How Livewell Lets Veterinarians—Actually Be Veterinarians.
How Livewell Lets Veterinarians—Actually Be Veterinarians.
Bradey Christensen, Livewell Vice President of Operations
Every time I walk into a new Livewell hospital, with boxes being unpacked and a new team trying to figure out their rhythm, I’m reminded of something I’ve seen over and over in many forms. It’s that most veterinarians want to spend their day being veterinarians, not juggling 10 other jobs they never asked for.
Before joining Mission Pet Health, I spent several years watching private practice owners try to balance it all. They’d bounce from an exam room, to troubleshoot the autoclave that decides today is the day it quits. After that they’d go entertain the drug rep that popped in, then approve payroll, wave “Hi” to Mrs. Smith who is waiting in the lobby, and wrap up the day figuring out why their COGS jumped 3% last month. None of that has anything to do with practicing medicine. But in private practice, it’s part of the deal.
That’s one of the things that drew me to the De Novo side of Mission, with Livewell. We build hospitals from scratch, and alongside that (and arguably more importantly) we build support from scratch. I’ve seen how heavy the business-side load can be, and I’ve seen what happens when we take that weight off a doctor’s shoulders.
Doctor’s light up again, they enjoy their profession more. Their teams stabilize and the culture improves. When the culture changes, for better or worse, clients feel it.
I remember a new Founding Lead DVM who told me, “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much time to actually talk to clients.” And it wasn’t because she suddenly worked fewer hours, it was because she wasn’t scrambling between broken equipment, vendor issues, and spreadsheets every day. She had time to focus on the things that were the most important, the things that she was an expert at.
That’s the whole point of being part of a broader network. We manage the things that steal your energy, distract you from the medicine, and add stress to your evenings. We handle repairs, vendors, supplies, finances, hiring support. All the things that make a hospital run, but don’t make you love the job.
You get to focus on the parts that do make you love the job.
Most people hear the words “corporation” or “network” and picture an endless maze of bureaucracy and corporate distance. Livewell is the opposite. We’re in the hospital talking through everything with you. We’re digging into growth, margins, operational and client experience excellence, coaching leaders, supporting hiring, and helping build community partnerships. When the hospital team is successful, the clients benefit, the pets benefits, and the entire business benefits.
Our partnerships across Livewell matter. It’s never medicine vs. business or hospital vs corporation. It’s a partnership built around the goal of growing something meaningful for you, your team, and your community.
Every Livewell has its own personality because every doctor leading one is different. You shape the standard of care, the culture, the feel of the place. You choose the direction, the tone, and the kind of leader you want to be. We build the structure around you and what we are building together so our visions can grow simultaneously.
Livewell gives you the freedom of building something of your own, with the support that keeps the hard parts from overwhelming you.
