February 13, 2012 1:55 PM EST
While the majority of veterinary practices these days utilize some sort of practice management software, few can be considered truly paperless. But as the personal use of tablet computers becomes widespread, I believe the adoption of them as sole practice management tools is imminent in progressive veterinary practices.
Consider the growth of Electronic Medical Records, or EMRs, in human hospitals over the past 5 years. In 2006, fewer than 10% of private practitioners were completely paperless, but by last year roughly 34% were nearly completely integrated!
Veterinary practice software companies are expanding their software capabilities to embrace tablet computers. Some such as ImproMed and ViA have even developed their own tablet computers.
Going completely paperless has many benefits:
- Handwriting and speech recognition software take SOAP notes to a new level, increasing speed, accuracy, and thoroughness of documentation.
- Having faster access to medical records and laboratory results from anywhere in the practice allows for increased time educating and reviewing results with clients.
- The portability of tablet computers takes medical history beyond the boundaries of the practice walls allowing veterinarians to follow up with their patients at any time.
- By updating completed services and products dispensed in real time, the practice team is able to completely capture charges, eliminating missed revenue.
- Overall operating costs in a practice are reduced with utilization of capabilities like electronic signatures and payments.
What other benefits are there to using tablet computers in a veterinary practice? Are you using tablet computers in your practice? Feel free to ask questions and share success stories below.
This post was edited by Jana Grabill at April 6, 2022 4:16 PM EDT
