RESEARCH PROJECT-2 IN 1

The grade that you received on this project is failing (passing is 70% or higher). You must make changes to this project and resubmit it for grading. The highest grade that can be awarded on a retake exam is 70%. Please refer to your Student Handbook for information on the exam retake policy.

As a reminder, it is mandatory to resubmit a retake for this project. Your resubmitted project must demonstrate that you have mastered the learning objective for this project. If you have not made the necessary changes to attest to this, your project will be returned to you for correction.

Before making changes to this project, I highly recommend that you review my comments. These comments are meant to help guide you in the right direction when making the necessary changes and/ or additions.

Your course will not be complete until this is resubmitted and graded.

Thank you,

AS, CVT

PART 1: 3 BRANDS OF VETERINARY SOFTWARE = 45 POINTS

GRADER COMMENTS: Paper 1 Software (17/45): This project is missing a large amount of required information.

PART 2: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION = 45 POINTS

GRADER COMMENTS: Paper 2 Communication (24.5/45): This project has potential but is currently missing a large amount of required information.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (Both Papers) = 10 points

GRADER COMMENTS: Written Communication/Grammar (7/10):

Veterinary Office Management Research Project Comment by Sanna, Amber: Title page 2 of 2

05/03/2018

Veterinary Computer Software

Veterinary clinics have continued to utilize the advancing technology in support of the veterinary office management. In order to achieve this, the veterinary hospitals together with clinics require an appropriate computer system with efficient computer software (Staff, 2017). A veterinary office requires the best software capable of helping them with billing, invoicing and scheduling, all with excellent customer support which leads to efficiency in work performance("Appendix III: Some computer software," 2018). Different computer software have different capabilities and features with capabilities to help both the practice’s staff and clients, thus it is vital to consider numerous factors that they possess before deciding on the best one to consider for use in the veterinary clinics. Infinity, Cornerstone Practice Management, and VetOfficeSuit are the three distinct veterinary software which stands out to me. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Different font – Also incorrect method of in-text citation) Comment by Sanna, Amber: VetOfficeSuite

I choose Cornerstone Practice Management due to its wide application and usage at Boyce- Holland Veterinary Services, it offers intuitive features capable of advancing the entire office practice and has maintained its popularity across the United States since it is one of the most trusted veterinary software("Cornerstone Practice Management Reviews | G2 Crowd," 2018) . The software provides an easy platform which offers enough support to the management of the veterinary practices hence able to improve staff’s productivity. Clients are in a position to request for appointments, prescriptions and view health and diagnosis information which has been shared through personalized web pages hence building healthy connections through the creation of strong client relationships. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Brand #1 Thorough Company History – When was it founded, CEO, etc. Pros Cons – Needs citation Tech Support – How and when can they be reached? System Failure/Recovery Server - Is it cloud-based? If so, what does that mean? Or does it have a computer server? Hardware provided by the company, if any Updates Office Functions/Features Lab Importation – What brands of in-house analyzer and reference laboratories?

The Cornerstone software was designed and developed by IDEXX with an aim of creating exceptional long-term support to veterinary industry including their customers, employees and shareholders through enhancement of the health and well-being of livestock, pets, and people("Cornerstone Practice Management Reviews | G2 Crowd," 2018). IDEXX is regarded to be a worldwide leader in poultry and livestock diagnosis tests seek to maintain high standards of ethics, is dedicated to offering support to organizations that share a commitment with an aim of enhancing health and well-being of people, animals and the environment at large. Cornerstone has distinct features in that it easily captures and stores patient’s medical records along with enhanced medical notes thus easier to monitor and manage inventory workflow due to the automated inventory systems ("Cornerstone marketing and multi-bookrunner syndicates," n.d.). The latest version enhances inventory management together with expanded distributor integration; one can receive automatic alerts, prevents errors arising from illegible handwriting and also saves on the time required for input of data and walk between areas of the practice. The Cornerstone version improves the workflow of the reference laboratory ordering coupled with advanced search, quick access, automatic updates and reminder services, for instance, the variety reminder cards. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar

Automated backup and data recovery are available in this software, compatible with hardware and software available hence suitable to meet the unique needs of the vet clinics and hospitals. Diagnosis imaging and other in-house diagnostics are managed by the Cornerstone Software ("Cornerstone marketing and multi-bookrunner syndicates," n.d.).Cornerstone is faced with several challenges including features that are poor to use as one need to pick 3 ok buttons in order to record weight, does not follow the basic pattern of Microsoft hence difficult to learn. It is inefficient, not user-friendly and unattractive to use. Besides, it is very buggy thus slow in terms of execution speed Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar/Sentence Structure. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Citation for this information? Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar Comment by Sanna, Amber: Punctuation.

