The Animal Health Portal: A Veterinary Lifesaver

In America, the percentage of households that own or adopt animals is rising every year. A survey conducted by the APPA in 2021-22 showed that 70% of households owned a pet. Additionally, as knowledge of potential threats spreads, veterinary appointments are now part of a pet owner’s routine. The demand for and willingness to spend on extensive care, pet health plans, etc. are also on the rise. All this translates to better, more in-depth treatment for pets than could be expected a few decades ago. However, two of the greatest concerns in the veterinary field are the understaffing of veterinarian clinics and the lack of urgent care available to pets as a result. That is where the Animal Health Portal comes into play. These online systems are solutions to the pressure on animal health providers and pet owners alike.

What is an Animal Health Portal?

Owners need timely access to their animal’s medical information on a regular basis. When entering a dog park, they’d need proof of immunization; when visiting an animal pharmacy, they would benefit from having the prescription; and if they shift to a new locality, they would need the EMR and medical history records of charge. Providing certain files and documents falls on the shoulders of the data coordinator, who must receive the email, review a release form, or gain permission from a manager before reverting back. Often, these regular delays can frustrate both the client and the provider and put a strain on their relationships with veterinarians.

An Animal Health Portal provides this information immediately and at the tip of the client’s fingers. It is an online platform where animal caretakers can remotely access lab results, contact their care provider, request prescription refills, manage payments, and more 24/7. But the benefits far exceed convenience and really impact the quality of care provided and the patient experience.

Features of an Animal Health Portal

Online portals can perform a variety of functions that make life easier for both vets and their clients. It can help a veterinarian to establish a closer and more consistent bond with the animal and its human partner. A pet parent could put up a query at any time and the appropriate personnel could respond promptly and pertinently. At times, a pet owner may not be available during the visitation, especially during an emergency, but needs a way to remain accurately informed about their pet’s condition. All relevant updates could be communicated via the vet portal, whether that is test results, treatment procedures, or shifts between departments – everything can be synced and tracked from a remote device.

When shifting to a new local veterinary clinic, consideration of the animal’s previous medical conditions, allergies, or medications is crucial before diagnosis or a new regimen can be ordered. Hence conflicting treatments can be avoided. For this, medical history must be up-to-date, and the pet owner must be able to provide verified data. The portal would regularly collect all necessary information, efficiently organize it, and provide authentication that can then be checked by the next center.

Veterinary centers are busy organizations with a shortage of staff and an abundance of functions to complete. And animal owners often have their hands full while at the clinics, keeping an eye on their little dependent. This complicates and distracts from other tasks, such as filling out forms, providing feedback, refilling prescriptions, or making payments. Using an Animal Health Portal allows them to complete a myriad of tasks from the comfort of their home.

Benefits of this technology to a Veterinary Organization

Streamlined Workflow: an integrated, all-inclusive system that eliminates overlap and discrepancies; the Animal Health Portal facilitates fast-paced communication, decision-making, and procedural efficiency.

Rapid Growth: AHP automates many manual and repetitive tasks, improving time management, reducing workload, and freeing up the staff to perform assistance and supportive roles to both patients and veterinarians.

Patient Engagement: improves interactions by automating unnecessary, cumbersome procedures. It also provides reliable and pertinent awareness and encourages owners to participate more in their pet’s healthcare.

Improved Medical Outcomes: The online platform reduces miscommunication, misdiagnosis, and other clinical errors. It offers veterinarians the chance to check sets of symptoms for consistency with other illnesses.

Conclusion

Animal Health Portals create value for animals, their caretakers, and veterinarians. They connect patients and their care providers, making it easier to handle any situation, whether a minor disturbance or an emergency. This improves relationships between the owners and their care providers and facilitates better treatment. It also opens doors for owners to make better choices for their pet’s diet and lifestyle since it’s much easier to implement.

When all staff is geared away from menial, distracting tasks and directed towards the better ministration of the animals, pet lovers can feel confident in the care of their friends. In a way, it makes repeat calls and visits redundant, as every function conceivable is now conveniently available right where it is needed.


” Elianne Liong is a staff writer for Celeritas Digital.  She specializes in researching and publishing content related to a range of topics in the animal health and veterinary industry, including technology transformation, business processes, HR, data science, and advanced analytics. “