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This
documents objective is to answer questions about redundancy, backup, hosting
options, high availability, security, migration of data and our commitment to
data availability.
1. VETport
although cloud based is completely capable of running locally (your private
cloud), and serving to the intranet and internet from the local site.
How hard would that be? Not hard at all - an instance could be
moved from the cloud and be up and running in a matter of hours(depending on
database size) as long as the local hardware infrastructure was in place.
However the Amazon cloud is an extraordinary infrastructure and we get to take
advantage and leverage that infrastructure by being there. It is not absolutely
required but is highly recommended.
2. Create
your own instance on Amazon or any other cloud. You can control your
cloud wherever it is, independent of VETport.
3. We
of course offer backup strategies on the cloud included in our service.
We offer a fee based backup solution to an offsite location as well. You can backup
the full database at periodic intervals to an offsite location.
4. VETport
tables are fully accessible within VETport including the full xml based
medical record. A clinic may take all or any set of tables once monthly at no
charge. Pull them down and open them in excel! There is a nominal fee for
downloads in excess of once monthly.
5. In
addition to the tables and xml based medical record from within VETport you can
download the following: A folder per client, within each client
folder a folder for all that client's pets, within each pet folder a pdf
version of the medical record, an html version of the medical record, all
images, and all attachments. These files and folders are generated at the time
of your request through the browser. There is a small charge per client
download for this file generation to offset the costs of generation and
transmission. This is meant as a failsafe backup, and for anyone wishing to
move to another system as it along with the tables and xml files provides in
exquisite detail and machine readable format every aspect of the data within
VETport, as well as an immediate human readable medical record in pdf or html.
6. For
very high availability needs, you can have 2 instances with a virtual failover.
VETport is capable of transactional mirroring on 2 independent systems.
The possibilities with VETport are not limited unlike every
other veterinary software we have seen and worked with. No other vendor has as
open and available data as VETport.
No clinic among hundreds now has ever had significant
connectivity or operational issues on our cloud. We have clinics across the
world using VETport i.e. USA, Canada, Cayman Islands, South Africa,
UAE, India, China, Malaysia, Australia.
For connectivity issue we simply recommend a fallback
internet access point. In my clinic we have an iPad on Verizon. It gives us
complete continuity if there is a rare internet outage. For a large practice
you may want a hotspot available or multiple tablet devices.
If large companies can disappear overnight I am not going to
suggest VETport as a going concern cannot. That said one's access to VETport data or your ability to continue with
business is not going to disappear overnight.
Sincerely,
Tom
"Picture is worth a thousand words"
It is important to have pictures of Patients with the medical record. It helps with the workflow, identification, personalization, and description of detail.
How seamless is the process is what determines if the same gets captured and uploaded.
One can capture outside VETport and also within. The new feature of being able to take images from iPAD /iPhones or Android based devices makes the process seamless within VETport.
Just click on "choose file" anywhere in VETport.. and the image can be grabbed stat or uploaded from the existing images on the device
Ans: VETport – is a Sound Foundation for the Veterinary Hospital:
A veterinary practice starting up could be a small home service, mobile practice,
small to large brick and mortar practice that could be focused on general medicine
or could be a specialist practice or then a practice wanting to grow to into a chain of
hospitals.
All these practices have one thing in common that they are being built for the future
and with the intention of being around for a number of decades. Therefore they
should choose technology that will be able to help them not only address their
current needs but also that of the future.
The misconception is that you need something basic when you are starting up – No
that is not the case as change is painful and access to all the features is very
important as needs grow in time. Further when you are buying out an old practice,
unless you change the way the older practice works, one will never be able improve
the revenues of the old business. VETport holds the key to that change.
A startup ought to choose Internet and Cloud based technologies to start with –
This ensures that they are technology current and this also brings to the table a
number of advantages as a result viz: Lower Cost of Ownership, No tech staff to hire,
Accessible from anywhere on any device, No large Servers, complex Operating
Systems and networking to manage, Scalable very quickly,
VETport is driven by it’s powerful EMR which helps build a detailed medical record
very quickly.
