Top 5 Perks of Having a Pet Portal Directly in your Practice Management Software
Why your practice needs a pet portal in 2022
During the pandemic, more than 23 million households adopted a pet. As pet owners snuggled with their new furry (and maybe not-so-furry) family members, technology – like Zoom and FaceTime – became everyday norms for most households. Immediate online access to data became expected – and veterinary medicine wasn’t immune to the trend.
While veterinary hospitals transitioned to curbside and telemedicine healthcare, the industry experienced an unprecedented staffing shortage. There are more pets, fewer veterinary professionals, more tech-savvy owners, and an ever-growing need for help.
These owners are closer than ever to their pets and are looking for veterinarians to join them on the journey of providing an excellent quality of life for their fur family. Pet portals offer another level of veterinary care – especially when it’s directly inside your practice management software. Self-service portals provide a dynamic resource with direct and immediate benefits to the client, patient, your practice, and staff.
If you’re wondering how a pet portal can help your practice – read these five perks below!
#1 Patients receive better care. Hey, that’s what it’s all about!
Every veterinary professional knows owners can forget their pet’s vaccine or health history -we’re all human! How often have we heard that Rover is “up to date on all his shots” - when that may not be true. With jobs, families, and pets, it is easy to forget that Rover is due for his Bordetella vaccine. Now, with the click of a button, pet owners can view and manage their pet’s reminders, request an appointment, or refill their preventative and chronic medications – from the comfort of their home. Direct communication with your pet portal and software results in more regularly vaxxed, vetted, and healthy pets!
#2 Your clients feel empowered, have a proactive role in their pet’s healthcare and strengthen their bond with your practice
With a pet portal, clients have a proactive role in their pet’s healthcare, which translates to increased compliance and happier pets. Clients can view their pet’s medical history and prescription refills all in one easily accessible place. Shepherd Veterinary Software’s pet portal takes the guesswork out of managing a pet’s healthcare. Busy pet owners request appointments and prescription refills and view their pet’s vaccination certificates and reminders online – no need to call the hospital or wait on hold. Clients who frequently use daycare, boarding, or grooming services will significantly benefit. Gone are the days of faxing Rabies certificates or being kicked out of the groomers because of overdue vaccines. Clients have immediate access to the vaccination history and certificates. Boom shakalaka!
Shepherd’s pet portal announcement features give clients a direct line of updates and communication with their veterinarian. Closed for a holiday? Your pet owners are in the know. Want to get the word out about your brand-new laser therapy? Now you can. Communication, such as closures and updates, in combination with a complete medical and prescription history, gives a sense of transparency that every owner appreciates. Empowerment, knowledge, and trust strengthen the client-practice bond, leading to long-term client retention.
#3 Staff have more efficient workflows, are more productive, and experience less stress
Pet portals allow your clients to make all their pet’s requests online – without having to call or stop in the office. And when it’s directly in your software, your staff can respond to client requests throughout the day without interrupting their workflow. Staff can focus on other essential tasks while not spreading themselves too thin, thus reducing errors.
Refill and appointment requests automatically alert Shepherd users through the dashboard – quietly awaiting a time for the veterinary staff to address it. Once approved, the client will receive a notification and can even pay online – no need to call the hospital and tie up the phone lines.
#4 Productivity equals profit – let your business thrive!
Running a veterinary hospital is challenging – constantly juggling supervising staff, paying bills, and managing practice health, all while providing high-quality veterinary care. With online pharmacies, competitive pricing markets, and economic stressors – it can be hard to make a real profit. Practice owners must learn and excel at veterinary hospital management to succeed.
Why not let your software help increase your profit margins? With Shepherd’s pet portal, clients can request and pay for their pet’s medications and unpaid invoices through the website using Shepherd Pay. Clients feel safe providing their credit card information in a secure environment – not over the phone or written down on a sticky note. Furthermore, your staff isn’t tied up on the phone taking refill requests, scheduling appointments, or accepting payment, freeing them up to focus on other key tasks. Your newfound efficiency results in greater productivity, which only helps the bottom line. You can also begin using Shepherd’s pet portal from day one – at no additional cost. It’s like having your cake and eating it, too. Except there’s no cake – just incredibly user-friendly, simple yet detailed software.
#5 Customizable pet portals encourage and foster continuity of care
More than ever, referring and emergency veterinarians should work together to provide better clinical outcomes. Easily shareable patient data facilitates those relationships while providing the best patient care possible. Murphy’s law dictates that pets will almost always get sick on nights, weekends, and holidays – when general practitioners are typically closed. Constant access to a pet portal may save a pet’s life by alerting emergency facility veterinary staff of allergies, behavior risks, complications, previous history, and current medications. Shepherd’s pet portal offers this continuity of care by providing a real-time snapshot of a pet’s history to emergency and referral veterinary staff members.
Emergency clinicians can now trust their patients' vaccination status since the information comes directly from your software—no more guesswork, outdated reminder cards, or waiting for a fax. Veterinary staff members exposed to a possible rabies suspect can breathe a sigh of relief (while seeking appropriate medical treatment) with immediate access to a patient’s Rabies vaccination status. And those possible parvovirus or distemper cases? Access to accurate vaccine data may aid in a faster and more financially efficient outcome. Your emergency room clinicians will thank you. Clients will thank you. And pets – well, they are indeed the winners here.
Shepherd Veterinary Software just got more intuitive, user-friendly, and patient-care-focused with the addition of the pet portal. The pet portal is an easy, worry-free way to keep your practice ahead of the curve and on your game. To see how the pet portal works for you, schedule a demo at www.shepherd.vet/schedule-a-demo. Go get ‘em, tiger!
