Diagnostics are vitally important to the veterinary visit, but the workflows surrounding them are sometimes fragmented. Often, teams must toggle between multiple platforms, including those associated with reference laboratories, in-house machines, image capture systems, and image interpretation.
All of these systems must communicate with one another to achieve a seamless experience for veterinary team members. When teams use systems that aren’t well-connected, their workload and the risk of medical record errors increase substantially. Here’s what happens to veterinary diagnostic workflows without connected systems.
Key takeaways
- Disconnected diagnostic systems create extra steps for veterinary team members, pulling them away from patient and client care duties.
- Inefficient and disconnected diagnostic workflows can lead to incomplete medical records, missed charges, and delays in patient care.
- Two-way integration between diagnostic platforms and practice management software keeps results, billing, and payment connected without manual entry.
What are diagnostic workflows?
Running diagnostic tests in a veterinary hospital requires multiple steps:
- A veterinarian gives verbal test orders.
- A veterinary technician collects the necessary sample(s).
- Veterinary support staff orders the test and enters charges.
- The sample is sent out or analyzed in-house.
- Test results are reviewed by the veterinarian.
- Results are recorded in the patient’s medical record.
When systems aren’t connected, there are many opportunities within the veterinary diagnostic workflow for things to go wrong. Technicians may need to order tests in two separate platforms, enter additional charges, then manually transfer results into the chart via transcription, scanning, or downloading - all while toggling between multiple screens. This software friction pulls important team members away from patient and client care.
Patient care disruptions
Complete medical records are important for patient care and legal liability. Imaging or lab systems that don’t automatically transfer results to the medical record leave room for error. A busy team member can easily forget to transfer results once the veterinarian reviews them, leaving a hole in the medical record.
Additionally, in larger hospitals, veterinarians may be unable to access diagnostic information that hasn’t yet reached the patient’s record, leading to delays in care. It can also be difficult to review prior results, understand how they relate to a pet’s current health status, and monitor changes over time.
Billing problems
Disconnected systems can lead to missed charges and, in turn, lost revenue. When ordering a test, team members must ensure they enter it in both the veterinary diagnostic platform and on the invoice, which creates extra steps and leaves room for error.
Diagnostic workflows with integrated imaging and lab platforms, as well as integrated billing and payment systems, help ensure complete medical records, including estimates, invoices, and statements. Choosing software that’s part of a larger diagnostic ecosystem can help alleviate friction that frustrates team members and diminishes hospital performance.
Staying connected
In a connected diagnostic workflow, team members can run through steps from ordering to analysis and syncing with the medical record without manual entry or multiple clicks. Reports appear in the patient chart for easy viewing from any workstation in the clinic, so veterinarians can begin developing a care plan right away.
Meanwhile, other team members can complete the remaining tasks involved in the pet’s care. Working within a connected veterinary diagnostic workflow naturally leads to better efficiency, client satisfaction, and medical record accuracy.
Frequently asked questions about connected systems and diagnostics
What slows down teams most when running diagnostics?
Using multiple systems to order, analyze, view, and interpret diagnostic test results means jumping between windows and completing redundant tasks. Although it may take only a few extra minutes per case compared to an integrated workflow, that can add up to significant time wasted each day.
What are the downsides of using diagnostic systems that don’t integrate with your PIMS?
Disconnected diagnostic systems can lead to poor efficiency, missed charges, and missing, inaccurate, or difficult-to-access medical records. They can also delay patient care and slow the day’s overall flow.
What does “two-way integration” mean for diagnostics?
Two-way integration is the ideal way to connect diagnostic systems to your PIMS. This means you can send information from the PIMS to diagnostic platforms (e.g., orders), and the platforms can send results or reports directly back into the patient’s chart.
Strengthening connections
Veterinary teams need diagnostic workflows to be simple and efficient. Two-way integration is the best way to avoid missed charges, missing lab results, and slow patient care. That way, teams can spend less time managing diagnostic workflows and more time caring for pets.
ezyVet integrates fully with IDEXX VetConnect PLUS, a powerful all-in-one diagnostic platform. Clinicians and team members can view organized results, review trend charts, and access results inside ezyVet from just about any internet-connected device.
Schedule a demo to learn more about ezyVet and how working within the IDEXX diagnostic ecosystem can give your team the tools it needs to reach new levels of patient care and hospital success.