Help (Veterinary Research)

Running head: Veterinary Office Management Research Project 1

Veterinary Office Management Research Project:

Veterinary Computer Software

Darcee K Marshall

Student #: 22734123

Date: April 22, 2019

Veterinary Office Management Research Project 2

Abstract

This paper compares three different types of Veterinary Computer Software. Researching

AVImark, Hippo Manager, and ezyVet, I found that each are very different in what they supply

the veterinary clinic who decide to purchase the software. In my research I found that cloud-

based systems are more compatible with multiple different veterinary clinic/hospitals. Web-based

veterinary management software is typically only compatible with the single clinic/hospital and

don’t typically have automatic updates. Each of the veterinary management software programs

have patient schedulers, email/text message reminders to clients for their pets, online patient

records that the client may retrieve 24/7, and software updates provided by the software

company. I find that with the research of each software, a cloud-based software would be most

compatible with the majority of veterinary clinic or hospital. Especially with continuous updates

the software company would be providing and unlimited amounts of storage the hospital or clinic

will need due to always expanding with new clients.

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Veterinary Office Management Research Project:

Veterinary Computer Software

There are many different companies that create veterinary management software. The

most popular and most used veterinary management software is AVImark. AVImark is the best-

selling veterinary software in North America. It was founded in 1988 by the Henry Schein

Veterinary Solutions. Crunchbase.com (2018, August 31). Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions

(September 2016) states that they provide some of the longest standing veterinary software

system in the world. Of course, with every product you will have pros and cons. A couple pros

that I found during my research about AVImark were quite informative. Will F. (2011, May 03)

states that his hospital uses AVImark throughout their entire day, from clocking in and out for

employees, to sending reminders to their clients. Will F. specifically states that “the time card

feature eliminates a need for additional programs”. With personal experience using a different

veterinary software, needing to use a different program to clock in and out for the day is very

time consuming and sometimes you are unable to clock in or out on time due to the hospital

computers being in use from the veterinary software. Will F. (2011, May 03) also states that

AVImark has a couple cons. He states that “AVImark has so many different features it can take

time to discover and use all of them and that the interface seems to look a little outdated.”

Software systems and programs are not perfect. Needing a support team to help with

technical issues is very important in having a good flow to your veterinary practice. AVImark has

a few different ways to contact their support team. You can call their 800-number listed on their

website, Live Chat with a support team specialist, use the Remote Assistance option listed at

www.avimark.net, or send an email to a support team member for them to contact you at their

convenience. There is also an option to submit a suggestion to one of the developers. (2018)

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https://avimark.net/support/. To prevent system failure and data loss. AVImark offers a ‘Data

Vault’. The AVImark Data Vault is a fast and affordable way to prevent the veterinary business

from losing data. This automated service works in the background to store the data remotely and

protect it against loss. (2018) AVImark. AVImark provides hardware to the practice that are a

first-time user. AVImark Hardware offers a variety of computers and accessories such as,

desktops, laptops, servers, workstations, routers and printers. All come with the latest version of

AVImark for first time buyers and users. On-site installation is also available if needed by the

practice. (2018) AVImark. Updates on AVImark software are not automatic. The practice will

need to go into the software program of AVImark and select ‘Update AVImark’. The practice

should first run a backup and check to make sure their hardware is compatible with the new

update. If the practice software is an older version, they should call a member of the Technical

Support team and see if they can get the new update. AVImark (2017, August 31) Updating

AVImark [PDF file].

Software programs such as AVImark have office functions and features like reminders

and billing. One of the most custom functions that I found AVImark has, is the ‘Wellness Plans’.

Wellness plans are a great way to establish reoccurring revenue and offer clients affordable

plans. Like many other software companies, AVImark also includes inventory management,

client files, S.O.A.P. notes and client reminders. AVImark also has a feature to upload documents

or pictures to the patient medical file. AVImark (2018) AVImark Software Features. This

veterinary management software also offers laboratory integrations with ease. Laboratory results

of the patient is downloaded right into the medical records. AVImark integrates a lot of major

laboratory instruments, such as, Abaxis, Antech, IDEXX, and it also integrates with Henry

Schein’s AXIS-Q. AVImark (2018) Lab Integrations.

