Western Veterinary Center, Medical & Surgical Center (WVC) thrives on innovation. Nestled in Agoura Hills, California, the 24-hour, state-of-the-art facility leverages the latest in veterinary technology to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience for staff, clients, and patients alike.
We sat down with a few members of the WVC team to learn more about their approach to veterinary medicine and the role ezyVet plays in driving the hospital’s daily operations.
Raising the standard of veterinary medicine
WVC opened in 2023. Featuring five integrated surgical theaters, 12 treatment stations, an on-site pharmacy and lab, an ultrasound suite, X-ray suite, and a CT suite, the hospital is equipped to handle just about any case that walks through the doors.
“Our goal was to raise the standard of veterinary medicine and care. We didn’t just want state-of-the-art equipment. We also wanted to be progressive with veterinary medicine and surgery and be at the cutting edge of the industry,” said Dr. Rick Garcia, Lead Surgeon and Hospital Director at WVC.
Beyond medical expertise, the practice strives to foster an environment where people and pets can feel safe and reassured. Rick’s wife and WVC Practice Manager Caleigh Garcia spent 18 months designing the hospital, working alongside an architect and drawing on 10 years of knowledge gleaned from veterinary and design conferences to bring her vision to life.
The result is a facility that looks and feels more like an upmarket spa than a veterinary practice. Careful building design and strategic window positioning ensure interior spaces are drenched in natural light. A sound system plays serene soundscapes in the bathroom. Subtle aromatherapy fragrances are dispersed in the lobby via the practice’s HVAC system.
“We built Western Veterinary Center to be a community to serve the community,” explained WVC Practice Manager Caleigh Garcia. “The goal is to make sure that when the client walks in, they can take a deep breath and know they're in the right place, staffed with knowledgeable and experienced medical professionals there to help them with any medical need that they might present.”
The quest for innovation leads to ezyVet
It’s that same unquenchable thirst for innovation that led WVC to ezyVet. WVC’s first location, a smaller practice called Paws & Claws, had used Cornerstone, a classic server-based practice management system. However, the team knew from experience that Cornerstone would not be the right fit for a hospital the size and caliber of WVC. The hospital required a practice management software that could accommodate its broad range of services and demanding case load, while integrating seamlessly with its existing tools and services.
After consulting an independent data specialist at Western Veterinary Conference, Caleign began investigating ezyVet’s capabilities and quickly discovered that it would be the best (and perhaps the only!) fit for the hospital.
“I described to [the data specialist] our large facility that we were building, and I asked him what my options were. He said: ‘You only really have one. There is no competitor.’ He said that ezyVet was the only one that could handle that work caseload and that many departments, and keep that many doctors on the same page. It was truly the only software that gave us the integration qualities we needed,” said Caleigh.
Seamless integration with IDEXX solutions
For Rick, a major benefit of ezyVet is how the software fits into the broader IDEXX ecosystem. The team can access diagnostics results right away via the hospital’s in-house lab, or leverage IDEXX Reference Laboratories for more specialized lab work. Turnaround times are quick, with sample pickups taking place twice a day.
The team can send diagnostics requests and receive results directly from inside ezyVet via IDEXX VetConnect PLUS. Diagnostics request forms are pre-loaded in ezyVet and results are automatically returned to the clinical record, eliminating manual data entry and minimizing the risk of human error. Like the rest of ezyVet, all diagnostics results are accessible remotely from any device, allowing for flexible work options and greater continuity of care.
“VetConnect PLUS works great with ezyVet. There aren’t a lot of tools where you can just click and have whatever it is - your X-rays or images or ultrasound or endoscopy image or our labs - all in one place. I love it. I can be in Hawaii, I can be at dinner, I can be at a baseball game and I can still look at the lab. Sometimes, I’ll read the X-rays before my doctors in the hospital read them. It’s amazing,” said Rick.
WVC’s diagnostics processes are further strengthened by IDEXX DecisionIQ, which combines artificial intelligence with patient-specific data to identify patterns in current or developing diseases. According to WVC Director of Preventative Medicine Dr. Crystal Gerards, this technology can be very useful for validating diagnoses - particularly for newer veterinarians.
“DecisionIQ is really helpful for validating the decisions I make regarding patient care. And it's especially good for newer graduates. We recently hired a new graduate and I think that DecisionIQ will be useful for helping her read through new lab results - it’ll definitely be a plus. I look forward to seeing how she utilizes it.”
Scheduling system empowers customer service representatives
ezyVet includes a huge range of time-saving features, allowing the WVC team to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time with patients.
Take scheduling, for example. As Crystal explained, the intuitive design and flexibility of ezyVet’s scheduling dashboard streamlines the hospital’s appointment booking processes and gives front-of-house staff more autonomy.
“I think the way that the scheduling is laid out does make adding new appointments on an emergency basis a lot easier. And I feel like our customer service representatives feel a lot more comfortable with scheduling because of how it's laid out. They're really empowered to actually make decisions based on what they can see right in front of them, how they can move things around and then get those appointments in. So I do think that's improved our workflow, which in turn has added extra revenue to the practice.”
This has been particularly useful when it comes to emergency cases.
“The other day, we had two fully booked doctors and someone called and needed an emergency CT scan,” recalled Crystal. “Thanks to the layout of the software system, we were able to easily see who was available and whether we’d be able to squeeze it in if we moved some appointments around. Within ten or 15 minutes, we were able to accommodate that emergency.”
Growing with ezyVet
WVC’s choice of practice management software reflects its commitment to innovation. Through this strategic integration of technology and values-driven practice, WVC continues to set new standards of excellence in veterinary care, enriching the lives of pets, clients, and veterinary staff.
Want to see what ezyVet could do for your practice? Book a demo today to discover how ezyVet could help your hospital save time, drive revenue, and better serve your patients.