{"id":10497,"date":"2021-08-01T00:00:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-01T07:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=10497"},"modified":"2022-06-15T17:48:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T17:48:00","slug":"open-your-mind-to-artificial-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/open-your-mind-to-artificial-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Your Mind to AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

The son of a veterinarian, I grew up in a clinic and, like many of my colleagues, knew from my earliest memory that I would become a veterinarian. My recollection of companion animal practice revolves around large shifts in the industry. I remember hearing the word \u201cparvovirus\u201d in the late 1970s, when I was a child, and the need for veterinarians to vaccinate dogs against the disease. In the 1980s, fleas, heartworm disease and vaccines were a mainstay of my father\u2019s Florida practice. For most of my professional life, from the late 1990s until recently, the development and expansion of specialty and referral practice occupied me. Today, I can see with absolute confidence how advancements in technology, such as the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence, have transformed primary practice from a historic preventive care model to one that delivers high-quality diagnostics and care.<\/p>\n

Patients Stay Closer to Home<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhy Software Is Eating The World\u201d was a 2011 headline in The Wall Street Journal. The essay\u2019s author, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, explained that major technology companies were pivoting from selling hardware to investing in software. That was only a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Technological improvements, driven by advances in computational ability and large amounts of data, are inevitable. What\u2019s also unavoidable is that technology will change veterinary medicine, creating greater opportunities. Rather than fear technology, we have ample reason to understand that change happens and that we can adapt.<\/p>\n

In the not-so-distant past, a companion pet needing specialty care typically was referred to the nearest veterinary college. Clients drove for hours to see a specialist, while GP and primary matters<\/a> stayed in local hospitals.<\/p>\n

When I opened my first referral-only specialty hospital in 1996, clients were pleased not to have to drive several hours. However, within a decade, referred clients began expressing an unwillingness to drive across town during rush hour for the same level of care. Branch hospitals and multiple types of specialty care popped up within large metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n

What also quickly became evident was that pet owners preferred to visit their primary care practitioner for the treatment of routine illnesses and injuries, a trend that continues today. Clients and patients are best served by primary care practitioners heavily invested in an animal\u2019s care and treatment.<\/p>\n

The Financial Equation<\/h3>\n

Technological innovation is transforming veterinary care faster than ever. The opportunity to keep yesterday\u2019s specialty cases in-house (a client preference) is growing. Primary veterinarians can provide a level of service similar to that of specialists, practicing medicine that is more interesting to GPs and driving more revenue to their practices.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget that the strong human-animal bond has led to clients spending more on their pets\u2019 care than ever before. Pet owners increasingly choose advanced medical care and are willing to pay for it, and they expect the care their pets receive to be similar to what human medicine provides.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s challenges are twofold: a shortage of specialists and routine referral specialty care<\/a> that is quickly becoming cost-prohibitive to families who care deeply for their pets. GPs need assistance in providing high-quality advanced care at affordable prices.<\/p>\n

Easier Radiology Reads<\/h3>\n

Radiology is a diagnostic tool for which many clinicians do not get enough training or practice to stay sharp, and they rely heavily on pricy consults. Even worse, some clinicians might not use radiology as often as they should; they don\u2019t feel comfortable reading a radiograph in-house and don\u2019t want to charge their clients a consult fee. The solution: Technology-aided pattern recognition of routine radiographs<\/a>, an innovation that enables veterinarians to do more within their primary care practices.<\/p>\n

As technology advances, more and more veterinary practices are turning to artificial intelligence for clinical support, keeping more radiology services in-house.<\/p>\n

The use of artificial intelligence in veterinary care might seem the wave of the future, but today it can increase the quality of care without driving up the cost to the client.<\/p>\n

Understand that microprocessors are exceptionally good at predicting outcomes based on recurring patterns, and automated systems can be trained to recognize specific syndromes on plain films with a high degree of accuracy. A doctor looking for foreign gastric material might miss a pulmonary nodule, but with AI reads, all the films are scanned for all syndromes, every time. No additional hardware is required, just an internet connection. The answers arrive almost in real time as the films\u00a0are obtained.<\/p>\n

Room for Growth<\/h3>\n

The short-term results of AI in such a scenario are:<\/p>\n