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With so many veterinary software companies choosing this next one was easy. “Hippo

Manager is a user-friendly software ideal for any size and clinic or hospital. Totally adaptable for

mobile vets and integrated with all the sophisticated features to run large and multiple locations.”

says Network Solution, LLC (2017, May 09). Hippo Manager was founded by Sam Razor and

his co-founder Bart Conrad in 2012. Sam Razor states in an interview with Tom Martin (2017,

December), that “We wanted to start something together, and we knew the space. We were

amazed by the opportunity that existed, so we just jumped right in”. More than twenty people

have written reviews with pros and cons about Hippo Manager and given this software an overall

review of 4.5 stars. Keri J. (2016, June) gives Hippo Manager a five-star rating. She states that

“the software has a vast variety of things that can be done, meaning that there is plenty of

resources and areas that can be utilized within this program”. She also states that she doesn't like

that you cannot add in your clinics own SOAP notes or edit such forms to your own liking, and

that there is supposed to be less clicking done of the mouse but it appears there is more clicking

than what is needed.

Requesting support for Hippo Manager seems to be pretty straight forward.

HippoManager.com (2015) states “You can quickly submit a support ticket using one of four

ways”. In the Hippo Manager App, you simply click the “help” button to submit a request

instantly or fill out a form on the Hippo Manager website. There is an option to call the customer

service and client support extension, or there is always an option to email the support line

directly. The hours of the support service are listed on the support page, along with their

telephone number. On crowdreviews.com (2017, October) an anonymous person asked what plan

Hippo Manager has for system failures. Hippo Manager (2017, October) replied, “We store our

data within the Amazon Web Services and have nightly data backups. Because we are cloud-

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based a data failure at the local level is near impossible, unless you manually delete all

information stored within your account.” Even if a mobile device is destroyed, all data can be

accessed using the users secure username and password. Hardware for installation of Hippo

Manager is not provided, but you can use the already existing hardware you have in your

veterinary practice. The installation is instant and no installation fees. Upgrades are unlimited as

well as webinars for training. Upgrade and updates with new versions of the software are

automatically installed. Since the software is cloud based, the software is a downloadable

application that updates automatically. Hippo Manager (2015).

Hippo Manager has many features including but, not limited to, Patient Portal, Point of

Sale, Client Communication, Inventory Management, and Appointment Scheduler. All very

important in running a great veterinary practice. The Patient Portal can be accessed by the client

at the comfort of their home. They can print certificates, view billing statements and invoices and

so much more. With Client Communication; how else would your clinic be able to inform clients

of their upcoming appointment for their pet? With Hippo Manager Client Communication, your

veterinary practice can seamlessly send appointment reminders, SMS notifications and email

statements. Managing the inventory with Hippo Manager is simple. You can maintain the stock

levels, order new items or even add and remove quantities using the Hippo Manager application.

You can also manage all the practice’s appointments with Hippo Manager. You can add

resources, customize views, use color schemes, export data for reminder calls or post cards.

Hippo Manager (2015) Features. “Our list of Veterinary Software Integrations is the largest and

most robust on the marketplace” states Hippo Manager Integrations (2015). Laboratory results

are imported directly into the patient medical file. Results from major laboratories such as

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IDEXX, Antech, and Abaxis are all imported. No need to call or wait for a fax that may or may

not go through for the results.

“The smartest cloud based veterinary practice management software” states ezyVet

(2018, October). ezyVet was founded in 2006 with a desire to make veterinary software

affordable and customizable for veterinary practices of all sizes. This veterinary management

software has the ability to customize everything, monthly improvements, on the go app, financial

management, a powerful cloud system, and it has a beautiful on-screen interface. Alexis C.

(2019, January) states that she likes the ability to customize and edit anything your practice

needs the most. Alexis states that the Vet. Tech or Vet. Assistants can select the proper template

for each exam on each patient and this helps minimize any missed information the doctor could

need while the patient is being seen. “ezyVet is expensive” states Gianna W. (2018, February 11).

ezyVet is one of the more expensive veterinary software systems I have encountered. A month

price of $150.00 or more depending on how many users are on the system. Another downfall for

ezyVet, is that it is based out of New Zealand. The time difference can make it very inconvenient

for technical issues to be resolved in the United States.

For technical support or learning and education about the software, ezyVet has made it

simple to contact them. They have put together commonly asked questions and solutions in the

“Help Tab” within ezyVet. If you have a more in-depth question ezyVet has provided an

International phone line for any issues. They also have an option to be emailed if the technical

issue doesn’t need to be resolved immediately. Ezy Support (February 2019). ezyVet states

(February 2019) “We constantly replicate your data to fault-tolerant clusters of database servers.

We perform full backups nightly and incremental backups every hour. Our backup strategy

allows us to recover in the unlikely event of a major data incident.” Installation is not included in

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the monthly charge for ezyVet. Set-up and configuration of an empty database and on ezyVet

cloud environment costs $2,500. If data is to be decoded, converted, or removed, there is a fee of

$2,500 to $10,000 plus, this feature is optional. On-site training is also available, but not

included in the monthly fees. Depending on how far the ezyVet associate needs to travel and how

long they will have to train the veterinary practice employees will determine the cost of the ‘On-

site training’, which is also optional. ezyVet (February 2019) Pricing. On the positive side of

ezyVet, updates are automatic. No need to call a support team member to have someone come to

the practice and install the latest version or have someone access your device over the web.

