Advanced Animal Hospital in Greenfield, Wisconsin, started using Airvet in April 2020. Since they integrated Airvet into their workflow, they have seen a significant increase in patient care and client communication on surgical cases. Dr. Andrea Schnuelle says, “being able to communicate with the owner asynchronously is a huge deal. They really respond to post-op pictures of their pets, before and after photos of the teeth after dentals, and being able to ask any questions in the days after surgery or a dental procedure. I am focusing right now on getting my team used to opening and using surgery cases.”
Airvet is not only allowing the hospital to communicate with clients, but it’s also increasing patient care and revenue. “Recently, with surgery cases, it has saved both me and my techs time with communicating with owners during anesthetic procedures. We can even send the estimated cost of the procedure and get additional treatments authorized very easily. For example, I just had a dental cleaning that once we got the patient on the table, we noticed that he had horrible dermatitis on his belly. I was able to send a picture to the owner and ask if she would let us do a skin cytology, give her the skin test price, and got it authorized. Now We are seeing the patient for his skin in about 2 weeks as a follow-up exam. This poor dog would have suffered much longer than was necessary had it not been for the use of technology!”
Kirby is a beloved member of the Advanced Animal Hospital family and is a 100lb female Great Dane. In mid-August 2020, Kirby required a forelimb amputation. Airvet was used from the initial case set up the morning of the procedure through the 72-hour case open period.
Client communication and support can become tricky. “Amputations are hard for the pet parents, and being able to support mom through this time with a venue like Airvet was an extraordinary experience.” – Dr. Schnuelle.
Pet parents, in general, have many questions. Contacting their veterinarian is not always easy but is necessary while navigating pet care after major surgery. Additionally, Kirby’s mom was worried about how his incision was healing and wanted to know what next steps she needed to take. Kirby is 100lbs, and after just having an amputation, having his mom transport him in and out of the car was going to be very difficult, if not impossible.
With an open case in Airvet, Dr. Schnuelle and her team communicated with Kirby’s mom before, during, and after Kirby’s surgery while in their care. After she was released, Kirby’s mom continued direct communication with Dr. Schnuelle in the app and asked good questions and uploaded photos, including a photo of Kirby’s incision. When Dr. Schnuelle saw that initial photo, she knew that Kirby would need antibiotics, which could be managed all through Airvet instead of having Kirby come back in for a recheck. “Because Kirby is over 100lb and with the new amputation, it was very difficult to transport her. Having that ability to send pictures and communicate via Airvet made it so much easier on her mom.” – Dr. Schnuelle.
This story isn’t over yet. With some antibiotics and rest, Kirby was like new in less than 72 hours. Before the case closed in Airvet, Dr. Schnuelle and the team at Advanced Animal Hospital received this video of Kirby walking and his mom feeling relieved. What a great win for everyone involved.
“I loved the fact that I could easily message Dr. Schnuelle rather than have to call every time I had a question. She was so helpful, even after hours! Being able to send pictures was great, as I had to keep Kirby at my in laws for two weeks after surgery due to him not being able to do stairs, and that was 30 minutes away. This way, I didn’t have to try and get him in the car to get checked over. The video chatting is also a cool feature that we used to make it feel like an actual appointment! Thanks Airvet!” -Kirby’s Mom. To watch a video of Kirby, click here.
While this story sounds familiar to many, the concept of accessible and direct communication with clients like what Airvet is providing is unparalleled. To learn more about our app, desktop portal, and how you can increase production while decreasing your team’s workload, email us, demo@airvet.com.
