You can now offer a larger portfolio of services & reach more clients due to the improvements of high-definition video displays and mobile communication devices which are now empowering more and more twenty-first-century veterinarians.
What was once considered just interesting, but not a mainstream solution, is now gaining popularity among pet parents and their vets as a convenient, cost-effective health services option.
If you’re thinking about implementing a telemedicine service in your veterinary practice, but you’re not familiar with this kind of service, then this article is for you.
We have broken down the steps required for successful implementation into 5 main areas: education, technology, client experience, privacy, and financial benefits.
1. Education
The most important step is education. You need to help your clients understand when telemedicine is the right choice, what is the process to book a video consultation and why they should pay for it.
You can share the following articles with your clients on any platform and we advise you to do so before the appointment.
- What conditions can telemedicine treat? our recommendations here
- How can they access it and how does it works? our how-to guide here
Tell them what they need to have ready before the consultation (a list of symptoms, any type of medication they have given their pet, a ready-to-use phone or laptop, a quiet room, their pet nearby, etc)
We encourage you to prepare and send an automatic pre-consultation form to make sure you gathered all the required information.
Do you need help with setting up a marketing campaign and preparing the promotional materials? Our team can help.
2. Technology
Choosing the right tools is a very important step. Make sure that the devices that you plan on using (laptop, tablet, microphone, etc) are working properly and won’t give you headaches when you’re in the middle of a video consult. Check our tech guide for telemedicine here which shares also tools for reducing background noise.
You can share our step-by-step guides to tell your clients how to be prepared for the video consultation.
3. Client experience
Client experience is what keeps our businesses on the market. Nowadays, people feel more comfortable resolving things from home-Â not waiting in lines, not waiting in traffic, etc. They will surely appreciate that you care about their time and their pet! See our tips for a great client relationship
Remember to send a consultation summary and step-by-step instructions via email or directly make them available on the digital health card.
4. Focus on their privacy and on keeping records for their pet
It almost goes without saying, that your telehealth services cannot rely on channels such as SMS, Skype, email, or Facebook. You’ll need to use secure connections and for that, you have to use a platform that offers all you need. Starting from the possibility to keep a patient record, having a chat available, and a secure internet connection for video calls.
Choose tools that are HIPPA or GDPR compliant.
5. Focus on financial benefits
For pet owners, convenience ranks high on the list of reasons to seek online health services, including renewing their pet’s prescriptions and managing chronic health conditions.
For veterinarians, proactively managing the revenue stream and increasing productivity are major concerns.
An ideal telehealth business plan incorporates strategies to improve opportunities to increase income. This can be translated into happier clients that refer you more often, being perceived as a modern clinic which will help you attract tech-friendly & Millenials (dog owners spend over $1,285 a year & cat owners spend $915 a year)
