Boosting Practice Efficiencies and Patient Outcomes Through Tech-Powered Human Intelligence

With all the buzz around artificial intelligence and how it might impact veterinary practice, we risk overlooking existing powerful solutions empowering humans through technology that are already available and improving the delivery of veterinary care. In this article, we review how advancements in teleradiology, specialist consulting, and other remote capabilities offer opportunities to improve efficiency, enhance patient care and increase profitability. Integrating human intelligence (HI) through technology by plugging remote specialist expertize into clinics can support in-house teams, improve patient management, streamline workflows, foster client loyalty, and position practices for long-term success.

Improving Patient Care

Challenges of modern veterinary medicine include staying up to date with increasingly rapid advancements, and ensuring consistency in care delivery within and between practices. Errors arising from outdated information, fragmented communications, or delayed diagnostics can be costly, both financially and in terms of patient outcomes. Technology-enabled solutions in veterinary practice have significant potential to mitigate these risks:

• Teleradiology: High-quality, reliable imaging interpretation enables accurate, timely diagnoses. In addition, services that provide advice and support on good imaging technique and accurate acquisition improve the diagnostic value of images. This reduces the risk of needing to repeat imaging, misdiagnoses, additional unnecessary diagnostic steps, and accelerates appropriate treatment planning and care.

“Accurate reports have significantly improved patient outcomes by enabling faster and more targeted treatments. We’re able to address issues sooner, leading to better recovery rates and overall care.” Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Specialist Consulting: Complex cases benefit from consultation with specialists. However, many patients face long wait times for referral consults due to a shortage of specialists. Plugging in remote specialist expertize in a timely and efficient manner ensures that clinics can deliver a high-standard care, minimizing errors and optimizing patient management strategies. In human healthcare, using technology to link GPs and hospital specialists, improves dialog and helps to optimize the efficient use of specialty resources, and enhance primary care capacity^1,2. It reinforces the patient-centered medicine by supporting doctors in providing longitudinal care for a broader range of conditions and reducing fragmentation of care³.

"VET.CT are an extension of our team helping us hold clinical rounds and to discuss unusual cases or cases outside of our expertise. Their input is invaluable and really improves the care we can provide our clients and their pets." Dr Richard Sanderson, Sanderson Vet

• Integrating Expertize: Subject-matter experts dialled into cases bring up-to-date knowledge and best practice guidance across disciplines. While learning is a vital part of career development, the burden on team members to keep abreast of all the developments across the vast veterinary landscape can be overwhelming. Case-based learning through specialist support can streamline information transfer, improve understanding and embed knowledge. 

"The team feels supported and confident in their work, knowing they have access to specialists who enhance their capabilities." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Right care, right time: Ensuring timely input from specialists in complex cases helps to ensure the right cases are managed in house, and those that require referral are sent in a timely manner. In human healthcare, physicians perceived that remote specialist input prevented the occurrence of low-value specialty visits due to incomplete workups and referrals for problems that could be managed in primary care. Also, there were cases where a primary care doctor had chosen not to refer the patient, but the specialist suggested referral as earlier access to specialty care could result in quicker treatment. They concluded that remote specialist input could improve the timeliness of access to secondary care in two ways: (1) early detection of cases that should be referred; and (2) a reduction in waiting times for face-to-face referrals due to the consequent improved system efficiency for urgent cases³.

Efficiency Gains and Revenue Potential

Efficiency gains follow on from reducing errors and optimizing workflows. Veterinary practices can expect better outcomes by embracing digital tools for diagnostics and consultation:

• Faster Diagnosis and Treatment: Remote specialists provide timely expert input, avoiding delays in critical decision-making. This ensures pets receive prompt care, potentially improving recovery times and reducing associated costs.

"Your radiologist gave me the diagnosis right away which was confirmed with histopathology that I received a couple of days later. Thank you all for making me a better vet by getting the diagnosis straight!" Alane K. Cahalane. Veterinary Specialty Hospital, Hong Kong

"The efficiency of VET.CT's services has reduced the time we spend interpreting radiographs. The clear and concise reports allow us to move forward quickly, saving precious time during busy days." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Streamlining Processes: Building in external expertise through tailored platforms helps to bring consistency to the patient journey. As noted at the AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum, “When you have processes and systems, you can deliver a consistent client and patient experience. Not only that, the chaos goes away and the efficiency goes up because you make fewer mistakes,” Dr. Weinstein, facilitator for the “Systems and Processes to Address Practice Inefficiencies” virtual session⁴.
  
  
• Reducing Unnecessary Procedures: Accurate diagnostics prevent unnecessary or redundant procedures, reducing morbidity and enhancing cost-efficiency for both the practice and the client.

"The service helps avoid unnecessary diagnostics or treatments, potentially saving hundreds of dollars per case. Over time, this translates to significant cost savings for both the practice and our clients." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Improving Techniques: Expert input earlier in the patient journey can not only help to advize on appropriate imaging modality selection, but also good technique for quality image acquisition. Accurate diagnostics prevent unnecessary or redundant procedures, reducing morbidity and enhancing cost-efficiency for both the practice and the client.