Detailed Medical records are the need of today and the future.
VETport delivers Veterinary Medicine at the Speed of Light.
VETport helps define and modify process by the practice for all to follow. This helps
build intellectual property over time with intelligence burnt into technology. This is
working towards a decision support system
VETport helps improve and automate Client Communications. Lets demo to show
you how.
Depth of functionality: – VETport is loaded with innovative functionality designed
to deliver that wow experience. The online and in-house lab integration, sms
integration, patient portal, label printing, image and any file storage, image editing
using a browser, send image via email from your phone, powerful reminder logic
for any plan, visit follow up, payment gateway, full text search on the medical
record, integrated inventory management and boarding make it a comprehensive
system.
Predefined Data i.e. Species specific complaints, exam forms, assessments, drugs,
non drugs, services, lab reports, radiology reports, surgery and anesthesia forms. So
clinic is up and running fast...
Low cost of Ownership in a monthly pay as you go model. All features are
delivered upfront and users can grow into
The advantages of VETport as you see go much beyond just Web and
Cloud. VETport is Open, Flexible, Fast, Reliable, Scalable, Secure and is
Continuously Improving. At the same time it is affordable.
Last but not the least - Very satisfied User Group -and is built for the Veterinarian
and Practice Owner who is in continuous pursuit of excellence
Register Today: Plumb’s
Online for VETport Users:
Please see the following
video for a brief overview of this great resource:
Today we are releasing
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook Online powered by VETport within VETport.
Plumb's online employs
ground breaking technology to produce the most digitally advanced veterinary
reference available today.
VETport users will have
access both in and outside of VETport. Within VETport there will be integration
with the formulary - a value added feature available to VETport users.
In the veterinary theater, the exam room is center stage and requires an ever increasing attention to detail. The staging of this environment will positively or negatively affect the clients' perception of the veterinary experience. The use of computers in this setting is critical to real time record keeping (EMR or Electronic Medical Record). There are many benefits associated with employing computers in the exam room. The few complaints are generally restricted to the diverted focus of the practitioner away from the patient/client and to the computer. There are simple solutions to this complaint. The introduction of computers and conducting the real time EMR will promote an optimal exam room experience. No longer shall the computer be relegated to function solely as a cash register or a tool to manage reminders and reports.
How can we celebrate the new client visit? When a new client comes to the office for the first time, the most dreaded task is all the paper work that is required before even meeting a caregiver. The burden of this task is amplified by the clients' attempts to manage their pet and or children at the same time as they complete the data entry. My thesis suggests taking that task away from the client and placing it on a staff member who will be completely responsible to the client throughout the visit. The continuity of care established by your staff member will be appreciated greatly by the client and color their "First Experience" in a very positive way. Once ushered into the exam room theater, the client may sit and relax while tending to their pet/children. The onus of data entry happens through pleasant questioning conducted by the staff member. There are no issues in reading and transcribing the client's handwriting. Opportunity exists to break down some barriers and enjoy a "soft entry" into the practice culture as demonstrated by the care and concern of the exam room nurse. Picture taking is a great way to bring joy to the moment. Head shots of owners with their pets can be uploaded to the EMR in real time. This is a perfect time to request permission to post those photos to your Facebook gallery. Should the practice require any written release, they may be obtained in the quiet of the exam room. Finally, the client is given a short tour of the practice's website and Facebook page. Keep in mind that the first visit happens only once and making the most positive experience goes along way in creating a foundation of respect for the practice and healthy concern for the client.
Once the basic client/pet demographic data has been collected, the nurse then continues the conversation by reviewing the presenting complaint and completing any history forms (online) that are commensurate with the nature of the visit. For example, history forms should be created for general wellness, puppy/kitten visits, lameness, opthalmic, and other issues. If the client has any records to review, they may be handed off to another team member for scanning and uploading to the EMR. Once the history has been entered, the nurse may continue with a preliminary exam while entering data points and acquiring photos of relevant physical findings. A nurses' exam will engage the client and include them in highlighting the physical findings while posting them to the medical record. If the monitor is wall mounted then the nurse and client can enjoy a shared experience.
