Leadership Strategies to Strengthen Collaboration Between Specialty and Primary Care Veterinary Teams

Presentation Description / Summary: For more than two decades, the profession has explored ways to improve collaboration between specialists and primary care veterinarians. Yet miscommunication and unmet expectations during the referral process persist—causing friction, eroding trust, and ultimately impacting patient outcomes. This presentation offers veterinary specialty leaders a practical blueprint to create lasting, positive change. We’ll review historical context and key findings of new research on veterinary specialty care that reveals significant gaps in knowledge, communication, and understanding of the cost of care when clients are referred to or seek out specialty care. These insights give leaders a foundation for implementing an effective connected care plan. Participants will learn to identify and overcome barriers to connected care, including pain points in referral relationships, gaps in digital communication, and clients’ lack of understanding about specialty care. Attendees will discover how to optimize digital communication tools—including websites, social media, and embedded payment links—to better inform pet owners about specialty care and associated costs. By the end of this interactive session, participants will have actionable strategies to strengthen professional relationships with referring veterinarians and clear protocols to improve communication throughout the referral process.