The vetofficesuite software is my second choice and it has a cloud-based management platform which is built for veterinarians. Users can run the entire practice over the internet saving the clinics and hospitals the costs and resources required to purchase hardware and software, install and maintain them along with initial licensing costs("Vet Office Suite | Veterinary Practice Management Tool," n.d.). It has an extremely user-friendly platform, saves administration and IT fees and backs up data in a secure location. The VetOfficeSuit.com was first developed in March 2010 and introduced to AAHA conference by Eric Bregman, VMD who is the co-owner of the Bregman Veterinary Group which resulted from a growing group of Veterinary practices initially formed by his father Dr. Jack Bregman in 1970 in New York. He learned about cloud computing concepts alongside major practice management systems which required a higher cost of installations and he believed the costs would be reduced through implementation of his idea to the software. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Brand #2 Thorough Company History – When was it founded, CEO, etc. Pros Cons Tech Support – How and when can they be reached? System Failure/Recovery Server - Is it cloud-based? If so, what does that mean? Or does it have a computer server? Hardware provided by the company, if any Updates Office Functions/Features Lab Importation – What brands of in-house analyzer and reference laboratories? Comment by Sanna, Amber: VetOfficeSuite

It comprises of numerous features that assist staff to help their clients for instance ability to print certificates belonging to clients for instance when one adds a transaction into a pet’s invoice, an automatic certificate or label becomes available for the user to send. The software provides professional looking document that one can email their clients. It has a reliable communication area which is a free field where one can type the content or use talk- to- text feature available in most tablets("Vet Office Suite | Veterinary Practice Management Tool," n.d.). The software has an interactive friendly interface which allows staffs to manage client and patient data with a document and images section for storing and accessing information. With the VetOfficeSuites, it is possible to access all records on a mobile device anytime and anywhere provided there is an internet connection. It helps in putting inventory, vaccinations, procedures, invoices, and vaccinations in the system. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Sentence structure.

It is possible to track, add and manage medications along with prescriptions and vaccines among others. Inventory items are deducted automatically through the transaction screen where medications and invoices are added automatically thus assuring accurate billing void of human intervention ("Vet Office Suite | Veterinary Practice Management Tool," n.d.). The reporting, scheduling, and reminders available in the software keeps the workflow to be steady and become easier to create custom reports which are necessary for future annual checkups. VetOfficeSuite however, does not guarantee that the service meets all specific requirements of the Veterinary practices, neither is it liable to any tangible and intangible losses, damage, incidental or use of data.

Infinity is another brand of veterinary software and consists of a comprehensive approach to practice management where the tools are configured to suit the unique practices in order to provide full support for maximum investment. The brand was made by Henry Schein imported necessary for all veterinary practices not limited to communication, hardware, software, client and support("Infinity Systems Software," n.d.). The practice management software connects all the disparate systems available in the veterinary practice into single workflow practice management software. The technology enables laboratory diagnostics, payment processing, accounting and digital imaging designed to improve help in the quality delivery of the veterinary services. The software is capable of accessing lab results at any time regardless of the geographical location and is easily optimized since it is configurable to fit a clinic’s workflow along with appropriate modules that help in managing information and direct options for reminder services, for instance, the VetPressOnline ("Infinity Systems Software," n.d.). It allows for medical invoicing, reference labs, pharmacy references, and imaging, maximizes workflow along with integrating diagnosis services. The automated email, texts, and voice messaging are some of the distinct features included in the software which effectively enables growing of the veterinary practice by developing long-lasting relationships. It is characterized by ImproMed equipment which has different servers and workstations that requires covering the operating system. Comment by Sanna, Amber: Brand #3 Thorough Company History – When was it founded, CEO, etc. Pros – No specifics given Cons Tech Support – How and when can they be reached? System Failure/Recovery Server - Is it cloud-based? If so, what does that mean? Or does it have a computer server? Hardware provided by the company, if any Updates Office Functions/Features Lab Importation – What brands of in-house analyzer and reference laboratories? Comment by Sanna, Amber: Grammar Comment by Sanna, Amber: What brands of in-house analyzers? What reference laboratories?

Given the three choices of veterinary software systems, I would consider using VetOfficeSuite since it is advanced, has a high reputation and utilizes the latest technology. It is characterized by less technical support or system failure, unlike the others. I would recommend putting all the three software together to make a comprehensive program capable of utilizing the distinct features depicted in each of the categories. This will lead to the development of advanced better features derived from each of the software packages.

References Comment by Sanna, Amber: References 2 of 2

Appendix III: Some computer software. (2018). Veterinary Epidemiology, 643-647. doi:10.1002/9781118280249.app3

Cornerstone marketing and multi-bookrunner syndicates. (n.d.). Cornerstone Investors, 67-68. doi:10.2307/j.ctt22p7jbp.23

Cornerstone Practice Management Reviews | G2 Crowd. (2018, February 7). Retrieved from https://www.g2crowd.com/products/cornerstone-practice-management/reviews

Infinity Systems Software. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://infinite-blue.com/software.php

Staff, D. (2017, February 21). Veterinary practice software comparison chart. Retrieved from http://veterinarybusiness.dvm360.com/veterinary-practice-software-comparison-chart

Vet Office Suite | Veterinary Practice Management Tool. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://home.vetofficesuite.com/