Using QR Codes for your Veterinarian Business

QR codes emerged in the 90s with a few basic use cases and very few users. Over time they have come to represent a significant number of transactions, however. The QR code payment market is projected to rise to $35 billion by 2030. The market was already growing before covid, but the outbreak provided a significant boost to the technology.

Initially, QR codes were initially reserved for marketing and sales-related functions. But recently, they have made significant headway in the veterinarian field. So read on to explore a few ways QR codes could alleviate the burdens of running a veterinarian clinic.

What is a QR code and how can it be used by Veterinarians?

A QR code is a scannable code that provides access to stored information. Depending on whether you use numerical or alphanumerical data, it could hold up to 7000 characters of data at a time. This can include website URLs, phone numbers, geographic locations, dates, and much more. It is so useful since it combines high capacity with high-speed reading.

How can a simple little mechanism like this, using simplistic technology like an optical scanner be of value in the veterinarian sector?

A)  Aiding Veterinarian Clinic Management

Training and Engagement

Many care centers want to support their veterinarians’ expansion of their expertise by providing useful educational resources. But when funds are limited, having a vast library, or running a lecture theatre can be difficult. QR codes make providing online courses and study materials much easier. The links to all the audio-visual classes and associated publications can be found by scanning one code. It’s a go-to solution for a small-scale medical facility.

The hospital waiting room can often have an uncomfortable atmosphere despite the Patient Experience Officer’s best efforts. There is a feeling of tension or dread hanging in the air. With nothing to distract them but posters, visitors often feel troubled regardless of the kind of service provided by their doctor. Having a QR code that links them to an interactive site is a creative and much-needed solution. Here, patients can familiarize themselves with their animal’s caretaker and watch informative or entertaining videos in an easy format.

Storage of Patient Information

QR codes have the greatest scope in the organization and accessibility of patient records. In essence, patients’ files are all synced to a central database. Any authorized staff member may use the optical scanner in their phone to scan the QR code on the bracelet and find everything they require to help a furball in need. This includes clinical history, disease progression, and previous operations available at the database. Test results, diagnoses, health reports, scheduled operations, etc. can then be added to keep them up-to-date.

One might think a patient’s phone could easily store this information, which could directly be shown to a doctor instead. During an emergency, however, when effective communication might not be possible, or the patient may not be in the right state of mind to provide entry, quickly scanning the bracelet can save time and lives.

This also solves the issue of information silos and cross-department discrepancies. The animal’s data would be uniform, complete, and well-organized. It would also eradicate misinformative medical errors. For example, a nurse could simply scan a patient’s QR bracelet to confirm their dosage without having to consult anyone or waste time if their chart is unavailable.

QR codes can be just as valuable to pet parents as they are to the clinic. QR codes can ease the completion of a host of functions, such as leaving a review, making a payment through your online payment portal, or lodging pet insurance claims.

Administration

Publicly posted QR codes help in appointment booking and scheduling. QR codes can direct a user’s phone to a booking site, from where the schedule is automatically updated. This delegation frees up the receptionist’s time to better manage the waiting room. Furthermore, QR codes form the simplest form of identification and entry authorization. Unlike biometric scanners, tokens, or general ID cards, they can hold quite a lot of information at very low costs. For a hospital administrator, this kind of staff management can be a major advantage.

Additionally, an administrator needs to be well-versed in the company’s policies, payment options, insurance matters, and government regulations. They must apply and answer questions about these matters all the time. A QR code in the waiting area can be a major assistance in this area.

All these benefits can really make an admin’s life much easier.

Safety and Security

Veterinary clinics largely handle patients who are dependent on their caretakers and require regular monitoring. They are often unable to grasp the importance of staying put, can be difficult to track, and are unable to express to any stranger where they are supposed to be. This means they need to have special measures at hand to deal with unusual behavior from their residents. Dynamic QR code badges can show anyone an animal’s patient number and family contact. These badges or ID tags are currently widely integrated into pet collars. They’re ideal for monitoring untrained pets that tend to wander off. In this way, veterinary facilities and clinics could ensure the safety of their charges.

B)  Aiding Healthcare Recipients

Clarity about Medication

Drug counterfeits are a major issue in the pharmaceutical industry. And for many users, it can pose a major risk. To help their customers feel assured and well-informed, companies can print QR codes on their pill bottles. This will confirm the company name alongside the date of expiry, contents, and possible side effects. It can also provide medical administrators with exact dosage details, and aid drug intake tracking. This is especially useful when following a complex medical regimen.

Clarity about Resources

During emergencies, patients or their family members are usually frantic. Despite the best planning efforts, multi-wing, multi-departmental hospitals can be difficult to navigate. By providing access to the layout or 3D interactive map, advanced care information, FAQs, etc., you could reduce confusion and make for a better experience.

Easier Payment Method

Medical bills can be incredibly high. Payment options usually include payment plans and credit cards but those are often complicated to manage in the long term. With QR codes, one can instead make one-time payments without carrying either cash or a credit card with them. Lodging pet insurance claims also becomes much simpler. Though the vast landscape of insurance providers can present a limitation, generating QRs for the major ones can be beneficial to many pet owners.

Factors to Keep in Mind

Cybercrime

QR codes, like any other form of widespread technology, are vulnerable to attacks. There are two main types of attacks to watch out for:

Malware attacks, where the coder embeds a QR code with malicious webpages or domains. These can contain a virus or allow a hacker access to your phone camera and external sensor. They could track your location or tap into your camera and watch you, while you remain completely unaware. The malware could also capture personal and, vitally, medical information for ransom.

Phishing attacks, known specifically as Q-phishing, are where the original website has been replaced by a lookalike. This domain can prompt you to provide private details which can be sold or used for criminal purposes. They might also trick you into buying non-existent healthcare instruments, equipment, or services.

A veterinary hospital providing a QR code needs to be aware of this. Instead of helping to promote their clinic, it can ruin their reputation. It can erode users’ trust in their brand’s ability to safeguard their information properly. This will make it difficult to convince them to allow the hospital to store their data in its records.

Availability of Technical Infrastructure

Functional data management systems make it easier to take full advantage of QR technology. But there are many technological shortcomings in older veterinary organizations that make the implementation of these techniques a little complicated.

Many pet care centers manage data manually and there are pre-existing mistakes and discrepancies in previous records. Others used obsolete methods of data management or obsolete digital systems. Hence, too much tedious data sorting would be required to implement the QR system. Much of the data is irretrievable or cannot be updated.

Worse still, organizational silos handicap the company’s ability to merge data without contradictions and overlaps. The whole process would take too much restructuring and cause initial strains and learning pains. And so, some of these methods would be more of a hindrance than a help.


” 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. “