With more practices adopting telemedicine and other technology to adapt to the demands of the “new normal, the shift in the veterinary landscape has created a tough situation for practices that have not adapted.
On one hand, practices need time to properly assess telemedicine solutions, client communication systems, and other practice solutions to see if they’re the right fit and hedge against the “new normal” remaining in place longer than anyone expected.
On the other hand, many practice teams are so busy right now simply trying to cope that they don’t have time to assess new technology, which leaves non-adapted practices in a precarious situation.
They can either do nothing or make a quick decision and sign up for something that may or may not fully meet their immediate and long-term needs.
To help time-strapped practices avoid such risks and make better decisions to navigate forward, here are a few indicators of where veterinary technology stands with practices, what they’re planning on doing after COVID-19 is over, and how this speaks to general practice competitiveness, now and beyond.
More Practices Are Now Using Telemedicine
According to the April 2020 Insiders’ Insights report by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA):
- 48% of member practices said they were currently offering telemedicine to existing clients
- 10% were offering telemedicine to new clients
- 18% were offering teletriage
To compare apples to apples, 33% of VHMA practices reported in March of 2019 that they were offering telemedicine.
Things May Not Return to How They Used to Be
According to the VHMA’s April 2020 Insiders’ Insights report: When member practices were asked about what services they started in response to COVID-19 and what services they planned on continuing once the pandemic was over:
- 48% of member practices said they planned on continuing telemedicine for existing clients
- 9% said they planned on continuing telemedicine for new clients
- 14% said they planned to continue teletriage
So, roughly the same number of VHMA practices that chose telehealth are planning on keeping it.
Outside of telemedicine, 72% of VHMA member practices plan to continue using client communication systems and other new technology once the pandemic is over—all of which speaks to one thing.
With more practices adopting new technology to streamline operations, save time, and retain more clients, the same technology begins to change from novelty to necessity for practices that have not adapted and wish to remain competitive.
To do that, here are three of our trusted and proven Practice Solutions to help practices quickly shift forward:
1. Petriage – Complete Telehealth Solution
Petriage is a unique, robust, and flexible telehealth solution that provides three incremental levels—teletriage, telemonitoring, and full telemedicine capabilities—to serve the immediate and long-term needs of any practice. Designed to streamline practice operations, efficiencies, and patient care while adapting to changing protocols, Petriage currently integrates with Cornerstone, AVImark, ImproMed, eVetPractice, and IntraVet (the latter does not have writeback) and allows unlimited staff users and unlimited consultations. There are no setup fees. There is no commitment period, and you can be up and running in as little as one week.
Book your free Petriage consultation today
2. PetNurse – After-Hours Telehealth Triage Service
Given the previously mentioned prediction of a summer appointment rush, the after-hours telehealth triage service PetNurse saves practices time by handling all after-hours calls and allowing clients to speak with a live Registered Veterinary Nurse. Provide your clients with 24/7 peace of mind for their pet health concerns while saving your staff time by not having to handle these calls during regular hours. PetNurse will even send your practice the appointment requests for the roughly 2/3 of pet health calls that result in non-urgent triage outcomes, saving your clients an unnecessary trip to the ER and increased appointment revenue for your practice.
Book your free PetNurse consultation today
3. ALLYDVM – Communication + Retention System
In a May 15th, 2020 survey, the AVMA found that “most practices are increasing text messages with clients and are communicating electronically with clients to follow up on ill patients.” And practices are using two-way texting at curbside to streamline efficiency and save time. Offering two-way texting to keep clients engaged and serve curbside communications, ALLYDVM comes with a practice-branded PetPage Patient Portal mobile app, enabling clients access to pet health records and a direct line of communication with your practice so you can stay up to date and in touch with your clients.
Book your free ALLYDVM consultation today
Are any or all of these Practice Solutions right for your practice?
Only you can decide that. Our only job is to answer any questions you may have about any of our Practice Solutions and arm you with the information you need to decide. So, if you click on one of the above links to book a consultation for one solution and find that you want to ask about others, no worries. Ask away.
We’re here to help.
