15 Essential Veterinary KPIs Every Practice Should Track

The metrics that reveal your practice's true health—and how to track them without drowning in spreadsheets.

"How's the practice doing?" If your answer is a gut feeling or a glance at the bank account, you're flying blind. The most successful veterinary practices track specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reveal problems before they become crises—and opportunities before competitors grab them.

This guide covers the 15 KPIs that matter most, organized by category. For each metric, you'll learn what it measures, how to calculate it, target benchmarks, and what to do when numbers are off.

📊 Sample Practice Dashboard

$423
Avg Transaction
↑ 8% vs last month
87%
Client Retention
→ Stable
4.2
Patients/DVM/Day
↑ 12% vs last month
6.2%
No-Show Rate
↓ 3% (improving)
💰

Financial KPIs

1. Average Transaction Value (ATV)

Critical

The average amount clients spend per visit. This is your most actionable revenue lever—small improvements multiply across thousands of visits.

Formula:
ATV = Total Revenue ÷ Number of Transactions
Industry Average
$250-$350
Top Performers
$400-$500+
Target this
Concerning
Below $200
If too low: Review diagnostic compliance, ensure treatment plans are comprehensive, train staff on value communication, evaluate pricing structure.

2. Revenue Per DVM Hour

Critical

How much revenue each doctor generates per hour worked. This measures both productivity and efficient use of the most expensive resource in your practice.

Formula:
Revenue/DVM Hour = Total DVM Revenue ÷ Total DVM Hours Worked
Target Range
$300-$500/hr
Excellent
$500+/hr
Top 10%
If too low: Analyze appointment mix (too many low-value visits?), improve workflow efficiency, ensure proper support staff ratios, review fee schedule.

3. Accounts Receivable (A/R) Days

Important

Average number of days it takes to collect payment. Lower is better—money owed is money at risk.

Formula:
A/R Days = (Total A/R ÷ Annual Revenue) × 365
Excellent
< 15 days
Target this
Acceptable
15-30 days
Problem
> 45 days
If too high: Collect payment at time of service, offer payment plans, improve invoicing speed, follow up on overdue accounts promptly.

4. Labor Cost Percentage

Important

What percentage of revenue goes to payroll (including benefits). The biggest expense for most practices—needs constant monitoring.

Formula:
Labor % = (Total Labor Costs ÷ Gross Revenue) × 100
Target (w/ DVMs)
40-45%
Staff Only
18-22%
DVMs Only
20-25%
If too high: Audit scheduling efficiency, cross-train staff, automate repetitive tasks, ensure optimal DVM-to-support ratios.
👥

Client KPIs

5. Client Retention Rate

Critical

Percentage of clients who return within 18 months. Acquiring new clients costs 5-7x more than retaining existing ones.

Formula:
Retention = (Clients with visit in last 18 mo ÷ Active clients 18 mo ago) × 100
Excellent
> 85%
Target this
Average
70-80%
Concerning
< 65%
If too low: Survey lost clients, improve follow-up communication, enhance client experience, implement loyalty programs.

6. New Client Acquisition Rate

Important

Number of new clients per month. Healthy growth requires steady new client flow to offset natural attrition.

Formula:
New Client Rate = New Clients This Month ÷ Total Active Clients × 100
Healthy Growth
3-5%/month
Target this
Maintenance
2-3%/month
Declining
< 2%/month
If too low: Increase marketing spend, optimize Google presence, ask for referrals, partner with local pet businesses.

7. Client Lifetime Value (CLV)

Strategic

Total revenue expected from a client over their entire relationship with your practice. Guides marketing spend decisions.

Formula:
CLV = (Avg Annual Spend × Avg Client Lifespan) × Profit Margin
Dog Owner CLV
$4,000-$8,000
Cat Owner CLV
$2,500-$5,000
Multi-Pet Household
$8,000-$15,000+
Use this for: Determining marketing budget, prioritizing service improvements, calculating acquisition cost targets.
📅

Operational KPIs

8. Appointment No-Show Rate

Critical

Percentage of scheduled appointments where clients don't show up. No-shows are pure lost revenue—that slot could have served another patient.

Formula:
No-Show Rate = (No-Shows ÷ Total Scheduled Appointments) × 100
Excellent
< 5%
Target this
Average
5-10%
Problem
> 15%
If too high: Implement automated reminders (SMS + email), confirm appointments 24-48 hours before, consider deposit policies for repeat offenders.

9. Patients Per DVM Per Day

Important

How many patients each doctor sees daily. Too low means wasted capacity; too high means burnout and rushed care.

Formula:
Patients/DVM/Day = Total Daily Patients ÷ DVMs Working
Optimal Range
15-22
Balanced workload
Underutilized
< 12
Burnout Risk
> 25
If too low: Reduce scheduling gaps, improve marketing, offer same-day appointments. If too high: Hire additional DVM, extend hours, streamline workflows.

10. Appointment Slot Utilization

Important

Percentage of available appointment slots that are actually booked. Empty slots are lost revenue opportunities.

Formula:
Utilization = (Booked Slots ÷ Available Slots) × 100
Target
85-95%
Optimal
Underbooked
< 75%
Overbooked Risk
> 98%
If too low: Reduce advance booking window, offer online booking, add same-day availability. If always 100%: You're likely losing clients who can't get appointments—consider expanding capacity.

11. Average Wait Time

Experience

Time from client check-in to being seen by the doctor. Long waits frustrate clients and correlate with negative reviews.

