Integrating Innovation Without Overwhelm: Practical Technology Strategies for Sustainable Veterinary Practice Growth

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I think this is a really good question, because I do know veterinarians on the front line, especially people managing practices, like, they…

they’re shown different technology or different software, you know, every week or every month. There’s something new, and I think it can overwhelm clinics a little bit, so, you know, trying to filter through that and figure out, okay, what is really gonna move the needle for me in my practice is, I think, question number one.

you know, really, I think it comes down to a combination of two things, and having those things in the right ratio. The number one thing is that it needs to solve a significant pain point. Like, it needs to make a difference in something that is, you know, whether it’s taking a lot of your time, or being particularly problematic in a workflow that you’re doing over and over and over again.

And then the other side, the second component is that it needs to be easy to adopt, it needs to be easy to integrate with existing workflows, and I think

if you have those two things in the right size… the right combination, I should say, so, you know, outsized value and solving a large pain point, and ease of adoption, and ease of implementation, if you have that in combination, like you do with something like CoVet, I think that is really the stuff that is going to create something sticky, that will work and stay with you for the long term, and

in general, I guess.

a more… kind of an easier way, or a shortcut to figure this out, is to get it in the hands of your vets and see what works for them. Like, I think if a product has that right combination, the people using it will naturally gravitate to it. So, in some ways, with CoVet, we’ve been very fortunate.

certainly we do speak to organizations and stuff like that, but a lot of our adoption has been kind of grassroots, right? It’s been one veterinarian who heard from a friend, and they started using it at their clinic, and they really liked it, and they told their colleagues, and then there’s 3 or 4 of them, and they bring it to the clinic manager, and things like that, and I think you only get that type of, you know, organic growth with a product that, again, solves that pain point.

And it’s easy to use, so…

Don Adeesha: Right, so let’s talk about how important it is to have that stickiness of the product, right? In your own experience.

Where have you seen practices really falter here?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I mean, I think…

The one that jumps to mind, and I, you know, certainly I don’t want to call out any specific products, but I know there is a lot of software out there built as kind of a client portal, right? So, you know, a place where, ideally, the person can track all of their pet’s metrics and, you know, collate all of their records and make them available to the veterinarian, but I think

one reason we haven’t seen a clear winner in that category is that it often relies a lot on the client to do some of the data input and management. Like, it’s not automated, it’s not easy to use. And the other thing is it’s very fragmented, right? So maybe the client loves this one app, but the veterinarian’s using a different one.

So I think, you know, for the people who are going to solve that problem, you know, it needs to be a little bit more seamless, more automated, and you need to have kind of a…

you know, a larger buy-in from both the veterinary community and the client community, something that works really well for both of them, and certainly we are working on things like that.

But yeah, that’s the one that jumps to mind, where I know practices have tried multiple different solutions and not necessarily stuck with one or the other.

That’s really interesting, because now you’re talking about the client as well. Yeah.

Don Adeesha: How important is that? And, like, with your own experience.

How have you done better to serve the client?

You know, I’m talking about the pet owner, basically as well as the primary practice owner.

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah. I mean, I think…

In some ways, this relates back a little bit to my experience prior to COVID. You mentioned off the top that I ran kind of an in-home mobile service for about 5 years. You know, I was also in emergency clinics and general practice, kind of more traditional roles, but

the reason I started that business, it was called Treat Well Pet Care, was because I basically wanted to offer better client service, and, you know, the way that…

we solved that at the time was basically just creating more time, right? The in-home model allowed you to have a consultation that was an hour or 90 minutes, as opposed to 20 or 30 minutes, and so

Just by giving the veterinarian more time, they were better able to, you know, really listen to their clients, to be patient, to,

you know, write more comprehensive educational materials for them specific to the case, that kind of thing. So what…

what I guess I realized is that, you know, while that worked in the in-home care scenario, like, that doesn’t work for most clinics. It’s just, it’s too busy. And, I think the nice thing with, AI products like CoVet is basically all of that client communication gets easier and faster, right? So.

as a veterinarian, like, I am already recording the conversation with the client in order to produce my medical records, but by doing that, I really just have to click a button in order to produce a, you know, nice, personalized visit summary for the client, and I think,

you know, at COVID, we certainly want to serve the profession, like, we always have the veterinary community front of mind, but

to some way, the best way to help them is to help them serve their clients, right? If we can promote that kind of…

trust-based relationship, and if we can help veterinarians convey value to their clients, and I think that really just comes down to, again, communication, and

You know, we are aiming to make that communication as easy and efficient as possible, so basically to allow vets to do more with less time, is kind of what it boils down to in that regard.