The veterinarian enters the exam room after having reviewed the record (including the real time findings). Now the veterinarian becomes the protagonist and conducts an in depth exam, while the nurse is the scribe. The veterinarian's exam should be vocal and will allow both client and nurse to be informed of the doctor's findings at the same time. Once a plan is formulated, the nurse can take over the exam room theater and the doctor may go on to another room. Progress exams or appointments for any procedures should be made in the exam room where "Doctor Power" still reigns.
The entire process is intended to engage the client in a way to enhance transparency in the diagnostic exam and confer a degree of trust not otherwise possible. Today's veterinarian, irrespective of specialty,personal interest, or personality, remains charged with the most important task of being 'the great communicator'. Most all of our problems in practice derive from poor communication, be it between staff and client; doctor and staff; or doctor and client. Not the least of which are the problems derived from our poor communication with our medical record. Electronic medical records implemented in a direct and transparent manner provide the basis for trust between the client and veterinarian.
Robert Spiegel, DVM
Crootof Veterinary Consulting
352-262-1322
No real Capital Costs to bear wrt software / server
On the Cloud so no complicated IT to manage – Just plug into
the Internet
Differentiator that will give you the edge – big focus on
caring communications
Low Cost and affordable monthly Fee
Comes pre-loaded with data required with a community that
shares data
One can focus on a few important and critical areas
initially and then focus on more complicated areas as business grows
Built for needs of today, the next 30 years and beyond
Build your intellectual property from day one
VETport subscribes to the TEAM philosophy
- EMR – Electronic Medical Record
(paperless practice)
- Advanced Medical Records Standards, Safety, Quality and Communications
- Superior Workflows
- Improving Standards of Patient Care
- Cloud Technology
- Paperless Practice - Anywhere, Anytime and on Any Device
TEAM Summary of Benefits
- A gold standard medical record (EMR)
- Improved Checks and Balances
- Excellent Teaching tool for Junior Vets, Students & Support Staff
- Helps deliver standardized quality of care
- Improved, Easier & Automated Client Communications
- Transparency of Operations
- Improves the Reminder System
- Better centralized Control
- Improves Data Analysis
- Lowers cost of Ownership
- No high tech IT Infrastructure required
-
and much more...
email us at sales@vetport.com and we shall send you the presentation
VETport Automates Prescription Creation:
For those who do not know VETport has it’s own inbuilt formulary. This means that VETport can automatically calculates dosage based on the weight of the animal. It also suggest at the time of selection of the plan, which plans are appropriate and which are not based on the species and weight of the animal. When a group plan is loaded VETport prevents the plans that are not appropriate from being loaded. That’s Technology enabled automation for you.
VETport however also allows for handwritten prescriptions which can be stored into the system upfront for reuse or can be built as you use the system. The client communication data can be also be stored in the master database as you use the system
A snap shot of the interface is as under:
Read Atul Gawande's Book on The Checklist Manifesto - Benefits even in Surgery
Use of Checklists originated and was perfected in the airlines industry
If checklist help in emergency situations, think of the potential how we can improve any process with Checklists.
VEtport uses check lists through it's unique SOAP design -
- Group Plans in VETport, linked to complaints, history and Exam findings and even Assessments is a nice way to create a "Check List" of plans and client communications that need to be done
- Assessments Linked to Complaints, a History / Exam Finding is nice way to create a differential diagnosis "Check List" in VETport
- Stock data pre-fed for a specific complaint / Finding is a great way to create a Check List
- Creating Check List into process is a great way to build your own intellectual property in a Medical Practice
- A junior medical practitioner using carefully designed Checklists can deliver the same level of patient care with compared to an experienced practitioner
- Intellectual property built into VETport using checklists will help Scale the size of your medical practice delivering the same level of patient care
- Build your systems so that you can take your practice well into the next decade and beyond with VETport
The way the SOAPing process has been implemented in VETport, gives power in the hands of the user and at the same time allows also a straight jacketed process to be followed using the workflow module. This helps develop standardized process to be developed for specific complaints and procedures which can be followed every time.