Upgrades are part of your monthly fee. ezyVet states that customers are always giving their input

on how they can make the software work better for them (February 2019).

Just like most veterinary management software, ezyVet provides online patient portals,

automatic billing, patient scheduler, and an automatic stock order generator. ezyVet also provides

‘Multi Location Functionality’. If your veterinary clinic has more than one location, you are able

to share patient medical records and treatment plans. Another great feature ezyVet provides, is

laboratory integrations. Labs can be transferred into the medical notes as soon as the results are

available. EzyVet “integrates with multiple PAC (Picture Archival Communication) systems to

provide two-way service for requesting diagnostics and receiving images” ezyVet (February

2019) External Lab Integration.

To recap on each veterinary management software, AVImark is a web-based software.

They provide the necessary items to run your veterinary practice with ease and cost efficient, but

upgrades are not automatic. With Hippo Manager upgrades and updates are automatic and do

come in the month cost. Hippo Manager also provides that veterinary practice with what is

necessary to run smoothly and cheaper than all three of the software products talked about. The

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software ezyVet, is quite expensive but, they provide a lot more than any software I have come

across. With automatic stock ordering and a paperless environment, ezyVet is the more

environmentally friendly software. But, judging by these three veterinary management software

systems. I believe AVImark would be the most beneficial to most, if not all, veterinary practices.

AVImark has more than just a software for a small animal clinic, they have software for Equine

as well. They also started out as a small medical equipment company and not just a software

company. With as much experience as AVImark has, I would choose to use their management

software in my own veterinary practice.

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References

AVImark (2018) Data Vault. Retrieved from https://avimark.net/practice-solutions/data-vault/

AVImark (2018) Hardware Requirements. Retrieved from

https://avimark.net/avimark-software/harware/

AVImark (2018) AVImark Software Features. Retrieved from

https://avimark.net/avimark-software/products-features/

AVImark (2018) Lab Integrations. Retrieved from

https://avimark.net/avimark-software/product-features/lab-integrations/

AVImark Software (August 31, 2017) Updating AVImark. [PDF file]. Retrieved from

https://4a6lhh2v595r34sxnl2qx6hc-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-

content/uploads/2017/08/Updating-AVImark.pdf

Crunchbase.com (2018) Overview. Retrieved from

https://www.crunchbase.com/organization#section-overview

C., Alexis (January 2019) ezyVet Review. Retrieved from

https://www.capterra.com/p/99977/ezyvVet-cloud-vet-software/

ezyVet (February 2019) Security at ezyVet. Retrieved from https://www.ezyvet.com/security/

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ezyVet (February 2019) ezy Support. Retrieved from https://www.ezyvet.com/support/

ezyVet (February 2019) Effortless Pricing. Great Service. Retrieved from

https://www.ezyvet.com/pricing/us/

ezyVet (February 2019) PACS Integrations. Retrieved from

https://www.ezyvet.com/features/external-lab-integrations/

ezyVet (February 2019) Features. Retrieved from https://www.ezyvet.com/features/

ezyVet (February 2019) Free Automatic Updates. Retrieved from

https://www.ezyvet.com/features/automatic-upgrades/

F., Will (May 03, 2011) AVImark Review [Review of the Software AVImark by Henry Schein

Veterinary Solutions]. Retrieved from https://www.capterra.com/p/92887/AVImark/

Hippo Manager (October 2017) Ask Hippo Manager a Question. Retrieved from

https://crowdreviews.com/hippo-manager/faqs

Hippo Manager (2015) Request Support. Retrieved from

https://hippomanager.com/request-support/

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Hippo Manager (2015) Unlimited Upgrades and Updates. Retrieved from

https://hippomanager.com/veterinary-software-w-unlimited-free-upgrades

Hippo Manager (2015) Features. Retrieved from

https://hippomanager.com/features/

Hippo Manager (2015) Integrations. Retrieved from

https://hippomanager.com/features/integrations/

Henry Schein Veterinary Solutions (September 2016) Who We Are. Retrieved from

https://hsveterinarysolutions.com/about-us/

J., Kerri (June 2016) Hippo Manager Review. Retrieved from

https://www.capterra.com/p/134667/Hippo-Manager

Network Solutions, LLC (May 9, 2017) Who uses this software? Retrieved from

https://www.capterra.com/p/134667/Hippo-Manager/

Martin, T. (December 31, 2017) It’s not just for hippos. Retrieved from

https://www.kentucy.com/news/business/article192355769