Don Adeesha: There we go. Now, Dr. Mossop, many clinics invest in tools, but struggle with implementation and team adoption. What are some of the frameworks that leaders should use to evaluate, introduce, and measure the success of new technology without overwhelming the teams?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, so, again, this comes back to something we said before, but I do understand that some teams are kind of overwhelmed with all the, you know, whether it’s, you know, new email software, a new website, new client portal, new communication software, all of that stuff, so I get that it’s not necessarily an easy proposition, and again.

I think if a product is good enough, there is this kind of organic adoption that starts to happen, like, vets will use it and gravitate to it and demand it. But, you know, to go a little further than that, I really do think,

you know, a product that allows you to kind of adopt it in stages is very helpful in this regard, right? So, think of adopting a new practice management software. Like, it’s the opposite end of the spectrum, where you need to get the entire practice aligned, you need to get every single product that’s in your system moved over. Like, there is a lot of work in terms of migration, and I think that’s where

things get really problematic.

Whereas, if you can kind of test something out, so deploy it with just one or two people, or a particular group in the hospital, and have them use it for a couple of months, and learn the ins and outs. And in a lot of clinics, like.

people do have, kind of, champions, you know, just an individual who happens to be particularly keen on technology and wants to try out something new, or they just, you know, they’re particularly struggling with their records or something like that. And so.

you know, finding those champions, finding that pilot group, I think is kind of the best thing, and then as… if there’s success there, and you want to move it to something larger within the clinic, like, they act as teachers or educators within the practice, so I think that’s one thing that is important. You know, certainly you do…

you want to have a product where you feel supported, right? So, like, if you’re using software and, you know, you’re seeing an error or something like that, you don’t know how to solve it, it can very quickly turn into a roadblock. So I think having,

you know, a robust support department is important. And, you know, with COVID, we do have that. You know, our entire support department is staffed by former veterinary technicians and practice managers, so, like, they’re the people who can empathize with what’s going on in the clinic day-to-day, like, they know exactly how chaotic things can be when your software breaks down.

And they also, they speak the language, right? So they can understand what the vet is saying, and, you know, I think we’re…

the only AI provider in the veterinary space that actually has a phone number you can call, right? So you can call in, you can talk to a human. We also have, you know, chat, email, all of that stuff, but I think there’s nothing that quite replaces that human connection, and I mean, that’s something we’re very proud of, and we’ve always prioritized. So yeah, so that’s important, and then, you know, again, with bigger groups, you can go on to

you know, organized, you know, whether it’s webinars, training sessions, demonstrations as a group or a whole, but I think, you know, sometimes

The… what a user needs in, like, their first

two weeks on the platform might be a little different from what they need at month two or month three, right? Like, as they start to use it, you know, especially a tool that’s as powerful as CoBet, there’s more and more to discover, and kind of having different touchpoints along this kind of onboarding road, I think, is another thing that has worked well for a lot of practices, so…

Don Adeesha: Wonderful. And I was just curious, especially with Coet, how does the integration to the PMS really work?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, so we integrate with a number of different practice management softwares, and so, you know, to be honest, the different… the answer is a little different, depending on which software you work with. So,

for the ones where we have kind of a true integration, basically, CoVet will read the appointment book in the practice management software. Your appointments will magically appear every morning.

you do your work in COVET, so basically recording, you know, whether it’s consultations or summarizing PDF files or whatever it is you need to turn into a medical document, and then there’s basically a one-click button that sends it back to the practice management software and ensures that all of the material ends up in the right place. So COVET’s kind of a writing tool or a drafting tool, but the integration makes it really seamless in that it’s

Basically, one click to bring it in, one click to export it out.

you know, we do have other solutions for practice management softwares that don’t yet have an integration. It’s a very easy copy and paste. You basically put two windows next to each other. We have some other solutions, a Google Chrome extension where we can live next to a web-based practice management software and make that really easy, so…

So yeah, that’s kind of how we do that.

Don Adeesha: So, almost seamless in any case scenario.

Dr. Mike Mossop: That is the goal, so… and I will, I guess I’d say, too, you know.

we do get this question. We are intentionally not building a practice management software. Like, the practice management software, obviously, is a very

important piece of every practice, right? It’s kind of the heart in a lot of ways. And we don’t aim to replace that. I mean, it is customized to the practice. The difference, CoVet, you know, it really is more of a personal assistant, so it is customized to the veterinarian, and, you know, helps them write in their voice, and knows their preferences and things like that.

