As the year draws to a close, Veterinary professionals often find themselves juggling holiday busyness, staffing challenges, and the ongoing needs of patients and clients. Yet the final weeks of the year present one of the most valuable opportunities to pause, reset, and set up your hospital for greater success in the year ahead. A thoughtful year-end planning process not only strengthens financial and operational health—it also builds clarity, confidence, and alignment across your entire team.
This article outlines the essential steps every Veterinary practice should consider as we head into December. Whether you’re an owner, manager, or emerging leader, these actions will help you end the year on a high note and start the next one with purpose and momentum.
Reflect on Performance—Yours and the Hospital’s
Before diving into numbers or planning documents, begin with thoughtful reflection.
- What went well this year? Why and how can you and your team make it repeatable?
- What could have gone better? Why did certain outcomes happen? What will you do differently next year?
This isn’t just an exercise in sentimentality—it’s strategic. Reflection allows you to identify patterns in team culture, leadership behavior, operational capacity, and client communication. Capture both the wins and the misses. Did your wellness plan launch exceed expectations? Did schedule gaps persist longer than anticipated? Did exam room efficiency improve after implementing new protocols?
Reflections like these help you make more informed decisions as you craft goals for the upcoming year.
Review Your Goals and Set New Ones
Most Veterinary teams start the year with good intentions, but few revisit their goals consistently. Year-end is the perfect moment to review:
- Which goals did you hit—and why?
- Which fell short—and what barriers got in the way?
- Which goals are still relevant or need adjustment?
As you work on your goals, keep in mind the “SMART” format—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—and looping someone in for accountability. Whether that’s a mentor, practice manager, or external consultant, accountability dramatically increases the likelihood of follow-through. In addition to goals, or maybe it’s a form of goals, I also either define (if they don’t exist) or revisit our “metrics for success.”
We set specific metrics for success across our four core pillars – patient care, culture, client experience and financial health.
Create Space for Team Feedback and Growth
End-of-year planning isn’t just for leadership. Take the opportunity to facilitate performance and goal-review discussions with each team member. These conversations are powerful opportunities to:
- Recognize achievements.
- Identify areas for improvement.
- Understand each team member’s personal and professional goals.
- Refine expectations for the coming year.
For many employees, knowing their leaders are invested in their development is deeply motivating. Use these meetings to strengthen trust and reinforce each person’s importance to the hospital’s mission.
Conduct a Hard Inventory Count and Review Fees
Inventory often accounts for upwards of 25% of a hospital’s expenses, yet many teams rely on outdated numbers. I recommend:
- Assessing your Inventory Management SOPs
- Counting inventory on the final open day of the year
- Updating inventory values in your system
- Reporting product values to your CPA
- Reviewing vendor price increases and adjusting your own service fees accordingly
A thorough count also helps reveal discrepancies, shrinkage, and opportunities to streamline purchasing.
Run a Complete 2025 Year-End Profit and Loss Statement
Your year-end P&L is more than a tax document—it’s an operational roadmap. Key areas to review include:
- Gross revenue
- Net income
- Payroll
- Cost of professional services/cost of goods sold
- Rent
- Primary revenue centers
From here, you can establish KPI targets for the new year. Consider evaluating performance trends over the past three years to understand whether your metrics are improving, plateauing, or declining.
Build Your 2026 Hospital Budget
Budgeting is strategic—not restrictive. A well-built budget reflects your priorities and provides a proactive plan instead of reactive decision-making. As you work on your budget, consider:
- New equipment purchases
- New service offerings
- Staff development and training
- Client education initiatives
Beginning this process in December ensures that you aren’t rushing in January and can instead start the year with clarity.
Review Loan Interest Rates and Consider Refinancing
With fluctuating interest rates in recent years, review existing hospital loans—and explore refinancing if rates have improved.
Lower interest rates may significantly increase cash flow, enabling reinvestment in people, equipment, or facility upgrades.
Reconcile Accounts and Review Key Business Agreements
Financial cleanup is essential before entering a new fiscal year. Reconcile:
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
- Petty cash
Review:
- Insurance plans
- Payroll and benefits reports
- Credit card processing fees
- Employee information for accuracy and updates
These steps reduce surprises and ensure your financial data is reliable going into tax season.
Address Overdue Clients and Improve Compliance
The end of the year is an ideal time to revisit overdue reminders, lapsed appointment lists, and missed follow-ups. Consider reviewing your PIMS and rescheduling overdue services while also evaluating payment and wellness plan options that may improve compliance.
Higher compliance not only strengthens patient outcomes—it substantially boosts revenue consistency.
Consider a Strategic Planning Session
For practices wanting structure, alignment, and clarity, discuss scheduling an on-site Strategic Planning session to review (and potentially adjust) the hospital’s vision, define long-term goals, and energize the team.
Bringing in outside facilitation can help neutralize biases, expand perspective, and keep the process efficient.
Celebrate Wins and Recognize Your Team
Finally—don’t forget to celebrate!
I encourage leaders to pause and appreciate the accomplishments of their team, their hospital, and themselves. Whether it’s a holiday party, handwritten notes, or team awards, recognition reinforces a positive culture and increases retention.
The Takeaway
Year-end planning isn’t about adding pressure to an already busy season—it’s about clearing space, strengthening your foundation, and walking into the new year with confidence.
By reflecting on performance, tightening financial operations, setting meaningful goals, and celebrating your team, your practice can begin the new year with clarity and momentum.