Maximizing Efficiency: How Vet Practices Can Cut Costs Without Compromising Care

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In this eye-opening episode of the Veterinary Business Podcast, Mark P. Shannon—Senior Consultant at Merchant Cost Consulting and nationally recognized margin recovery expert—reveals the hidden financial leaks quietly draining veterinary practice profits. With nearly a decade spent uncovering inefficiencies and reclaiming revenue for businesses across the U.S., Mark brings clarity and strategy to one of the most overlooked areas in veterinary operations: payment processing and expense optimization.

The conversation begins by spotlighting a core challenge in veterinary ownership today: the pressure to deliver exceptional medical care while navigating rising operational costs and shrinking margins. Mark breaks down the financial blind spots many practice leaders unknowingly face, especially around credit card processing—where small, confusing fees compound into thousands of dollars lost each year.

Listeners are guided through the truth behind merchant fees, from interchange categories to deceptive surcharges and administrative add-ons that often go undetected. Rather than defaulting to risky processor switches, Mark explains how practices can strategically renegotiate existing contracts, eliminate inflated markups, and achieve savings of 30–60% without disrupting workflows, systems, or client experience.

Mark demystifies interchange optimization as a key lever to protecting margins—likening it to tuning a high-performing engine to ensure every transaction routes through the lowest-cost category. He expands beyond payments to highlight additional areas where veterinary practices routinely overspend, including telecom, utilities, software, and equipment leases—emphasizing the compounding financial and cultural value of conducting routine expense audits.

Whether you’re an emerging practice leader or an established owner focused on long-term stability, this episode serves as a blueprint for reclaiming profit with precision and intention. Mark shares actionable steps, from calculating your effective processing rate to auditing vendor contracts, empowering listeners to stop hidden losses and reinvest savings into people, equipment, and growth.

Tune in to learn how strategic cost control and smarter payment practices can protect your bottom line, fuel sustainable expansion, and strengthen the financial backbone of your veterinary practice—without sacrificing time, systems, or medical excellence.

Key Takeaways & Time Stamps

• 00:00 – 03:30: Introduction and Financial Challenges in Veterinary Practices
  The episode opens by highlighting the high-stakes balancing act veterinary practice owners face—delivering passionate patient care while managing financial pressures and operational inefficiencies. Mark Shannon, a payment strategist and margin recovery expert, is introduced to discuss uncovering and reducing hidden costs that quietly erode veterinary practice margins.
• 03:30 – 10:00: Hidden Credit Card Processing Fees Explained
  Mark breaks down the complexity behind credit card processing fees, revealing many small, confusing charges beyond the advertised rates, such as surcharges, compliance fees, and administrative fees. These fees often go unnoticed but add up significantly, with practices sometimes losing thousands annually, despite thinking their rates are reasonable.
• 10:00 – 14:30: Reducing Fees Without Operational Disruption
  Mark advises against impulsively switching payment processors, which can disrupt clinic operations. Instead, he advocates negotiating existing contracts to remove inflated fees and markups. Many clinics can save 30-60% off their current credit card processing fees by optimizing their current setup, without changing equipment or payment workflows.
• 14:30 – 17:30: Interchange Optimization Demystified
  Interchange optimization is explained as ensuring all transaction details are accurately transmitted so payments fall into the lowest-fee category. Like tuning an engine, this process maximizes efficiency and can save thousands monthly by preventing costly downgrade fees caused by incomplete transaction data.
• 17:30 – 19:45: Broader Expense Audits Beyond Payments
  Beyond payment fees, Mark highlights how telecom, utilities, software subscriptions, and equipment contracts may contain overlooked overcharges and auto-renewed markups. He emphasizes annual audits to identify and stop these creeping costs that compound losses, freeing funds for staff raises, facility upgrades, or business growth.
• 19:45 – 21:46: Actionable Steps and Final Advice
  Mark recommends calculating your effective credit card fee rate using merchant statements and scheduling detailed audits to find overspending areas. Ongoing monitoring is key as banks frequently adjust fees. He encourages clinic owners to question everything, avoid rushed decisions, and view cost savings as investments in practice sustainability and growth.

Mark P. Shannon

Senior Consultant, Merchant Cost Consulting
Margin Recovery Expert | Payments Strategist

Mark P. Shannon is a dynamic payments consultant and cost recovery strategist who has spent nearly a decade uncovering hidden profit for businesses across the U.S. With a keen eye for financial inefficiencies and a results-driven approach, Mark has helped countless organizations slash credit card processing costs—often without switching processors, systems, or software.

Currently serving as a Senior Consultant at Merchant Cost Consulting, Mark specializes in reducing merchant service fees by 30–60% through interchange optimization, processor markup analysis, and bank fee strategy. His innovative work ensures clients regain control of their bottom line—without disruption.

In parallel, Mark is the founder of Hot Jaws LLC, a brand built on the same entrepreneurial spirit that defines his consulting practice. Throughout his career, he has led high-performing sales teams, built powerful referral networks, and forged software partnerships that drive scalable revenue growth.

From startups to established enterprises, Mark is trusted by financial decision-makers who are ready to eliminate waste, reclaim margin, and drive long-term profitability. His leadership style is rooted in transparency, education, and empowering clients to make informed, high-impact decisions.

With deep expertise in payments, vendor analysis, and operational cost control, Mark Shannon remains a go-to resource for businesses seeking to grow smarter—not just bigger.

Connect with Mark:

• LinkedIn
• Website