AAHA Chief Executive Officer Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP (Emeritus), presented new research data during the opening session at the AAHA yearly conference. Pet owner perceptions of veterinary hospitals are declining, while awareness of veterinary hospital accreditation has increased.
Source: AAHA Press Room, March 30, 2017.
While the news of overall pet owner perception of veterinary hospitals is discouraging, we were pleased to see an increase in attitudes toward accredited hospitals,” Cavanaugh said. “Given the decline in hospital ratings, there may be growing receptivity toward hearing and learning about the value of accreditation.
INSIGHTS: The data also revealed an increased opportunity to reach pet owners online. Word-of-mouth is still the primary factor for selecting a new veterinarian, but it has decreased to 53 percent from 62 percent in 2013