With the concern over COVID-19, there’s been a number of questions around how to leverage virtual care to continue to communicate with clients when it becomes more difficult and restrictive to do so in-person.
Clients are canceling appointments because of coronavirus fears – What can I do to proactively to get clients to not cancel appointments and/or to know that we offer virtual care options? Enhance your marketing efforts here. In anticipation of clients choosing to cancel non-essential or non emergent appointments, now is the time to reach out to them in advance to reinforce the need to at least communicate with your team, and to remind clients about the telemedicine services that you provide. As we know, certain problems and pet issues may not seem critical to a pet parent, but after examination we find that may not be the case. By employing telemedicine and being able to see the patient and have the opportunity for a face-to-face consult, we can provide a more in-depth virtual exam. This will keep cases and revenues in the practice and with your vets. Airvet has an editable template you can use for this if you haven’t sent one out already.
How do I mitigate canceled appointments? It’s best you use these situations to your advantage. While you can’t do everything, there’s still a great deal you can do on a live video call in getting a thorough history and being able to see your patient. With a VCPR, you are also legally able to make a diagnosis, and even prescribe medications. Your receptionists should direct clients to request a call from you in the app instead of canceling and reiterating that you can see your clients virtually when they can’t come in. You can charge for the Airvet consult, and your bond with your client will be strengthened as he/she will be satisfied, and, depending on the problem, it may turn into a physical office exam in the near future.
My clients have been reading about dogs with coronavirus and now they’re freaked out about it and don’t want to come in. What can I do? Because of the many concerns our clients are voicing, a cancellation call that turns in to an Airvet call gives you the opportunity to educate your clients about the coronavirus, i.e. how the virus is transmitted, and because it is, at this time, purely species specific, it (from what we currently know) cannot infect their pets. Furthermore, the probability of a dog transmitting the virus to your client, is no greater than your client becoming infected by a door knob in their own home (at best the dog, if he or she came in contact with an infected person, could possibly become a fomite).
I have veterinarians who may have trouble getting to work due to our area, or who are high risk due to age, pregnancy, or underlying medical conditions/risk factors and need to work from home. Instead of canceling their appointments, have your veterinarians keep them all and just see their clients virtually. Telemedicine provides a unique opportunity to hospitals to be flexible around these issues and restrictions, so take advantage of it so you don’t lose business.
In general, you should be using Airvet as a platform to educate your clients, allay their fears, and continue operating effectively without sacrificing any revenues.
Offering virtual exams will only strengthen the bond they share with you and your staff. COVID-19 has really shaken things up, but with the right tools and procedures, you will continue to operate without missing a beat.
For more information on Airvet, how to implement it into your workflow, or if you have questions about telemedicine in general, contact demo@airvet.com.
