In 1997, Dr. Pat McGrath and Dr. Vicky McGrath fulfilled their dream of opening their own veterinary practice, All Creatures Animal Hospital, in the heart of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Since then, the practice has grown into a full-service companion animal hospital, staffed by four veterinarians and a team of 25 technicians, assistants, and support staff, all committed to delivering the very best in veterinary care.
We caught up with veterinarian Dr. Sarah Fredrick to learn more about the practice’s transition from Avimark to ezyVet and find out what’s changed since making the switch.
Server-based system struggles to keep up as practice grows
For years, All Creatures Animal Hospital was powered by Avimark, a traditional server-based system. However, as the hospital evolved, the system struggled to keep up. According to Sarah, Avimark would often slow down during peak hours, causing frustration among staff. Resolving the issue was difficult because Avimark had discontinued its free technical support channels.
“The biggest issue was that the lack of technical support,” recalled Sarah. “We were having major issues throughout the day. It would go ridiculously slow at the two busiest times of our day - it was just dragging really badly.”
As the issues became increasingly apparent, the All Creatures Animal Hospital team embarked on a journey to find a more reliable practice management solution.
ezyVet wasn’t their first choice. Instead, the team opted to go with V-Tech Prime, enticed by its competitive pricing and promises of comprehensive features. However, what they didn’t realize was that the software was still in an early testing state, resulting in an experience that was less than ideal.
Sarah recounted a frustrating six-month period during which the team grappled with failed conversions and unmet expectations.
“V-Tech Prime promised a lot of things that didn't happen. We didn't realize that we were one of five of their beta testing practices. The only reason that we went with them is because Dr. Pat said that they were offering the same features as ezyVet for a cheaper price.”
Despite the initial allure of cost savings, the lack of support and functionality proved detrimental to the team’s operations. It was clear that they needed a solution that could deliver on its promises and provide the support they required to thrive.
After reviewing a number of options, the team determined that ezyVet would be the best fit. So, for the second time in six months, All Creatures Animal Hospital decided to migrate to a new practice management system. This time, it was a success.
ezyVet increases patient throughput
The decision to migrate to ezyVet was driven by the need for stability, robust technical support, and ease of use. The transition from a server-based system to a cloud-based solution offered newfound flexibility, allowing the team to access patient data remotely, even while on vacation or on-call.
“Going from server to cloud has been huge as far as ease of access,” said Sarah. “I love being able to work from home. I don't always get my notes done [in the practice] because I wear too many hats - I’m always getting pulled away to do something else. With ezyVet, it’s not difficult for me to come home, connect to my computer, and get my notes written up for the whole day within half an hour. It's all around better - there's no way I'd go back.”
ezyVet hasn’t just changed where Sarah can write her notes from - it’s also changed how she writes her notes. ezyVet’s picklists - preconfigured lists of text items that can be used in any clinical field in ezyVet - simplify repetitive data entry, enabling her to take detailed notes in a matter of moments. Sarah also plans to configure her picklists to automatically capture charges as she takes notes, which will streamline the practices’ invoicing processes and reduce missed charges.
Driving efficiency through technology has enabled Sarah and her fellow veterinarians to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time with patients. As a result, All Creatures Animal Hospital has been able to improve patient outcomes while maximizing revenue potential through increased patient throughput, even as the industry continues to grapple with staff shortages.
“Staffing is an issue everywhere but having a digitized system gives us better visibility and makes it easier to keep up with records. I do think we’ve been able to see more patients just by saving time on writing our clinical notes,” said Sarah.
24/7 phone-based support provides ultimate peace of mind
Getting up to speed with ezyVet has been easier than expected. While there is always a learning curve involved with learning any new system, Sarah said that ezyVet’s logical layout and intuitive interface make it “pretty easy to just jump in there and figure stuff out.”
And when Sarah or another member of the team has a question, they know that support is just a phone call away. ezyVet is one of the only practice management software vendors in the world to offer free, 24/7 phone-based support. Lack of technical support was a major pain point with the hospital’s former practice management software, so access to responsive, knowledgeable support has been a breath of fresh air.
“Tech support has been amazing!” said Sarah. “I love the fact that ezyVet’s customer support agents can remote in [to our system]. Having somebody jump in there and walk me through the steps has been phenomenal. Everybody's been super nice, easy to work with, and very helpful.”
Prompt assistance ensures minimal disruption to clinic operations and has given the team renewed confidence in their practice management software.
Enhanced diagnostics experience with IDEXX VetConnect PLUS
For Sarah, one of ezyVet’s standout features is its integration with IDEXX VetConnect PLUS, a platform that facilitates access to historical diagnostic data and trending graphs. The integration helps the team save time on their diagnostic workflows while enhancing their ability to monitor patient health and track treatment outcomes.
“I do like the fact that [IDEXX VetConnect PLUS] populates all the diagnostics results into the record, where I can easily access them. When a patient’s blood work is done, I can just scroll through the therapeutic diagnostics page and see it right there. Avimark involved lots of extra clicking and fiddling around with attachments. With ezyVet, in one click I can get back to a patient’s diagnostic results through VetConnect PLUS and see all of their historical data. Looking at those trends is really helpful.”
Conclusion
Transitioning from the server to the cloud has transformed the way All Creatures Animal Hospital operates. Adopting ezyVet has provided the team with the stability, technical support, and cutting-edge technology they need to work efficiently and provide their community with the best veterinary care possible.
Want to see what ezyVet could do for your practice? Book a demo today to discover how ezyVet could help your clinic save time, drive revenue, and better serve your patients.