With more than 20 years of experience in veterinary medicine, Dr. Erica Monaco has seen the field from every angle. She’s worked in hospitals of all sizes, worn many hats, and witnessed firsthand the pressures that can make or break a team.
When Erica teamed up with practice manager Jenny Hayes to open Highlands Animal Care in Henderson, Nevada, they wanted to do things differently. Their goal was simple but ambitious: build a practice where the team comes first, staff feel supported and empowered, and technology works seamlessly to help them do their best work.
We caught up with Erica and the team at Highlands Animal Care to learn more about their team-first philosophy and how ezyVet helps them deliver on that philosophy every single day.
Building a team-first culture
Erica knows the toll burnout and turnover could take - not just on staff wellbeing, but on patient care, client satisfaction, and the bottom line. She also knows the flip side: what’s possible when you create the right culture. As Medical Director of a hospital group, she proved it was possible to drastically reduce turnover and, through retention, double revenue in just two years.
“Working in the veterinary field is stressful enough as it is with compassion fatigue and helping clients deal with difficult diagnoses. You really need a supportive environment that allows the team to function,” says Erica.
This team-first model became the foundation of Highlands Animal Care.
"The idea was to create a practice model that puts the emphasis on team dynamics and building a very high performance team that wants to show up to work every day. “I don’t promise rainbows and butterflies every day, but I do promise that you will go home knowing that the work you do matters.”
But delivering on that vision requires more than clinical excellence. It also depends on systems that keep the practice running smoothly behind the scenes. That’s why, when it came time to choose new practice management software, the Highlands Animal Care team looked for a solution that could match their culture - removing administrative friction, empowering staff, and supporting a fully paperless workflow.
"As a paperless practice, having a system that was completely electronic - where we could capture signatures, manage consents, and communicate with clients through email and text - was important. We also needed something that was going to work on any platform because half the staff loves Apple, the other half uses Microsoft. ezyVet allows the team to work from iPads, Surfaces, laptops, and iPhones. That was a huge component in choosing a cloud-based system."
IDEXX diagnostics integration saves “about an hour and a half” a day
Since moving to ezyVet, Highlands Animal Care has seen a major improvement in one of the most critical areas of practice life: diagnostics.
In the past, the practice had encountered frequent issues with its previous practice management software. According to Veterinary Technician Fiona Bennett, lab samples often failed to transfer correctly, resulting in delays that disrupted workflows and slowed down patient care.
“Integrating ezyVet with [IDEXX] VetLab Station and VetConnect PLUS was really smooth,” says Fiona. “With our previous software, Rhapsody, there were times where we had a lot of mishaps. Sometimes our lab samples wouldn’t transfer to VetLab Station, and it would take five to ten minutes to communicate a requisition.”
With ezyVet, those issues disappeared. As soon as charges are entered, the information automatically flows to IDEXX VetLab Station. There’s no need to wait, double-check, or manually reattach patient IDs to samples - a process that not only wastes time but also increases the risk of errors. Fiona estimates that ezyVet’s deep integration with IDEXX VetConnect PLUS saves the team “about an hour and a half a day” compared to the practice’s previous software.
The benefits of working with IDEXX solutions goes beyond the technology. Highlands Animal Care also values the ongoing support they receive, particularly from IDEXX Veterinary Diagnostics Consultant Anthony Mulvehill.
“Our IDEXX reps - especially Tony! - are really good when it comes to solving issues or helping with orders. They’re always right there to support us. We’re never left standing. If we come across a certain issue, Tony and all the IDEXX reps are on top of it and want to help us solve it right away,” says Fiona.
Client communication designed for trust
At Highlands Animal Care, one thing that sets the practice apart is its approach to client communication through medical records. While most practices write records primarily for other veterinarians, Highlands flips the script.
“We write our records for the client,” explains Erica. “Instead of writing notes so only other doctors can understand what we did, our medical records are written completely for the client. At the end of their visit, they get an email with their clinical summary.”
The team calls these summaries “report cards.” They’re written in plain language that clients can understand, often with support staff checking and paraphrasing medical jargon into everyday terms. The report cards can be written quickly using ezyVet’s templating system, and accessed via ezyVet’s integrated client portal.
“We want our clients to have access to those records. They can log in [to the client portal], see when their vaccines are due, and book an appointment online. They can see all their clinical summaries there, which can be useful if they need proof of a rabies vaccine or something like that,” says Erica.
This approach also provides peace of mind in emergencies. By ensuring that clients always have their most recent records, Highlands Animal Care gives emergency veterinarians immediate access to critical information, like bloodwork and visit notes. That means if a pet ends up in the ER overnight, the care team isn’t starting from zero.
Customization and efficiency through templates
ezyVet’s customizable workflow templates have also proven to be a major time-saver at Highlands Animal Care. This flexibility reduces repetition, speeds up common tasks, and ensures consistency across the team.
“I really enjoy the templates that ezyVet allows us to implement,” says Veterinary Assistant Ellie Russell. “ We start with a specific code word that triggers a template, and it automatically imports into the SOAP. It’s a lifesaver because we don’t have to keep writing the same thing over and over and over.”
The same logic applies to sales templates, which streamline estimates for common procedures.
“Creating a sales template for things like a routine neuter or spay saves us a ton of time,” continues Ellie. “Sales templates come in bundles, so everything is linked to one chart. You’re not typing in code after code. The bundle in the sales template that ezyVet offers allows us to efficiently create estimates that are also more user friendly for clients.”
Unlocking new revenue opportunities
From a business perspective, ezyVet’s reporting tools give Erica deeper insight into how the practice performs and how the team contributes.
ezyVet makes it possible to configure technicians and assistants as salespeople, giving Highlands Animal Care visibility into revenue generated independently of the doctors. This shines a light on the value of support staff and provides a clearer picture of overall team performance.
“One of the other things that we do a little bit differently from a lot of hospitals is we have a lot of what we call support staff or tech-generated revenue that is not under a doctor specifically. We can set up our technicians and our assistants as sales persons in ezyVet, which allows us to separate and track revenue that's being generated independent of a veterinarian,” says Erica.
This approach not only motivates staff but also strengthens the business. As Erica explains, “It shows the benefits of tech-generated revenue and how it can increase profitability, independent of what the doctors generate.”
A thriving, team-first practice
Highlands Animal Care has built a high-performing culture where staff feel valued, supported, and equipped to do their best work. By choosing ezyVet and IDEXX, the practice has minimized paper use, streamlined diagnostics, saved over an hour of staff time each day, and empowered both doctors and technicians to deliver more efficient, client-friendly care.
Want to see what ezyVet could do for your practice? Book a FREE demo today!