the veterinary team, as well as improving the workflow of team members. By having the proper number of team members during heavily scheduled appointment times, hospital needs as well as client needs can be met.
Veterinary team members should understand and be trained on the hospital’s appointment scheduling program. This includes understanding which appointments are scheduled for specific lengths of time, why those lengths of times are important, and how each appointment affects the entire team and the smooth functioning of the veterinary hospital.
Office procedures
Forward booking
If after a patient has received service at the veterinary hospital and another appointment is needed, best practice indicates that appointment should be made before the pet owner leaves the veterinary hospital. Booking appointments prior to the pet owner and patient leaving the hospital is known as forward booking. It is in the best interest of the patient for the hospital team to forward book medical progress examinations, booster vaccines, follow‐up laboratory work, and annual examinations. These appointments should be made while the owner is still in the practice and prior to accepting payment for services.
It has been shown that the majority of clients return for follow‐up appointments when they have been scheduled prior to checkout of the earlier appointment. This is similar to the practice in human dentistry. Most clients have an appointment for a 6‐month cleaning while still with the hygienist. It is important that veterinary medicine follow suit, as this helps with the patient’s overall health. The veterinary team should then provide pet owners with multiple reminders in multiple formats and allow for rescheduling when needed.
Whenever a client (or potential client) asks questions regarding the price of services, team members should be able to educate the client on service itself and “wow” the client with the value they will receive when coming to the practice.
Patient behavior upon arrival
Not all pets love to visit the veterinary hospital. The veterinary team must monitor patients as they arrive as they may be anxious and fearful. The team must monitor the patient’s signs and implement stress‐reducing approaches such as the following.
Place patients expeditiously into the exam rooms to limit interactions with other patients.
Place pheromones in examination rooms and allow time for the pet to acclimate prior to beginning the examination.
Play soft, classical music in the examination room. This will aid with relaxation of both pet owners and patients.
If appropriate for the patient, offer a few treats to help calm the pet.
Thundershirts® provide pets with a sense of safety and have a calming effect. These can be applied to anxious pets in the exam room.
Advise team members that a fearful or stressed patient is in the examination room.
Forms
There are a number of forms that are used in the veterinary hospital and all team members must be familiar with all forms. Clients may be asked to complete forms with their personal contact information, their pet’s information, the pet’s history, and potentially various release forms. The veterinary team is responsible for ensuring the forms are filled out completely and correctly. Owner contact information is essential for the veterinary team to connect with the owner regarding updates to the pet’s health. Ensure the owner’s address is correct at every visit to ensure reminders can be mailed for vaccines, tests, and medication refills. In addition, the client must sign the bottom of the form, which should state that they are responsible for any charges. Remember to ask clients if there is another caretaker who should be listed on the medical record. This helps to ensure that only the owner(s) with name(s) listed in the medical record can authorize treatment for the pet. Additionally, this allows for an overdue invoice to be discussed with those names listed in the medical record.
The patient’s information is obviously an important section of the record. The form should include details regarding species, gender, neutered status, date of birth, breed, and color. It is important for team members to know the breeds within a species (see Chapter 7) as owners can be easily offended when team members are unfamiliar with the pet’s breed or guess incorrectly. Be sure the documents are scanned into and become part of the patient’s medical record, especially if a signature is included indicating the client agrees to payment terms.
Medical record
Every animal that is seen at the veterinary hospital should have its own medical record. The record should be dated each time an entry is made; the presenting problems should be listed, and the author must initial this entry. Veterinary hospitals vary – they may use paper medical records, be paperless, or paper light. Paper medical records must be kept on 8½ × 11 in. sheets of paper. It is important to note that index cards are no longer acceptable as the medical record. Every client interaction, every client conversation, consent form, laboratory report, consultation, physical examination, and medication administered and dispensed must be documented in the medical record. If it is not in the patient’s medical record, then “it never happened.” Many veterinary hospitals have moved to paperless medical records. Paperless hospitals have the benefit of being able to access client records, laboratory results, and radiographs at any computer station.
Consent forms
There are also a number of consent forms which pet owners may be asked to sign before various treatments and procedures can be performed on their pets. Every member of the veterinary team must be able to explain the meaning of every form that a client is asked to sign. It is important for team members to also read the consent forms aloud to the client, helping to ensure the client understands what he or she is signing. Consent forms are not required by law – their purpose is to protect the veterinary health‐care team. If the form is documented in the record, it can be submitted if a court case arises. If the form or conversation is not documented, the assumption is that the risks, benefits, or information were never discussed or provided. Again, “it never happened” if it is not in the medical record. Be sure all consent forms have the owner’s and patient’s name(s) along with the date and the initials of the team member helping the client sign the forms.
Rabies certificates
Rabies certificates today are often generated by the veterinary software system utilized by the hospital. The team member enters the rabies tag number, lot number, and manufacturer of the vaccine. Lot numbers or serial numbers of vaccines are crucial information and must be entered in the event of a recall. This information allows for hospitals to identify who received the recalled vaccine. The practice management software automatically populates client and patient information; veterinary signature and license numbers must be added to all printed certificates.
If a handwritten rabies vaccine book is used by the practice, the correct owner and patient information must be legible. The following information is required:
date
owner’s name
owner’s address
owner’s
