Dr. Lisa Warren, is a seasoned veterinarian with over 30 years of experience. After owning a practice in Evergreen, Colorado, she sold it and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, with plans to semi-retire. However, upon recognizing the profound challenges many people face in accessing veterinary services, she decided to take action. 

Dr. Warren’s journey began with the founding of Veterinarians to the Rescue in 2022, with the goal of reducing economic euthanasia for small animals. However, the organization alone could not go far enough. Funds were quickly depleted, limiting its  impact.

To expand her vision, she established Focus Veterinary Care in 2023. This for-profit venture supports rescues, shelters, and the public by offering “quality surgical and dental procedures at reasonable prices.” Focus Veterinary Care offers a modern, well-equipped facility that operates at the highest of standards. (Our Concept, Focus Veterinary Care.) 

Often, for-profit veterinary practices view high-quality, high-volume (HQHV) or other lower-cost clinics as competition. They may feel taken advantage of by local rescues or shelters. Meanwhile, those same rescues and shelters may feel brushed aside by the for-profit practices. The dynamic has traditionally been tense at best – or fractious, at worst. 

“That dynamic has to change, where we work more as a team,” Dr. Warren emphasizes. “We have the same goals.”

At Focus Veterinary Care, it’s all about collaboration – not competition. Their practice model creates a collaborative ecosystem where nonprofits and rescues can bring animals from low-income or other targeted areas for treatment, while billing is fulfilled through grants or vouchers. By streamlining staffing and clinic management, they also reduce the time spent on client interactions, allowing veterinarians to focus more on the animals.

On an operational level, Focus Veterinary Care integrates a basic, cost-efficient building with essential, high-quality surgical facilities. Here, too, there is room for collaboration as nonprofit organizations may be able to apply for grant funding to purchase equipment, or buy directly from manufacturers at wholesale prices. Staffing is streamlined, relying on a small team of 1-2 technicians and a veterinarian, minimizing costs through careful equipment purchases and reliance on a skeleton crew.

The building is also home to Veterinarians to the Rescue, the nonprofit organization. The two entities work together seamlessly, leveraging their combined resources to maximize impact. For instance, during vaccine and microchip clinics, VTTR offers additional services such as nail trims and heartworm tests for an additional fee, turning these events into fundraisers that support their broader mission.

By applying high-quality, high-volume efficiencies and procedures, Focus Veterinary Care is able to provide top-tier services at affordable prices. They also leverage their higher-revenue surgeries, such as dentals, to offset the cost of offering spay/neuter at a reduced rate. 

Dr. Warren’s approach to dental care illustrates her commitment to efficiency. She handles all aspects of dental procedures, including cleaning and using handheld x-rays, while a dedicated technician monitors anesthesia. This real-time, hands-on approach is faster, allowing her to complete even the most complicated dentals in an hour or less. It reduces the need for additional staff and keeps costs manageable.

The collaborative ecosystem established with Focus Veterinary Care demonstrates that profitability and community-minded care can go hand in hand. High-quality, high-volume services can not only be financially sustainable – they can also encourage collaboration and strengthen the community. 

By harmonizing efforts and optimizing operations, her approach provides a valuable blueprint for improving care accessibility across the veterinary profession.