Importance of a Vet’s practice giving access to the medical records to Pet Owners
Giving pet owners access to their animal's medical records improves care and cuts routine calls to the practice. Owners can check what is due, produce a history in an emergency or at a boarding kennel, and see invoices and certificates without ringing reception. The information is already there, it simply has to be reachable.
Web access for your client's pet’s medical record leads to Improved pet care. It can come very handy in times of emergencies and increases convenience.
The veterinarian needs to connect with the patient and the pet’s owner to develop a healthy relationship. Educating the owner about the pet’s overall health care, about filing the animal’s vital stats and maintaining a regular record of its medical history is equally necessary. Communication is not just giving information. Giving Internet access to your client's pet’s medical record using the right Veterinary computer software enables viewing of the complete medical record online i.e. complaints, discussions, plan, assessments, treatment advice, reminders list etc. This means anytime, anywhere access on web and phone, by the client and the Vet.
Additionally one can view the complete transaction history, view and print certificates report cards, receipts, invoices. Also it’s easy to receive lab reports, x-rays and radiology images online instantaneously as soon as it has been grabbed of the machine or received from the online lab, and approved and reported on by the Vet practice.
A well developed EMR not only logs what is done and what needs to be done but also helps capture the Vet’s thought process and it forms an important aspect to refer to on a revisit or by a specialist. These type of medical records online is of great value.
The client can communicate with the Veterinary Practice online and comments are logged into the medical record. Refills and appointments can also be requested online. The client communication could also support images and video. The client will also be able to update the records in terms of details of the animal, weight, past services or holiday service executed by another VET by scanning a document into the system etc.
Also customized messaging can be sent from the Veterinarian. Automated reminders for services and vaccinations via email and text messages on the phone is another important feature.
This caring communications module of the Veterinary computer software is an important value add to the online medical record management system, for both the clients and Vets.
What owners use a portal for
In practice, four things account for most of the use: checking when a vaccination or treatment is due, producing proof of vaccination for a kennel, groomer or airline, looking up what was prescribed and how it should be given, and finding an old invoice or certificate. All four are questions that otherwise arrive at reception by phone, usually at the busiest time of the morning.
Why it matters in an emergency
An owner whose animal is taken to an out of hours clinic can hand over an accurate history in seconds rather than trying to remember drug names and dates. That history changes decisions: what was given, when, what the animal reacted to, and what the last blood results were. The value of the portal is highest at the exact moment your practice is closed.
It supports the conversation rather than replacing it
Communication is not only giving information, it is checking that the information landed. Most of what is said in a consultation is forgotten before the client reaches the car park. A record they can reread at home means the instructions survive the journey, and client communication improves without adding anything to the appointment.
What to include
Vaccination and treatment history with due dates, current medication, transaction history, certificates, report cards, receipts and invoices, and lab results once they have been reviewed. Results should be released deliberately rather than automatically, so that an abnormal finding reaches the owner with an explanation attached rather than as a number they will search for online at midnight.
What it does for the practice
Fewer routine calls, better compliance because owners can see what is due, and a client who feels included rather than managed. It also removes a class of administrative work entirely: printing and posting records that the owner could have downloaded in a moment.
Getting owners to use it
Mention it at the point where it solves a problem. When someone asks for a vaccination certificate, show them where to get it themselves next time. Adoption follows the moment of need far better than a leaflet in the waiting room ever does.
Start with the questions you already answer
If you are not sure a portal is worth it, spend a week noting what pet owners ring the practice to ask. In most clinics the same handful of questions accounts for the majority of calls: what is due, was the vaccination given, what was the dose, can I have a copy of the certificate. Every one of those is a page pet owners could open themselves in ten seconds. The portal is not an extra service so much as a way of answering questions you are already answering, at a moment that suits both sides.
