph in a minimallyequipped treatment room.

Figure 4. Jill Cadwell is office manager.

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Associates. These owners are Mike Hoge, DVM, JamesPickart, DVM, and Jerry Rutz, DVM. All employee pay-roll and employee expenses are paid by the partnership,and this expense is portioned to participating vets. Theveterinary technicians are paid through the partnershipand the individual vets that use their help are billed ac-cordingly.

The practice is located at 25110 Monroe Ave,

Murrieta, CA 92562. The phone number is 951-677-7980. The email address is mea.dvm@verizon.net.

Dr. Hoge used to have a “fire engine” type of practice,doing a lot of reproduction work. This involved weekendsand night work. Now he works a relaxed 8 AM to 5 PM shiftat the facility, doing mostly purchase exams and lamenessdiagnosis, four days a week. He does not take a turn atbeing on-call. Practice is fun for him these days.

Figure 5. Kathy Morlang takes the client calls. Figure 6. Practice is fun these days.