Chart of the Month: Taking advantage of technology

As veterinary teams work to provide the best possible patient care, it's important to harness technology to streamline workflows and free up more of our time to spend where it matters most: helping patients and clients.

What the data show

Increasingly, veterinary practices are taking advantage of digital technologies to simplify and enhance service delivery.

As today's chart shows, many practices have embraced digital tools as part of routine operations. Some of these tools, like practice management software, are widely utilized. Others, like online appointment scheduling, have more room for growth.

Technology adoption rates also vary by practice type. For example, communications software integrated with practice management software (PIMS) is more common in companion animal exclusive practices than in companion animal predominant, mixed animal, or equine practices.

The data come from AVMA's 2023 Veterinary Practice Owners Survey and reflect mostly independently owned practices.

What does this mean?

These findings highlight areas where practices are taking advantage of technology, as well as opportunities for expanding adoption.

Each of these tools can alleviate pressures that veterinary teams face day-to-day. This allows our teams to focus on what they do best: caring for patients and assisting clients.

By leveraging technologies to assist in routine tasks-like generating invoices, maintaining medical records, monitoring inventory, or scheduling appointments-each of these tools can alleviate pressures that veterinary teams face day-to-day. This allows our teams to focus on what they do best: caring for patients and assisting clients.

The benefits extend to practice health, too. Recent AVMA research shows that boosting productivity in companion animal practice can allow veterinary teams to accomplish more and reach more patients with current staff rosters. In other words, we don't necessarily need to grow our teams in order to care for more patients.

What can we do with this information?

Assessing the current state of technology adoption in veterinary practice helps us identify ways the veterinary profession can continue to evolve. Technology is not a luxury. It's an important component of successful practices.

The high utilization rates of certain tools by independent practices reflect the understanding that new technologies can improve routine operations, ease workloads, enhance productivity, improve patient and client care, and boost profitability.

If your practice isn't yet using these tools, perhaps it's worth taking another look at the potential benefits they offer. To get started, check out the new AVMA Axon® Tech Talk CE webinar on online ordering and home delivery. Also keep in mind that technologies aren't limited to the ones covered in the practice owner survey. For details on other helpful innovations, read this AVMA News article on 11 technologies veterinary practices can adopt today.

If your practice is using these tools, consider how you might leverage them to their full potential and maximize their impact. Discover how one practice did this in this Tech Talk webinar on boosting productivity.

Interested in delving deeper into the intersection of veterinary medicine, innovation, and technology? Don't miss the Powering Up workshop at AVMA's virtual Veterinary Business and Economic Forum on October 8-9, 2024, to see technology in action within veterinary practices. A panel of practice leaders will share firsthand experiences and practical insights on the benefits and impacts of integrating technology into practices.

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