Excellent
< 10 min
Target this
Acceptable
10-20 min
Problem
> 30 min
If too high: Improve check-in process, ensure exam rooms are prepared, use visual workflow boards, stagger appointment types.
🩺

Clinical KPIs

12. Diagnostic Compliance Rate

Critical

Percentage of recommended diagnostics that clients approve. Low compliance means lost revenue and—more importantly—missed diagnoses.

Formula:
Compliance = (Accepted Diagnostics ÷ Recommended Diagnostics) × 100
Target
> 75%
For routine diagnostics
Average
60-70%
Concerning
< 50%
If too low: Improve recommendation communication, train staff on value articulation, offer payment options, use visual aids to explain.

13. Preventive Care Compliance

Important

Percentage of patients current on vaccinations, preventatives, and wellness exams. Preventive care is the foundation of patient health and practice revenue.

Vaccinations
> 80%
Target
Heartworm Prevention
> 70%
Target
Annual Wellness
> 75%
Target
If too low: Implement automated reminders, bundle preventive packages, educate on disease risks, make scheduling easy.

14. Dental Procedure Rate

Opportunity

Percentage of adult patients receiving annual dental procedures. Dental disease affects 80% of pets—this is both a health and revenue opportunity.

Formula:
Dental Rate = (Dental Procedures ÷ Adult Patient Visits) × 100
Excellent
> 25%
Target this
Average
15-20%
Underperforming
< 10%
If too low: Grade and document dental disease at every visit, use intraoral photos, educate owners on systemic effects, offer dental packages.

15. Return Visit Rate

Quality

Percentage of patients who return for follow-up when recommended. Indicates trust, compliance, and proper case management.

Target
> 70%
For recommended rechecks
Average
50-65%
If too low: Schedule follow-ups before discharge, send reminders, explain why rechecks matter, offer convenient scheduling options.
KPI Metric Warning Target Excellent
Average Transaction Value Per visit revenue < $200 $300-$400 > $450
Client Retention 18-month return rate < 65% 75-85% > 85%
No-Show Rate Missed appointments > 15% 5-10% < 5%
Labor Cost % Payroll as % of revenue > 50% 42-48% 38-42%
Diagnostic Compliance Accepted recommendations < 50% 65-75% > 80%

How to Track KPIs: Your Options

📊 Spreadsheets

  • Low cost (free)
  • Fully customizable
  • Familiar to most people
  • Manual data entry
  • Error-prone
  • Time-consuming to maintain
  • No real-time updates

📈 Standalone Analytics Tools

  • Better visualization
  • Some automation
  • More professional reports
  • Requires data export/import
  • Additional cost
  • Integration challenges
  • Still some manual work

🏥 Built-In PIMS Analytics

  • Fully automatic tracking
  • Real-time dashboards
  • No manual data entry
  • Always accurate
  • Historical trending
  • Actionable insights
  • Requires modern PIMS

⚠️ The Danger of Manual Tracking

If tracking KPIs feels like a chore, you won't do it consistently. And inconsistent tracking is worse than no tracking—it gives you false confidence in incomplete data. The most successful practices use systems that track KPIs automatically, in real-time, with zero manual effort.

See Your KPIs Without the Spreadsheets

VetSyCare's built-in analytics dashboard tracks all 15 essential KPIs automatically. Real-time data, zero manual entry, actionable insights.

See the Dashboard →

🚀 How to Start Tracking KPIs (This Week)

1

Start with 3-5 Critical KPIs

Don't try to track everything at once. Begin with ATV, No-Show Rate, and Client Retention—these have the biggest impact.

2

Establish Your Baseline

Before setting targets, measure where you are today. Run reports for the last 3-6 months to understand your starting point.

3

Set Realistic Targets

Aim for 5-10% improvement, not perfection. Dramatic jumps are unsustainable and demoralizing when missed.

4

Review Weekly, Act Monthly

Check KPIs weekly to spot trends. Make strategic changes monthly based on patterns, not daily fluctuations.

5

Share with Your Team

KPIs shouldn't be a secret. When staff understand the metrics, they can help improve them.

📅 Daily Check-Ins

  • Today's appointments booked
  • No-shows so far
  • Revenue to-date

📅 Weekly Reviews

  • Average Transaction Value
  • Appointment utilization
  • New client count
  • No-show rate

📅 Monthly Deep Dives

  • All financial KPIs
  • Client retention analysis
  • Staff productivity
  • Diagnostic compliance

📅 Quarterly Strategic

  • CLV calculations
  • Year-over-year trends
  • Benchmark comparisons
  • Goal setting

Ready to Run Your Practice by the Numbers?

Stop guessing. Start knowing. VetSyCare gives you real-time visibility into every metric that matters—automatically.

Get Your Free Demo →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many KPIs should I track?

Start with 3-5 essential KPIs. As tracking becomes routine, expand to 10-15. Tracking more than 20 usually means nothing gets proper attention.

What's the most important KPI?

If you can only track one, make it Average Transaction Value. It's directly actionable and impacts almost everything else—revenue, profitability, and even client satisfaction (comprehensive care leads to happier clients).

How often should I review KPIs?

Daily glance for operational metrics (appointments, no-shows). Weekly review for core KPIs. Monthly deep-dive for strategic metrics. Quarterly for long-term trends and goal-setting.

What if my PIMS doesn't have built-in analytics?

You have three options: (1) Export data to spreadsheets and calculate manually, (2) Add a third-party analytics tool, or (3) Switch to a modern PIMS with built-in analytics. Option 3 is the long-term right answer for most practices.

How do I get my team to care about KPIs?

Make them visible (display dashboards in break room), make them relevant (tie to bonuses or recognition), and make them achievable (celebrate improvements, not just hitting targets).