Veterinary technology improves workflow in our hospitals every day. Every phase of our clients' visit is affected by our use of technology.

I think we often forget how much the typical veterinary office has transformed. It once relied on reams of paper from the phone books to the scheduling binders to the medical records to the endless faxes. While the veterinary profession still relies on record-keeping, the methods of record-keeping have changed dramatically. Here is one clinic workflow example from our practices for streamlining billing and treatment plans and how technology helps.

We use our practice management software to provide clear, concise treatment plans and invoices. We use group codes to create baseline treatment plans that can be tailored for a patient. We do not accidentally omit invoice items and charges as often happens with ad hoc estimates, and we use linked codes for line items to help clarify costs. A client invoice is detailed; instead of merely listing a price for a spay, for example, the invoice lists all of the tasks performed for that surgery, from the pre-surgical exam to the surgery itself to pain relief. Visit-tracking technology in the software keeps the work flow organized and helps eliminate missed charges. Incorporating all of the information into one digital file saves time and paper; everything is immediately visible to all members of the teams throughout the patient's visit, and results in a thoroughly detailed invoice for the client. Clients can appreciate what we actually do every day, and the group codes and visit-tracking technology make it simple.

Another way veterinary technology improves workflow is by managing data. Our software and related applications allow us to quickly sift through and meaningfully analyze tons of data to understand compliance, learn what services and products our clients value, manage our pricing, evaluate our time efficiency, and monitor the financial health of our practices. We can easily measure the effect of programs we develop. For example, we are running a program to improve fecal compliance. We use our software to track our efforts, and then use an application to display the results of those efforts in a graph for the team feedback that lets us fine-tune our plan.

Click here to read about more ways that veterinary technology improves workflow in our practices, including in the areas of relationship-building and sharing patient information, as well as some emerging technology in veterinary medicine that we plan to incorporate.

Author: Nancy Drumm, General Manager, Capital Vets