The Group plan, Report Card and Differential List can be added and linked to a complaint, history response, exam finding and the assessment. This can be configured by the user group and no IT person needs to be involved. Combined with the functionality of automatic drug processing we move close to being a decision support system. This capability makes VETport a great teaching tool and a base on which the Veterinarian can continuously build their intellectual property
It is also important for the younger Veterinarians to adapt to newer web based and mobile technologies that assist in efficient practice management, improving and standardizing processes thus improving overall patient care.
The effective use of VETport can improve productivity and patient care by leaps and bounds. Paperless Medical Records, flexible and standardized template driven processes subscribing to best practices are key to building the practice for the future.
Impact on your Bottom line - By Implementing the right Veterinary Software on acquiring a running practice or starting up a new practice.
A successful practice takes years of hard work and dedication. A veterinarian puts a lot of efforts in building a successful practice, and years later he wants to sell it off and retire with cash in hand for the years to come. He expects this to be cash on value of not only the set-up he has maintained but also the clientele he has yearned through the years. Some veterinarians also might want to sell the practice from lack of clients. This could be for a number of reasons, such as location, management, etc.
Whatever be the reasons to sell, when buying or setting up a new practice one needs to realize that one is going to be in business for the next 30 years. At one time, it was almost an abomination for veterinarians to accept profit and the art of practicing medicine as being part of the same mission, but now things have changed. While many veterinarians choose to believe that expertise in medicine necessarily excludes having business sense, nothing could be further from the truth.
By investing in the right veterinary practice management system you will be more equipped to handle business and deliver on customer expectations in the decades to come. But first and foremost one should not build in wasteful expenditure early on. It should be a decision that does not lock you into owning a white elephant.
A web based veterinary software on the cloud delivered in a software as a service model is a type of applications that is the ideal choice. Buying such a technology that is current & inexpensive can solve a lot of issues and help in reducing unnecessary costs drastically and brings almost immediately a better bottom line . In most cases paying for solutions using older technology, signing their maintenance contracts and upgrading them would mean the practice needs to deliver on around 150,000 to 200,000 USD in revenue to pay for these expenses every 3 years or so. This is considering most practices make 10-15% in net profit after all expenses.
Business and medicine are both evidence-based disciplines with much in common. A practice may not need an antibiotic injection, but an infusion of the right technology capital might be just what the doctor orders for providing the right impetus for growth. Also, but also keep in mind that you need to reduce costs to improve bottom lines.
Running a successful veterinary practice can be quite challenging; the absence of professional management and a skilled staff can totally disrupt the everyday functioning of a veterinary practice. Needless to say, multitasking in one of the mandatory skills required to manage a flourishing veterinary practice. The clinic has to be fully equipped to look into the various aspects of the practice.
When you are running a veterinary practice, there are numerous day to day things to look into. Be it a phone call from a pet owner, a check in or a check out, an outbound follow up call, etc. Furthermore, the vet may have to attend to more than one patient at a time. With the help of the rightly designed veterinary practice software, smooth functioning of the vet practice can be guaranteed.
So how can the right veterinary software facilitate multitasking in a veterinary practice?
• Vet software can aid the vet in referring and working upon the different aspects of the patient’s records.
• The software can update a patient record simultaneously on different workstations at the clinic.
All this can be supported if the veterinary practice management system allows multi tabs to be open at any point in time with adequate validations in place to ensure the latest and appropriate information is always current.
While selecting the right veterinary software, it is essential to keep all these functions in mind as this can tremendously assist in the smooth functioning of everyday tasks at any vet clinic, regardless of its size. The overall productivity of the practice can get a huge boost with the correct veterinary software.
However, it is extremely crucial to use the appropriate technology to support the required functions while designing the vet software. Poorly designed software will come with its limitations, which will only create roadblocks in the workflow of the vet practice. As a customer you deserve the best, and you should definitely not settle for old technology or bad design when it comes to veterinary software.