"Technical advice has been of great benefit in advancing and perfecting our techniques." Michelle Oppelaar Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre

• The Value of Reliability: Accurate diagnostics reduce the need for in-house checks with more experienced staff. It also reduces wasted time spent following up with providers where results are questionable. Reliability creates confidence and reduces uncertainty. Finding a dependable provider of reliable clinical reports that are consistent both in terms of accuracy and timeliness builds trust, assurance and efficiency among the team. It also gives clients value and builds their confidence and trust in the clinic. 

Did you know VET.CT has a clinical accuracy warranty because we stand by the quality and reliability of our reports? Read more HERE.

"We estimate that VET.CT saves us several hours each week—time that would otherwise be spent researching or waiting for external opinions. Their quick STAT turnaround keeps our schedule on track." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Revenue Growth: Clinics can serve more patients effectively within the clinic, with more timely treatment, reduced need for travel to specialty hospitals, or delays caused by unavailable specialists. Happy pet owners are more likely to return for ongoing care and provide recommendations, increasing loyalty and profitability.

"These reports allow for confident delivery of accurate information to clients allowing us to move treatment plans along quickly and with more certainty. The system has been beneficial to vets of all experience levels whether it is a new graduate that needs pointing in a clear direction or an old hand that needs the reassurance that their thinking is correct." Dr Bryan Nicolay, easipetcare, UK 

Confidence and Performance

Confidence is recognized as one of the most influential factors affecting performance at both the individual and organizational levels. Conversely, its absence has been connected with increased risk of failure. 

Confidence comes from the Latin word ‘fidere’ which means to trust. Confidence fosters trusting relationships, empowerment, and resilience. Remote human expertize deployed within a practice needs to be reliable and accurate to foster trust and build confidence in diagnostics and case management. 

"VET.CT is an amazing resource, it has allowed us to work up and manage more complex cases to a higher standard, whilst giving our vets support and added confidence in their clinical decision making." Dr James Arding, Estcourt Vets, UK

When people believe they can cope with a challenging task, they are more resilient and become less anxious in the moment. Conversely, those who do not feel confident in difficult situations experience more stress and anxiety. 

"I can’t tell you what a relief it is knowing I have your team as a resource for those radiographs that I find challenging." Joanne Fagnou, 404 Veterinary Emergency and Referral Hospital, Canada

Studies have revealed that organizations with higher confidence perform better than those with lower confidence. In human healthcare, the literature shows that elevating confidence among caregivers is most likely to elevate patient perceptions of their experience. Additionally, organizations whose employees feel they provide a better patient experience may be more likely to retain employees⁵. 

Improved patient safety

Human factors research has elucidated the relationship between human factors and patient safety⁶. Situations that increase the likelihood of error include:

• unfamiliarity with the task (especially if combined with a lack of supervision) 
• inexperience 
• shortage of time 
• inadequate checking 
• poorly designed procedures 

In modern vet practice, time and expertise are at a premium and many of the checks and balances are missing in workflows. Some of this can be outsourced through the remote HI services; in particular task familiarity, experience and time. 

"Knowing there’s a human specialist reviewing each case is hugely reassuring. It builds trust and gives us the confidence that the advice is personalized, thoughtful, and based on experience—not just algorithms." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

Reduced Diagnostic Errors

In a paper on Diagnostic Errors in human healthcare, the World Health Organization stated, “In all health systems it is likely that diagnosis could be improved by enhancing access to care and appropriate expertise, ensuring the competency of providers and primary care teams, making available high-quality diagnostic testing services (e.g. radiology/laboratory) and providing a suitable work environment with safe and effective health information technology (IT) to help optimize care⁶.”

With reliability in these services, the need for second opinions and checking in-house is reduced, relieving the burden on more senior staff. Technology can allow seamless integration into clinic workflows, and these services are most successful when they become habitual and ingrained into procedures.

"Two things are important to us in our cooperation with a telemedicine provider. The first, and most important thing, is the quality. We need to be absolutely sure and confident that the reports are thorough, correct and provide any additional relevant information to the case. Secondly, it is rather important that it is easy to upload images and patient data, since we are very busy and do not want to spend a lot of time doing uploads. We have used VET.CT as our telemedicine provider since 2009, and we have been very satisfied. The reports are always on time and the quality is high. The software they use for uploading images is brilliant. [The whole process] takes less than 2 minutes." Lars Langerhuus, AniCura Aarhus Dyrehospital, Denmark

"It feels empowering and reassuring to know we have such a reliable partner. It reduces stress and ensures we’re making informed decisions." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

Additional Benefits

• Knowledge Sharing: Providing staff with easy access to remote expertize helps to upskill, grow knowledge and build confidence through more advanced case management. Not only does this provide an expanded offering to clients and their pets, it also builds career growth and satisfaction. A practice with an engaged and productive team has less turnover and a lift in attracting and recruiting great talent for varied roles across the clinic⁴.
  Read more about the effectiveness of remote supported on-the-job learning in our white paper HERE.

