The day-to-day work of many vets - whether in the practice or on mobile assignments - is characterized by numerous administrative tasks. Documentation, reports and billing often take up more time than the actual patient care. Artificial intelligence ( AI ) in veterinary medicine can help to automate these processes and reduce the workload for vets. The use of intelligent systems leaves more time for patient care, while significantly less time is spent on administrative tasks.
"In an international survey by Royal Canin, more than 40% of veterinarians surveyed said that administrative tasks are their main problem and take up most of their time - often more than direct patient care."
- Royal Canin survey, 2022
Challenges in the veterinary practice
The most frequent and time-consuming administrative tasks in a veterinary practice include, for example:
- Automated documentation for veterinary practices: A dictation machine is often used during the appointment. All information must then be laboriously listened to and manually transferred to reports or the patient file. Alternatively, the vet only takes notes after the appointment, which are then entered at the end of the working day. Both procedures are error-prone and very time-consuming.
- Reporting for pet owners: Written treatment or diagnostic reports provide pet owners with clear recommendations for action and promote transparent communication. They strengthen customer loyalty as pet owners feel well informed and cared for. However, preparing these reports means additional work for the practice staff.
- Billing and financial administration: Invoices must be prepared correctly, payments posted and insurance claims processed - all of this requires enormous care and takes a lot of time.
These essential activities take up a lot of time every day, leaving less room for actual veterinary medicine. But modern technologies offer a way out: AI-supported diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine in particular can complete many of these tasks faster and more efficiently.
AI solutions: How artificial intelligence makes everyday veterinary practice easier
AI-supported systems can provide support at various points in practice management and thus significantly optimize processes. Below are some key areas in which AI saves time and reduces errors in veterinary practices:
Automation of documentation
Creating treatment reports is one of the biggest time wasters in everyday practice - often taking up to 15 minutes per appointment. AI can significantly speed up this process:
- Speech recognition and text generation: During the conversation with the pet owner, the AI filters out medically relevant information and immediately records it in a structured format.
- Automatic transfer: The AI seamlessly transfers the documentation to the digital patient file or database, eliminating duplicate work steps.
- Personalized reports for the pet owner: Based on the data collected, the AI creates comprehensible pet owner reports with specific recommendations for action (e.g. medication administration or follow-up appointments).
- Time saving: With approx. 15 patients per day, up to 10 hours of pure documentation time could be saved per week.
Example: The veterinary software Petleo offers with its AI assistant Petleo.ai offers precisely these functions. Appointments are documented almost in real time during the consultation, meaning that significantly less rework is required per treatment.
Support with financial administration
AI can also take over a lot of routine work and reduce errors in the areas of billing and finance:
- Automated invoices: Based on the services provided, the AI generates finished invoices and sends them directly to pet owners or insurance companies.
- Insurance management: Insurance claims are automatically documented and transmitted to the relevant authorities.
- Payment reconciliation: Incoming payments are automatically compared with outstanding invoices, minimizing errors and ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
Thanks to such automation, billing processes run more smoothly and the practice team saves valuable time. In addition, incoming payments are generally received more quickly, as invoices are issued promptly and correctly.
Optimization of warehouse management
Managing stock levels and orders also takes up a lot of time. AI can also provide support here at various points:
- Machine learning in veterinary diagnostics: an AI analyzes current stock levels and intelligently recognizes when certain medications or materials need to be reordered.
- Demand forecasts: AI uses historical consumption data and current trends to calculate future demand. This allows the practice to order with foresight before bottlenecks occur.
- Increasing efficiency in veterinary practices through AI: By using AI in stock management, veterinary practices can increase their operational efficiency and ensure that all necessary resources are always available for patient care , avoiding unnecessary costs due to shortages or excess stock.
Conclusion: AI in veterinary medicine saves time and money
Artificial intelligence offers numerous opportunities in veterinary medicine to simplify administrative tasks and make them more efficient. In particular, the automation of documentation and reports, as well as support with financial and stock management , significantly reduce the workload for vets. This leaves more time for the actual veterinary work. Even for home visits or mobile operations, the use of AI can be valuable and save several hours of working time per week.
Would you like to experience the benefits of this AI technology in your own veterinary practice? Then visit Petleo.ai! There you can try out the AI solution free of charge and see the benefits for yourself. Try out Petleo.ai now and discover how much time and money you can save in your day-to-day practice.
