Is your veterinary practice looking for ways to meet increasing client needs despite staff member shortages? The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says that hiring challenges and attrition, coinciding with an increase in routine and emergency appointments, may have presented obstacles for practices like yours, but finding solutions to offset these challenges isn’t far-fetched. According to IndeVets, “For several years now, animal hospitals have struggled to recruit veterinarians. As demand for exams has skyrocketed, the hiring gap has become even more acute.” There is also a nationwide labor shortage that’s impacting veterinary practices as much as any other business. Operating without a full staff may make your clinic question its ability to function as it needs to, but adopting veterinary practice management software including online and mobile payment and engagement tools could help.
Staffing challenges, implementation of new workflows like curbside care, and a rise in pet adoptions means clinics are busier than ever and need to rely on digital tools to simplify aspects of the care process. Rectangle Health’s digital payment and engagement solutions, for example, help practices with fewer resources to function more efficiently.
Veterinary Practice Management Process Improvements
As your practice transitions to increasingly digital workflows, you may need to make decisions about incorporating and prioritizing technology. Implementing veterinary practice management software with mobile and online payment solutions is a simple and smart first step. These solutions help streamline workflows for office staff and create efficiency for the practice by reducing manual data entry tasks, minimizing the need for phone calls to clients about payments, and simplifying reconciliation and issuance of refunds. Ideal for busy veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, and multi-location veterinary practices, Rectangle Health’s Practice Management Bridge® facilitates process improvements through the following features:
- Text-to-Pay: Text messages have simplified client-provider conversations. Clinics that use text messaging can not only increase office efficiencies but also reach clients in real time, in a contactless way – even as pets are returned to their owners curbside. Clients can now rest assured that not only will their beloved creature companions get much-needed medical care, but notifications about and payment for these services can take place entirely online or through a text-to-pay link on a mobile device, instead of at the reception desk.
- Card on File: Clients can also place a card on file to make the online payment process easier. By allowing their provider to save their credit card information in an online platform like Practice Management Bridge, clients can pre-authorize recurring or one-time veterinary charges. This type of transaction saves both your practice’s staff and clients’ time, allowing for greater focus on pet care. Entirely contactless, mobile and online payments that make use of Card on File promote safety in a time of uncertainty.
- Online payments: Functioning as an extension of your practice’s website and interfacing seamlessly with your practice management system, online payment options allow consumers to pay for their veterinary services at any time. With this option, clients can pay through a customized link that your practice can share via email, text message, and e-statement. By taking advantage of this feature, your clinic can accept payments without having time-consuming follow-up conversations.
- Payment Plans: As the number of veterinary visits increases, more clients seek alternative financing solutions so their pets can receive care in an affordable way. An article from DVM360 states “More and more clients will need financial assistance to provide the lifesaving veterinary care their pets need.” Automated payment plans through Practice Management Bridge enable clients to pay for care in affordable installments. These digital offerings, instrumental in numerous veterinary clinics’ success, allow their loyal clients to get their pet the treatment they may have otherwise put off due to cost.
The Rectangle Health Choice
Online and mobile payment solutions allow for safer, contactless interactions that have proven effective for maintaining and growing a client base. Let Rectangle Health be your partner in offering the digital payment solutions that keep your clients coming back. Our solution is designed for busy veterinary practices like yours seeking to simplify and expedite client payments, avoid payment errors, and reduce communication about payments.
References
- Salois, M. & Golab, G. (2021, August 25). Are we in a veterinary workforce crisis? American Veterinary Medical Association. JAVMA News. Retrieved from https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-09-15/are-we-veterinary-workforce-crisis
- Raphael, M. (2021, February 8). Four key trends for animal hospitals in 2021. IndeVets. Retrieved from https://indevets.com/blog/four-key-trends-for-animal-hospitals-in-2021/
- Carrozza, A. (2020, November 5). Top trends in veterinary practices for 2021. Volume 115, Issue 11. Retrieved from https://www.dvm360.com/view/cvm-urges-veterinarians-and-retailers-to-spread-public-awareness-surrounding-misuse-of-ivermectin-to-treat-covid-19