"As a group we value the continuing professional education the reports and this service provide." Michelle Oppelaar, Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre

"VET.CT bridges any gaps in our team's expertise, especially with complex cases. Their specialist insights complement our skills, providing a learning opportunity for the team by providing detailed annotated reports while ensuring the best care for patients." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

• Future-proofing: Technology can feel remote and disconnecting. For a social species, social proof and positive experience build enthusiasm and willingness to adopt new technologies. Integrating tech-enabled relational HI lowers the bar of resistance to future integrations.
  
  
• Accessibility: A rural veterinary clinic without access to an in-house radiologist could utilize teleradiology to diagnose complex conditions, ensuring timely and accurate care. In human healthcare, both patients and caregivers noted that teleconsultations increased accessibility to specialized services, provided better continuity of care, and reduced travel expenses and caregiver’s work absenteeism. The benefits were especially stressed by patients and caregivers in rural practices, who described the teleconsultation service as an effective way to access secondary care. Some patients and their family caregivers indicated that it relieved them of physical, psychological, and financial stress to travel for treatment that was not available locally. They described the reduced burden of health care access as one of the major benefits of teleconsultations. This benefit was also noted by primary care and specialist physicians⁸.
  
  
• Enhanced Client Trust: Clinics providing expert-guided care foster greater trust, as pet owners feel assured that their animals are receiving top-tier treatment. In human healthcare, knowing that primary care doctors had support from hospital consultants strengthened patients’ and caregivers’ confidence in the care they received⁸.

"Clients feel more assured knowing that every diagnostic and treatment decision is backed by expert insights. This confidence builds trust and strengthens our relationship with them." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

Successful Implementation: A Cultural Shift in Practice

The success of technology-enabled systems in veterinary medicine requires thoughtful implementation and can require a shift in clinic culture. Lessons from human healthcare underscore the importance of designing systems that address real-world challenges without introducing new inefficiencies. Key strategies include:

1. Good Delivery Channels: Choose platforms that enable seamless service delivery and communication between in-clinic teams and remote experts.

"It’s incredibly seamless; the integration into our existing workflow feels natural, and their user-friendly system makes accessing reports and advice straightforward." Dr Rebecca Swimmer, LAASER and Vet Villa Animal Hospital

2. Fostering Team Collaboration: Emphasize a team-based approach to patient care where local veterinarians and remote specialists work cohesively.

"VET.CT  radiologists have really taken the time and have allowed staff to learn. We even had one case that the radiologist helped us rebuild the images. Your radiologists and team have been amazing to work with.  We could not be doing as good as we are without your support." Lindsay Johnson, Operations Manager, Perrysburg Animal Hospital, USA

3. Training and Testing: Provide staff with comprehensive support during the adoption phase of new technologies. Routinely review how they are used across the clinic to ensure consistency of integration to optimize workflows.

Summary

Technology-enabled HI is revolutionizing veterinary practice by improving patient care, improving efficiency in case management, and enhancing client satisfaction. Specialists and radiologists are increasingly remotely plugging in to local clinics to support team members in delivery high quality, timely care to their patients. Veterinary practices can only truly see the benefits from such services that are reliable and accurate, fostering trust and confidence. This not only benefits the business but reduces stress on the clinical team, knowing they’re supported in their decision making, and building their knowledge and skills. 

Once integrated these transformative tools can improve efficiencies, reduced costs, and improve patient outcomes, positioning clinics for enhanced revenue and client loyalty, and long-term success. By adopting a human and care-centred approach to technology integration, veterinary teams can meet the evolving demands of pet owners while advancing the standard of care for animal health. 

References:

1. Chen, Alice Hm, Elizabeth J. Murphy, and Hal F. Yee Jr. "eReferral--a new model for integrated care." The New England journal of medicine 368.26 (2013): 2450.

2. Straus SG, Chen AH, Yee H Jr, Kushel MB, Bell DS. Implementation of an electronic referral system for outpatient specialty care. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2011;2011:1337-46. Epub 2011 Oct 22. PMID: 22195195; PMCID: PMC3243286

3. Maria ARJ, Serra H, Castro MG, Heleno B. Interaction at the primary–secondary care interface: Patients’ and physicians’ perceptions of teleconsultations. DIGITAL HEALTH. 2022;8. doi:10.1177/20552076221133698

4. Leading with lists: How systems boost practice efficiency, AVMA, Accessed on 12/12/24 at https://www.avma.org/news/leading-lists-how-systems-boost-practice-efficiency

5. Owens KM, Keller S. Exploring workforce confidence and patient experiences: A quantitative analysis. Patient Experience Journal. 2018; 5(1):97-105. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.1210. 

6. World Health Organization. "Diagnostic errors." (2016), https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/252410/9789241511636-jpn.pdf

7. Course Details: To Err is Human, Why applying human factors is important for patient safety, Accessed on 12/12/24 at https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/patient-safety/curriculum-guide/resources/ps-curr-handouts/course02_handout_why-applying-human-factors-is-important-for-patient-safety.pdf

8. Maria ARJ, Serra H, Heleno B. Teleconsultations and their implications for health care: A qualitative study on patients' and physicians' perceptions. Int J Med Inform. 2022 Mar 23;162:104751. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104751. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35339887.