{"id":8940,"date":"2020-10-01T00:00:11","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T07:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=8940"},"modified":"2022-06-15T17:46:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T17:46:32","slug":"telemedicine-app-veterinary-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/telemedicine-app-veterinary-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"There\u2019s an App for That"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 2015 and a woman driving a Toyota Corolla pulled into the parking lot of Monticello Animal Hospital in Shawnee, Kansas. Practice owner Crista Wallis, DVM, watched as the woman got out of the driver\u2019s seat, pulled three wooden planks out of the trunk, opened the rear passenger door, erected a ramp to the backseat and coaxed a 200-pound potbellied pig out of the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pig had a bad leg, and trying to get that pig back into the car was like a circus show,\u201d recalled Dr. Wallis. \u201cThat was the day I said, \u2018Enough!\u2019 I could do that case remotely without having her transport a 200-pound pig.\u201d<\/p>\n

Telemedicine, an idea not yet embraced by most in the veterinary industry at that point, was gaining in popularity in human medicine, so what\u2019s where Dr. Wallis began her research. She decided to start small by charging for email and phone consultations. Soon, she noticed veterinary-specific telemedicine companies popping up and more people talking about the technology\u2019s place in the profession.<\/p>\n

Since the day Dr. Wallis helped get the pig back into the car, she knew telemedicine would play an integral role in her one-doctor practice. She wanted to take the service to the next level now that she was charging for email and phone consultations, but she needed help. That\u2019s when her use of telemedicine apps began, and she\u2019s never looked back.<\/p>\n

Today, Dr. Wallis\u2019 app helps her to provide better client service and convenience, creates a more efficient patient schedule, and supports a better work-life balance.<\/p>\n

Popular Features<\/h3>\n

After trying a lot of telemedicine apps, Dr. Wallis discovered what she really needs and wants from one. Here\u2019s what she and another veterinarian have learned.<\/p>\n

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  1. Easy transactions:<\/strong> A favorite feature of the telemedicine app that Dr. Wallis uses is payment capture. Clients enter their credit card information and are charged at the end of the conversation. \u201cIt\u2019s nice because I don\u2019t have to spend time collecting that information or putting it into my practice management system,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n
  2. Multiple communication options:<\/strong> Another must-have for Dr. Wallis is flexibility within the app. She prefers an app that gives clients and practitioners the ability to communicate in different ways, including asynchronous video, live video, and two-way chat or text messaging.<\/li>\n
  3. Easily customizable:<\/strong> \u201cI like apps that allow you to quickly customize your telemedicine service hours, your fee schedule and what the expected response time will be,\u201d said Dr. Wallis. \u201cIf I\u2019m in surgery, I want the ability to change my response time so that clients know I won\u2019t be able to respond for up to two hours.\u201d Saye Clement, DVM, co-owner of Carling Animal Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, agreed. \u201cI can go online and easily modify an appointment schedule,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s so simple.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. Hospital branding:<\/strong> What\u2019s better than a great app that clients can use to communicate with your team? The answer: a great app that\u2019s also branded to your hospital. \u201cI love that my clients can search for my hospital name in the App Store and find my app,\u201d Dr. Wallis said. \u201cIt includes my hospital logo, colors and brand. It helps my hospital to stand out.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. Great customer service:<\/strong> \u201cIf the app comes with awesome customer service, that\u2019s a big plus for me,\u201d Dr. Wallis said. \u201cI need someone who\u2019s going to be available to help me out when I get started, anytime I have questions, or when I need support.\u201d<\/li>\n
  6. PIMS integration:<\/strong> A telemedicine app that integrates with practice information management software<\/a> can make your workflow more efficient, saving you time and reducing the likelihood of human error.<\/li>\n
  7. Recordkeeping:<\/strong> Because Dr. Clement\u2019s app utilizes Zoom, calls are recorded. \u201cWe have a record \u2014 a cloud-based record \u2014 of all the video calls,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we also have a transcription should you need to go through and see what you said to the client.<\/li>\n
  8. Ease of use:<\/strong> \u201cOur app provided a seamless way for us to get started without having to do all the setup ourselves,\u201d Dr. Clement said. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to not have one more thing to think about if you\u2019re not necessarily tech savvy.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready to Start?<\/h3>\n

    Here are some tips from telemedicine app users.<\/p>\n

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    1. If you haven\u2019t implemented telemedicine or tried using a telemedicine app, talk to those who have.<\/li>\n
    2. Start small, especially if you\u2019re a small practice or you\u2019re afraid of change. Some ideas from Dr. Wallis include start with chatting or texting only; begin with a handful of situations, such as post-op surgery consults; and use the app with 20 of your best clients before rolling it out to all clients.<\/li>\n
    3. Involve your team. Dr. Wallis\u2019 staff triages cases through her app\u2019s two-way chat feature. Make one team member initially responsible for replying to chats and texts, and then expand the duty to additional team members.<\/li>\n
    4. Offer multiple ways to communicate. When Dr. Wallis started using an app, she assumed most clients would want to communicate via live video, but she found that most liked chatting or texting, and she preferred the same. \u201cI can solve almost any problem through a chat feed with pictures and videos, and it\u2019s less cumbersome than trying to get everything together for a video consult,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n
    5. Use the app to educate clients. Dr. Wallis makes short videos about common services and conditions. After appointments, she sends the videos to clients through her app\u2019s chat feed.<\/li>\n
    6. Select an app that allows clients to request food or prescription refills<\/a>. \u201cEverything I recommend through the app also goes through the hospital,\u201d Dr. Wallis said. \u201cWhen I recommend special food, medications or preventive products, the clients buy them through my hospital, which increases revenue.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      An App-Less World<\/h3>\n

      Can telemedicine be done well without an app? Pam Nichols, DVM, the owner of Animal Care Daybreak in South Jordan, Utah, has been practicing telemedicine since 2015 but has never used an app.<\/p>\n

      \u201cIn the beginning, telemedicine was really inefficient,\u201d Dr. Nichols said. \u201cI agreed to do consults over the phone for various conditions, and my receptionist would call and get payment.\u201d<\/p>\n

      But in 2016, Dr. Nichols\u2019 website provider added a link: \u201cClick here to complete an online telemedicine request.\u201d The click-through form included communication preferences (text, FaceTime, phone call) as well as fields for the owner\u2019s name, pet\u2019s name, email address, history, current medical issue and more. Owners could upload video and photos, and they could choose a payment amount based on the preferred response time ($49 within 24 hours or $79 within six hours). Once the form was submitted, clients were directed to PayPal to complete the transaction and the veterinarian would contact them within the desired timeframe.<\/p>\n

      Dr. Nichols still uses the form for telemedicine consults. When asked if she ever considered switching to a formal telemedicine app, she answered, \u201cNo. Why would I? Mine\u2019s free.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Be Aware<\/h3>\n

      Nothing is free, and with the sudden demand for telemedicine and conferencing technology, suppliers have multiplied in the veterinary space. Generally speaking, the less expensive the platform, the deeper you\u2019ll need to dig to uncover the WIIFM (what\u2019s in it for me).<\/p>\n

      Here are a few strategies commonly used by app developers:<\/p>\n