VetPulse / Glossary
Veterinary practice KPI glossary
Plain-English definitions of the metrics used throughout our blog. Tap any term for the full definition and how it's used.
Average Transaction Value (ATV)
Average Transaction Value (ATV) is the average dollar amount billed per visit. A low ATV can signal under-recommended or under-billed care.
Read full definition →Utilization Rate
Utilization rate is the share of a provider's scheduled time that actually generates revenue, versus sitting open or lost to schedule gaps.
Read full definition →No-Show / Cancellation Rate
No-show rate is the percentage of booked appointments missed or cancelled too late to rebook, tracked per provider and appointment type.
Read full definition →Lapsed Client
A lapsed client is one whose pet is overdue for expected care — a wellness exam, vaccine, or recheck — based on time since their last visit.
Read full definition →Unbilled Procedure
An unbilled procedure is documented in the medical record but never invoiced — one of the most common, least visible sources of lost revenue.
Read full definition →Care Compliance Rate
Care compliance rate is the share of recommended follow-up care — rechecks, bloodwork, boosters — that clients actually complete.
Read full definition →Reminder Compliance
Reminder compliance is the share of sent reminders that convert into a booked or completed visit, distinct from delivery or open rate.
Read full definition →Client Lifetime Value (LTV)
Client Lifetime Value (LTV) is a client's total historical spend, used to prioritize which lapsed or at-risk clients to re-engage first.
Read full definition →Care Gap
A care gap is the difference between the care a vet recommended and the care a patient actually received — a recheck or vaccine never completed.
Read full definition →Revenue Leakage
Revenue leakage is money a practice earned but never collected — unbilled procedures, written-off inventory, or unexplained discounts.
Read full definition →Provider Productivity
Provider productivity is a vet's output relative to scheduled hours — a blend of ATV, patients seen, and utilization — used to compare providers fairly.
Read full definition →Practice Information Management System (PIMS)
A PIMS is the system of record for scheduling, medical records, and billing — Shepherd, ezyVet, Neo, AVImark, and Cornerstone are common examples.
Read full definition →Inventory Shrinkage
Inventory shrinkage is the gap between inventory a practice paid for and what it can account for, lost to expiration, waste, theft, or error.
Read full definition →Schedule Density
Schedule density is how tightly a provider's appointments are packed relative to available hours — a full-looking calendar can still be low-density.
Read full definition →Client Retention Rate
Client retention rate is the share of active clients who return for expected care within a normal interval rather than lapsing.
Read full definition →Recheck Compliance
Recheck compliance is the percentage of recommended recheck appointments that are actually booked and completed by the client.
Read full definition →Weekly Briefing
A weekly briefing is a plain-English summary of what happened in a practice over the previous week, delivered without manual reporting.
Read full definition →Live Alert
A live alert is a real-time notification triggered the moment a specific finding is detected, rather than waiting for a scheduled report.
Read full definition →CSV Upload / Data Sync
CSV upload/data sync is a fallback connection method for PIMS without a direct API — exporting and uploading data manually or on a schedule.
Read full definition →Gross Margin
Gross margin is revenue minus the direct cost of goods and services sold, expressed as a percentage of revenue, before overhead is applied.
Read full definition →Net Margin
Net margin is what remains of revenue after every expense — COGS, payroll, rent, and overhead — is subtracted, expressed as a percentage.
Read full definition →Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
COGS is the direct cost of the drugs, supplies, diagnostics, and lab work consumed to deliver the services a practice bills for.
Read full definition →Overhead Ratio
Overhead ratio is fixed operating costs — rent, utilities, admin payroll — as a percentage of revenue, used to flag cost structure problems.
Read full definition →Revenue Per Doctor Hour
Revenue per doctor hour divides a provider's total revenue by hours actually worked — a more accurate productivity measure than total revenue alone.
Read full definition →Exam Room Utilization
Exam room utilization is the share of available exam-room hours actually occupied by a patient, distinct from provider utilization.
Read full definition →Case Acceptance Rate
Case acceptance rate is the share of recommended treatments or services that clients actually agree to and pay for.
Read full definition →DVM Production
DVM production is the total dollar value of services a veterinarian personally generates, the standard basis for production-based pay.
Read full definition →Pro-Sal Compensation
Pro-sal is a hybrid pay model that guarantees a base salary while paying additional production bonus once a doctor exceeds a set threshold.
