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When a furry family member experiences a sudden medical emergency, every minute counts. Animal hospitals equipped with efficient tools can significantly improve response time and treatment outcomes. This comparison sheds light on the functionalities of two prominent veterinary software solutions: ClockwiseMD and ER Express. By dissecting their sign-in workflows, staff-facing interfaces, and client registration processes, we can determine which platform best equips veterinary practices to handle emergency situations effectively.
A smooth sign-in process is crucial for both staff and clients in an emergency setting. Clients arriving at the animal hospital are likely experiencing a great deal of stress, and a quick and efficient check-in can alleviate some of that anxiety. For staff, a streamlined sign-in allows them to swiftly gather essential information and prioritize cases based on urgency.
ClockwiseMD offers a standard sign-in workflow that may not be specifically tailored to veterinary emergencies. While it likely captures basic client and pet details, it might lack features crucial for rapid triage in an animal ER setting. For instance, the intake forms might not have fields for recording the nature of the emergency or the location of the pet’s injury.
ER Express, on the other hand, boasts a sign-in workflow specifically designed for veterinary emergencies. Their digital intake form goes beyond basic details and includes features that expedite the triage process. One such feature is a pet injury diagram that allows clients to visually indicate the location of their pet’s ailment. This provides staff with valuable information at a glance, allowing them to prioritize cases more effectively. Additionally, ER Express comes pre-loaded with over 30 symptom sets to flag specific medical concerns based on the client’s description. These sets can include options like “unproductive vomiting” or “chocolate ingestion,” helping staff identify potential emergencies swiftly. Furthermore, ER Express allows each veterinary emergency room to customize the symptom list to fit the specific needs of their practice.
In a fast-paced emergency environment, an intuitive and user-friendly interface is paramount for staff. Staff juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, and a software solution that hinders their workflow can create bottlenecks and delays in treatment.
ClockwiseMD’s staff interface might require navigating through multiple tabs to manage the flow of patients. For instance, there might be separate tabs for viewing waiting patients, pets ready for treatment, and discharged animals. This can make it cumbersome for staff to get a holistic view of the emergency room’s status at any given time. Additionally, ClockwiseMD might offer limited customization options for the staff interface, hindering the ability to tailor the software to the specific workflow of each veterinary practice.
ER Express prioritizes staff ease of use with a centralized view of all patients. Their interface displays a clear picture of all pets in the emergency room, categorized by their current status (waiting, triaged, in treatment, etc.). This allows staff to monitor the queue and prioritize cases efficiently. Furthermore, ER Express empowers veterinary practices to extensively customize the staff interface. This includes creating custom patient statuses, tailoring workflow triggers, and personalizing text message templates sent to clients. For instance, a practice might choose to create a “critical” status for pets requiring immediate attention. Additionally, they can set up automated text alerts to notify clients when their pet moves to a new treatment stage. ER Express also allows customization of the wording used in client communication, ensuring clarity and consistency in messaging.
When a client arrives at an animal emergency room, it’s crucial to acknowledge that they are likely going through a substantial amount of emotional distress. A user-friendly registration process can significantly reduce their burden during this difficult time.
ClockwiseMD might offer the option to opt-out of paper forms, which can be a convenience for some clients. However, it might not have a system in place to encourage clients to pre-fill digital forms before arriving at the clinic. This can lead to delays at the front desk as staff assist clients with filling out forms during a busy time.
ER Express takes a proactive approach to client registration. Their system facilitates pre-filled forms, allowing clients to complete most of the registration process before even arriving at the clinic. They also automate reminder texts to nudge clients to complete any outstanding portions of the forms. Furthermore, ER Express offers two-way texting functionality, allowing clients to reach out for assistance if they encounter any difficulties while filling out the forms. This feature not only streamlines the registration process but also demonstrates a commitment to client support during a stressful time. Studies have shown that ER Express’s system results in a remarkably high client completion rate for digital forms, minimizing delays and allowing staff to focus on providing immediate care.
By closely examining ClockwiseMD and ER Express, we can see a clear distinction in their approach to veterinary emergencies. ClockwiseMD might be a suitable solution for general veterinary practices, but its functionalities may not be specifically tailored to the high-pressure environment of an emergency room. ER Express, on the other hand, stands out with its features designed to expedite triage, streamline staff workflows, and prioritize client convenience.
The pet injury diagram, pre-loaded symptom sets, and customizable intake forms in ER Express empower staff to rapidly assess incoming emergencies. The centralized patient view, extensive customization options, and automated client communication features enhance staff efficiency and ensure clear communication with pet owners. Finally, the emphasis on pre-filled forms, reminder texts, and two-way messaging in ER Express demonstrates a commitment to minimizing client stress during a critical time.
For veterinary practices seeking to optimize their emergency response and provide exceptional care to pets in need, ER Express emerges as a powerful and user-friendly solution. If you’d like to learn more about how ER Express can transform your veterinary emergency practice, contact us today.
As a veterinarian, you provide clients and pets with the best possible experience at your clinic. That includes a smooth, timely, and low-stress waiting room experience. Nevertheless, some factors are beyond your control.
Even in a well-designed waiting room with an attentive and helpful staff, some pets (and their owners) get anxious. Bad waiting room experiences are stressful for everybody: staff, clients, and pets.
Thankfully, mobile check-in tools are bringing an end to the era of chaotic veterinary waiting rooms. By empowering clients to check in and wait remotely, vet practices enjoy calmer waiting rooms and more efficient patient flows.
At your clinic, are you considering implementing mobile check-ins or upgrading your current mobile check-in system? Let’s review how mobile check-in works and the advantages of embracing modern tools for streamlining veterinary waiting room processes.
