Diagnostic Equipment / PLUGGED IN
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Diagnostic Equipment Goes Paper-Lite
Integrating practice management software and
diagnostic equipment ramps up efficiency and accuracy. by Kim Fernandez
P
ractice management software can be linked directly with diagnos- tic equipment, and doing so can greatly simplify doing everything
from testing to billing. Brenda Fulmer, practice manager, Big Lake-Susitna Vet- erinary Hospital, LLC, Wasilla, Alaska, says that has been her facility’s experi- ence for the better part of 10 years. “Everything is downloaded directly
into our system,” she says. “We have two in-house labs, and our computer system has a direct connection with our in-house diagnostics.” When a technician or a veterinar-
ian requests a test by entering it into a patient’s file on the computer, the diagnostic equipment knows which tests to perform. After the test is per- formed, the machine sends results back into the patient file along with bill- ing information, which generates an invoice automatically.
Following human medicine Whereas many veterinary practices
have already followed on the heels of human medicine and adopted auto- mated testing, billing and record keeping into one system, many more will do so in the coming years. That is because there are a myriad of benefits to linking practice management
Trends magazine, November/December 2010
Question all vendors, and push for specifics to find out what will work with your established workflow.
software with testing equipment, both in-house and outsourced. “Once we got it set up, it was really
a piece of cake,” says Tina Novakovich, technical staff manager, Pembroke Vet- erinary Clinic, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va. “We’ve had no real issues, and it’s been really easy.” Having used a linked system for
about 3 years, Novakovich says the main benefits are that the practice has greatly reduced its use of paper and records are more accurate. “It speeds things up,” she says. “You
order a test off the patient list, you hit a button and you move forward.”
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