Read full definition →Inventory Turns
Inventory turns measure how many times a practice sells through its average inventory in a year — low turns tie up cash and risk expiration.
Read full definition →Controlled Substance Log
A controlled substance log is the required running record reconciling scheduled drugs received, administered, wasted, and on hand.
Read full definition →Client Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Client acquisition cost is the marketing and outreach spend required to bring in one new client, used to judge whether growth spend pays off.
Read full definition →New Client Growth Rate
New client growth rate is the percentage change in new clients acquired period over period, a leading indicator practices track separately from revenue.
Read full definition →Referral Rate
Referral rate is the share of new clients who arrive because an existing client recommended the practice, rather than through paid marketing.
Read full definition →Online Review Rating
Online review rating is a practice's aggregate Google/Yelp star rating and review count, a major factor in local search ranking and trust.
Read full definition →Local SEO (for Veterinary Practices)
Local SEO is the set of practices — Google Business Profile, reviews, citations — that determine how a clinic ranks in nearby search results.
Read full definition →Vaccine Compliance Rate
Vaccine compliance rate is the share of patients due for a vaccine or booster who actually receive it on schedule.
Read full definition →Dental Compliance Rate
Dental compliance rate is the share of patients recommended for a dental procedure who actually complete it, a commonly under-tracked KPI.
Read full definition →Parasite Prevention Compliance
Parasite prevention compliance is the gap between preventives a vet recommends and what clients actually purchase and administer.
Read full definition →Senior Pet Wellness Plan
A senior pet wellness plan is a structured recurring care program — bloodwork, exams, screenings — built around the needs of aging patients.
Read full definition →Staff Turnover Rate
Staff turnover rate is the percentage of team members who leave a practice within a given period, a leading indicator of culture and cost issues.
Read full definition →Technician Utilization
Technician utilization is the share of a technician's time spent on tasks that use their full training, versus lower-value delegated work.
Read full definition →Staff-to-Doctor Ratio
Staff-to-doctor ratio is the number of support staff — technicians, assistants, front desk — employed per full-time veterinarian.
Read full definition →Practice Manager
A practice manager is a dedicated role handling day-to-day operations, staffing, and finances so the owner-vet isn't running both roles.
Read full definition →Practice Valuation Multiple
Practice valuation multiple is the ratio buyers apply to a practice's EBITDA or revenue to arrive at a purchase price offer.
Read full definition →EBITDA (Veterinary Practice)
EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization — the standard profitability measure buyers use to value a practice.
Read full definition →Second-Location Breakeven
Second-location breakeven is the point at which a new clinic location's revenue covers its own costs plus its share of shared overhead.
Read full definition →P&L Statement (Profit & Loss)
A P&L statement summarizes revenue, expenses, and resulting profit over a period, the core financial document practice owners need to read.
Read full definition →KPI Dashboard
A KPI dashboard is a single view of a practice's key performance indicators, updated regularly so owners can spot problems without manual reports.
Read full definition →Embezzlement Risk Indicator
Embezzlement risk indicators are financial patterns — unexplained voids, discounting, or cash discrepancies — that flag possible internal theft.
Read full definition →Recall / Reminder System
A recall system is the process and tooling a practice uses to notify clients when a patient is due for vaccines, rechecks, or wellness care.
Read full definition →PIMS Migration
PIMS migration is the process of switching practice management systems while preserving historical medical, financial, and reporting data.
Read full definition →Multi-Doctor Practice
A multi-doctor practice is a clinic with more than one veterinarian seeing patients, which introduces comparison and consistency needs a solo practice doesn't have.
Read full definition →Corporate Consolidator
A corporate consolidator is a multi-clinic ownership group that acquires independent veterinary practices, often competing on marketing scale and hours.
Read full definition →Fractional CFO (Veterinary)
A fractional CFO is a part-time, outside financial executive practices hire for strategic financial guidance without a full-time salary commitment.
Read full definition →Business Intelligence (BI) for Veterinary Practices
Veterinary business intelligence is software that turns raw PIMS data into plain-English findings and trends, distinct from practice management software.
Read full definition →Care Gap Detection
Care gap detection is the automated identification of patients overdue for recommended care, replacing manual chart review.
Read full definition →Discount Leakage
Discount leakage is revenue lost to discounts, comps, or price overrides applied without a documented business reason.
Read full definition →