Curious if she could save money on veterinary software and improve her practice’s efficiency, Enrika looked at IDEXX Neo. Today Edinburg-McAllen no longer needs that server. Their Neo subscription is a fraction of their former software’s support agreement. And thanks to Neo’s easy-to-use interface, flexible schedule and one click workflows, Enrika’s team treats up to 125 patients per day—a 30% increase.
Too much paper, too much software
Edinburg-McAllen Veterinary Services is a family-owned practice in South Texas. With two doctors supported by a staff of 23, this walk-in only clinic is incredibly busy, and incredibly dedicated to serving the pets and people of the lower Rio Grande Valley. “Our clients are juggling pets, kids, dance, softball and baseball,” says Enrika. “We are too, so we understand how important it is to be flexible and set clear expectations about when we can see them.”
The practice previously used Cornerstone Software. To support their walk-in only model, the team printed out each check in and posted it on a wall to visualize the schedule. Enrika knew it was time consuming, inaccurate, and limited the number of patients her practice could see. Butwhere to start? “Cornerstone can do 5 million things,” she says, “but I only used 100 of them.”
Then a couple workstations and their Cornerstone server came off warranty. Knowing cloud software could eliminate the need for new hardware, and hoping for a solution that was less complex than Cornerstone, Enrika talked to her IDEXX Veterinary Diagnostic Consultant. His advice: look at Neo. Seeing it in action persuaded Enrika that Neo’s intuitive interface, one-click workflows, and ability to run on her practice’s desktops, laptops and iPads could give time back to her team and take their efficiency to the next level.
The day we went live the team said, ‘this is great.’ Within a week everybody was rocking it. If they didn’t know how to do something, they just clicked ‘Help Me’ at the bottom of the screen.
Seamless conversion experience
“I didn’t even look at other software,” Enrika says. “We have our computers and lab machines through IDEXX. Every time I’ve needed help with billing or support, I’ve had a great experience. I didn’t want to lose that.”
Enrika had high expectations for her conversion to Neo: IDEXX exceeded them. “It was great, just seamless,” she says. She credits Neo’s brilliantly simple interface and built-in training with helping her team quickly learn the ropes. “The day we went live the team said, ‘this is great.’ Within a week everybody was rocking it. If they didn’t know how to do something, they just clicked ‘Help Me’ at the bottom of the screen.
If a client calls for an update, we’re not looking at all these papers in a line. We just scan the schedule and give them an accurate answer. Our techs love to pop it up on their phone.
Easy-to-use schedule eliminates traffic jams
Our clinic is constantly moving,” says Enrika. “It doesn’t stop.” The practice treats 115 to 125 patients a day. Their two doctors see approximately 80 of those patients, with Enrika’s staff of licensed veterinary technicians and assistants handling the rest.
Neo’s role in keeping traffic flowing starts with its user-friendly appointment schedule. The practice has three exam rooms, each booked in 30-minute increments. “We check people in like booking a restaurant reservation,” Enrika explains. “Then we text clients when their appointment is coming up. If a client calls for an update, we’re not looking at all these papers in a line. We just scan the schedule and give them an accurate answer. Our techs love to pop it up on their phone.”
One-click workflows and time-saving templates
During the patient visit, Neo’s one-click workflows reduce the time spent entering or accessing information. “You can do most of what you need to with one click,” Enrika says. Whether its entering vitals or medications, ordering tests, searching a pet’s history or making a payment, “the ability to just click and get things done saves so much time compared to multiple clicks and waiting for things to load.
“Easy-to-build procedure templates also give time back and help Edinburg-McAllen deliver high- quality care consistently. “I created a ton to make our lives easier,” Enrika says. “I don’t want my team searching for what goes into pre-anesthetic bloodwork, for example. They just click and the exact same tests get ordered every time.” The templates also allow the doctors to complete their notes before the exam ends, another key to keeping the day running like clockwork.
More time for client education
With Neo taking so much work off her team’s shoulders, they can devote more of the visit to client education. “I love Doctor Dan—obviously, he’s my husband—but he believes in teaching our clients. He’s not going to just mail them bloodwork, or have our techs go over it.” Thanks to Neo’s integration with IDEXX VetConnect PLUS, Dan can relay patient results at the time of the visit, versus 2 to 6 business days after the tests were run. He also uses the client-friendly summaries to help his clients understand the diagnosis, the treatment and what’s next.
The other day [we] were at our dentist. At the end the dentist said, ‘I really need to get my dog in for a visit,’ and Dan was able to use his phone to see what her dog was due for and schedule an appointment.
Remote access brings people and pets closer
On their commute to and from work, Enrika and Dan often access Neo from the road. “He may think of a case and say, ‘can you leave a note in Neo that I need to call them back,’ or ‘can you pull up this dog because we need to send this medication.’ It’s easy when you have everything at your fingertips.” “The other day Dan, me and our two kids were at our dentist. At the end the dentist said, ‘I really need to get my dog in for a visit,’ and Dan was able to use his phone to see what her dog was due for and schedule an appointment. It was so neat to say, ‘you just helped us save time, so we’re going to help you.”
Happier clients, happier staff, happier doctors
No wonder Enrika likes the collaborative spirit of the Neo community. “One thing that makes Neo so different is that we have a say in what gets developed,” she says. On her ride home she’ll sometimes scroll the Neo Idea Portal to see the latest enhancement requests. “I’ll look forthings that my techs told me they’d like or vote for a feature. If it gets enough votes, then we’ll get that.” If another practice manager using server-based software was having a “should I stay or should I go?” moment? “Absolutely make the switch to Neo,” says Enrika. “It’s going to help you serve your clients better, your staff will be happier, and your doctors will too.”