Mobile check-in is also known as online check-in or digital check-in. These terms refer to allowing veterinary clients to check in for appointments online. This is accomplished from the clinic’s website, app, or with a QR code posted inside or outside the building.
After checking in, clients and their pets enter a virtual waiting room. There, they can see their place in line and the estimated start time of their appointment. Projected start times are updated automatically as appointments begin and end.
While in the virtual waiting room, clients can wait in the physical waiting room or in the parking lot. They can even wait from home while monitoring the patient queue, timing their arrival to minimize time spent in the physical waiting room.
The waiting room experience sets the stage for the rest of a veterinary appointment. If the waiting room is crowded and noisy, pets are already stressed out and anxious by the time they enter the treatment room. After a stress response, a pet may become more difficult to treat. This can result in a longer appointment that slows down the queue—it’s a vicious cycle.
Meanwhile, pet owners are less likely to return to a veterinary practice if they view the waiting room as a stressful environment.
With mobile check-in, clients are empowered to minimize their time spent in the waiting room. By monitoring the digital queue, they can more accurately sync their arrival time to the start time of their appointment. With fewer pets idling in the waiting room, the setting becomes quieter, calmer, and less stressful for pets and their owners.
Mobile check-in tools help a vet clinic’s reception staff more efficiently manage the patient queue. First, these tools reduce the average volume of pets and owners in the physical waiting room. This creates a calmer, quieter work environment with fewer conflicts. Second, digital intake tools use automation to streamline check-in tasks and reduce the need for manual data entry.
Mobile check-in can be linked to patient registration and scheduling processes through a clinic’s website and app. These tools enable patients to complete some or all of their registration tasks remotely before their appointments. That means no more clipboards, deciphering sloppy handwriting, and manually transferring data from paper form to digital—it all happens automatically.
Digital intake software makes life easier for pet owners and vet clinic workers. However, it’s the pets that benefit most of all. And that’s really what it’s all about, right?
Many pets are fearful and agitated in veterinary waiting rooms. While room design and staff training can improve the waiting room experience, it will always be a tough place for animals to spend time. That’s why the most meaningful improvement isn’t changing the waiting room, but changing how much time pets have to spend there.
By streamlining the appointment waiting process, it’s possible to reduce waiting room time to mere minutes. For nervous kitties and pooches, that’s welcome news. A short wait in a calm, nearly empty waiting room is the best start to a smooth appointment.
Waiting room management is a major challenge for any veterinary practice, but digital intake tools are bringing positive changes. With mobile check-ins and virtual waiting, clients and their pets enjoy smoother, calmer appointments.
Ready to revolutionize your clinic’s veterinary waiting room experience? Contact ER Express today for a software demonstration.
When clients evaluate their experience at a veterinary clinic, they don’t just consider the treatment that was provided. Rather, the whole experience matters—from booking the appointment to checking in and waiting to receive helpful follow-up information.
In every aspect of care and customer service, communication is key. These days, communicating effectively with veterinary clients means embracing modern tools that simplify scheduling, messaging, intake, and waiting.
The adoption of digital intake tools is an ongoing trend throughout the healthcare world. Cloud-based management software opens up clear, easily accessed lines of communication between providers and clients. These tools simplify registration and check-in procedures, shorten wait times, and automate data transmission between clients and providers.
For veterinary practices, digital communication tools address one of the most challenging aspects of care for both staff and clients: the waiting room.
Anxious cats and pups can make a waiting room a stressful and even dangerous environment. Fortunately, digital intake tools are transforming the waiting room experience by streamlining check-ins and empowering clients to avoid the waiting room process entirely.
A customer communication platform for veterinary practices is a system that streamlines intake, appointment queuing, and communications. Let’s take a closer look at the key components of a digital customer communication platform.
When pet owners are asked to fill out registration forms after arriving for an appointment, this process may slow down patient flow. With online digital intake, clients can fill out their forms online before their visit.
The advantages of digital intake include:
When patients complete their intake process remotely, their arrival at the clinic is simple and worry-free. Meanwhile, the reception staff can more easily manage the waiting room thanks to a reduction in paperwork and manual data entry.
When a pet owner wants to know when their appointment will begin, reception staff is often stuck playing a guessing game. Digital queuing replaces this uncertainty with data-based estimates and a transparent waiting room flow.
Here’s how digital queuing works:
Digital queuing software keeps records of patient flow rates and appointment durations. This data informs the automated estimates provided to clients. Thus, clients receive more accurate start time estimates while the burden on reception staff is eased.
Offering text message alerts is a great way to connect with clients in their preferred communication method. Compared to calls or emails, texts are more easily delivered and more likely to be quickly acknowledged.
To go one step further, enable two-way texting. With two-way texting, clients can respond to alerts, ask questions, and confirm agreements. While the patient communication platform uses automation to send alerts, incoming messages can be viewed and responded to by staff. Thus, two-way texting combines the efficiency of automation with the personal touch of direct communication.
Two-way texting is also useful for post-discharge communications. You can provide links to helpful resources and prompt clients to complete customer satisfaction surveys via simple text exchanges.
At ER Express, we provide smart software solutions that help veterinarians better serve their clients and patients. Our mobile check-in and digital intake tools provide smoother, more transparent communications that make the waiting room experience a breeze for guests.
Helpful features of our vet practice intake software include:
If you’re ready to streamline your intake process and improve the client experience at your veterinary clinic, contact ER Express today to request a product demonstration.
We are excited to announce that ER Express is now fully integrated with ezyVet! This powerful collaboration streamlines your practice management by seamlessly connecting ER Express’s online check-in and digital intake tools with ezyVet’s comprehensive veterinary software. Request a demo today to see how this integration can elevate your clinic’s efficiency and enhance the overall experience for your staff and clients.
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