With the help of quality technology, top-notch design and multiple functionality of the correct vet software, multitasking in a vet practice can become a whole lot simpler. It will ensure that several work steps run in parallel and work spikes are addressed efficiently. Whether you are a start-up clinic or an established one, the right veterinary software can definitely assist you in taking the quality of your clinic a few notches higher.
With technology advancing at breakneck speed, 2011 is all set to witness a revolution in virtually every field. One such field that is witnessing a change is the veterinary sector, where software solutions for vets to manage their practice is under going a major technology shift.
There are many important activities that are managed by veterinary software. Some of them include client and patient management life cycle management, creating electronic medical records, caring client communications, managing and auto triggering reminders, automating repetitive tasks, just in time inventory management and financials. Basically, it is used to improve the overall vet practice or even a vet hospital’s operations by translating paper-full practice to a paper-less one.
Remember you have to invest in a solution that is built for the next 30 years and not made 30 years back.
It is really important that you find the right veterinary software for your practice which caters to your long terms goals, one that can scale across time and one that does not hurt your wallet. It is very important to build a house on a solid foundation and choosing the right software upfront will be one of the main foundations needed to grow the business across time.
Any services business besides infrastructure required is built on People, Process and Technology.
Besides making the effort to choose the right people, the Vet software should help them to make the right choices and decisions and that too in quick time.
Process that is required to run startup practices and then later mature practices should be possible with the same software. Being template driven and malleable in your hands is key.
Choice of technology must be the latest as the practice will be in operation for a few decades to come. Therefore web technologies should be the platform of choice. A Veterinary Clinic Software that is Web Based and on the Cloud will also have a low cost of ownership which is what a new practice needs. There are so many more benefits that one can get for being web based and on the cloud compared to older technologies and large in-house investments getting much better security and redundancy.
The right software can the subtle differentiator the new start up clinics are looking for and therefore the right Veterinary Clinic Software is a critical decision to success.
At the veterinary school, while the Vet gains vital knowledge on the treatment of animals, the true success of their Vet practice, will also depend on the efficient management of the practice, and caring communications with the Pet owners.
It is important for the Vet to adapt to newer web based and mobile technologies that assist in efficient practice management, improving and standardizing processes thus improving overall patient care.
The effective use of powerful and user-friendly vet practice software can improve productivity and patient care by leaps and bounds. Paperless Medical Records, template driven processes, Electronic White Board, Appointment scheduler, Invoice makers and Built in system processing will all help streamline your business.
The vet software should have the following features:
- Web based, cross platform (PC, Mac, Web, Mobiles, Ipads etc)
Easy access from any device with a browser.
- Template driven processes
Veterinarians should be able to create and modify their processes, forms, data, triggers so that it becomes the guideline for all to follow
- Client and pet record keeping
Client and pet records can be easily accessed without having to manually file everything on paper. The records (includes pet history, vaccinations, previous vet visits, invoices etc) should be easily accessible from the web, or a mobile for both the Vet and the Pet owners.
- Billing/ payments
Tracking of bill payments can be made. Also the outstanding payments can be noted down. So keep a check on the client data and flag those clients who show discrepancies in their payments. This will alert the front staff in charge of administration activities and they will follow up on the same.
- Reports & Analytics
Proper reports can be maintained in a tabular or graphical form so performance and efficiency can be measured and improved.
- Inventory control
Inventory control modules help to check on the available stock of drugs/ medicines, devices and other utilities. Set up alerts for those medicines/ drugs that are being utilized on a faster basis, so that advance measures can be taken to make them available at times.
-Automated reminders
Reminders can be set for scheduled visits, vaccinations etc. Concentrate on building a good and continuous rapport with the client. Direct mail marketing and reminder emails are a great way of building a long term relationship.
-Calendars
Appointments, resource management and doctor visits can be scheduled easily at click of a button.
To sum it up, veterinary software is an invaluable friend for the running of a successful Vet practice, multi-specialty clinic or Vet hospital. Many veterinary schools are now teaching about use of technology to improve productivity of the Vet practice as part of curriculum.
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