And I guess, you know, the nice thing is if you leave the practice and you go to a different practice, or if you work at multiple practices, like, COVID stays with you every step of the way, and I think what the trend we’re seeing is that COVID is kind of turning into, like, the interface with the most

you know, the heaviest touchpoint, right? It’s the screen that is open for the veterinarian the most in their day-to-day workflow, and so that’s their primary interaction point.

And then moving it into the practice management software for kind of permanent storage becomes a very easy proposition with, you know, especially those integrations, so…

Don Adeesha: Okay, now, a different type of question. With your background in emergency medicine and medical leadership, how can technology be leveraged to reduce burnout and improve operational efficiency rather than add on that layer of complexity?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, so I, you know, I think it can help in a lot of ways, and I mean…

COVID and AI, I think, are a…

huge force for positive change in the industry. I mean, there’s a lot of problems with the industry, to be honest. Like, we’re not going to solve all of them, but I think we can make a really significant dent.

And I guess it comes down to a couple of things. Like, number one is time savings, right? It’s just, in the mind of a lot of vets, if you ask anybody out there, there’s just not enough hours in the day, especially when you get the

you know, the random emergency visit that just slotted in between two appointments, where no time really exists in the schedule, right?

And so I, I think…

You know, allowing a vet to be faster, it really does turn into the difference between staying late to write your records for 2 hours once the clinic closes, or, you know, once you get home, versus kind of, you know, finishing your shift, wiping your hands, and leaving, and being done with it, and being able to,

you know, be present with your family, or do other things that, you know, make a difference to you as a human being. So, the time savings is huge. The other component of it that I think is

Harder to measure, but possibly even more important, is kind of the… The mental load.

that, using CoVAT takes off of a veterinarian. Like, being a vet is hard, right? You’re jumping from appointment to appointment, they’re emotional, they’re complicated, there’s financial things on top of that, and, you know, if you haven’t finished the records for one visit, you’re still thinking about that as you’re doing the second and third and fourth, and so I think…

you know, a vet’s cognitive load is heavily burdened in practice because they’re doing so many things at once, and never mind the time savings, COVET just takes some of that off their plate, right?

you know, they don’t have to remember, was it the left ear or the right ear, you know, if they need to, and this comes back to the client part, like, you know, okay, I need to write my medical record, but I also need to communicate this to the owner, or I need to make a phone call, and now I need to document that, like, it helps in a lot of ways, and I think…

my sincere hope is that, you know, kind of reducing that stress level is something that will keep veterinarians in practice longer, right? Like, I know there’s a lot of people leaving the profession or switching to alternative careers and stuff like that, because they do get burnt out, they get exhausted, right? And,

you know, we’ve had vets tell us that they’ve, you know, decided to delay retirement, after starting to use Covat, right? They were gonna quit, and basically they’re like, hey, it’s gotten so much easier that I’m gonna keep going for a couple years. We’ve had people tell us that it’s made their marriage better because they’re getting home for dinner, like.

It has a lot of very wide-reaching implications for, kind of, long-term employment, sustainability, that kind of stuff, so…

So yeah.

Don Adeesha: That’s amazing. I just wanna…

I just want to play a bit of the devil’s advocate here, and ask…

a very similar story which happens with AI adoption across the board, which is work seems to get easier, as you mentioned, cognitive load does reduce.

But overall, that can lead to more, you know, new analysis, new reports, new feedback.

Yeah. On how to do things better, and…

How would you go about really balancing that?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I mean, that’s a fair question, I think.

you know, in a lot of ways, I think that kind of reporting and analysis will fall on, kind of, leadership teams at clinics, and I guess…

you know, leadership team in quotations for a large group that could be, you know, a totally separate board or something like that, whereas for an individual practice, it might be the main veterinarian who’s also seeing appointments. But I…

I hope and I think that, you know, one thing

AI and COVID are really good at doing is kind of recognizing patterns and, wording things in a very succinct way, right? So.

I mean, you are right that it gives you more… more data to crunch through and potentially more information to analyze, but my hope is that the tools will actually allow you to do that in an efficient way, and hopefully, you know, in terms of additional reporting, which is… are things we’re working on, right? We do have, like, an analytics dashboard that will pull out a bunch of numbers from all of the consultations you or your practice has done.

But, you know, I think the onus is on us a little bit to make sure we’re highlighting things

that are usable, right? Not just creating noise and creating extra data and streams, but, like, you know, presenting it in a way where these are usable numbers and it doesn’t cause extra strain, so…

Don Adeesha: Thank you very much for that, Dr. Mosaf. Really appreciate that answer.

Now, you previously pioneered a hybrid membership-based care model combining in-home and virtual services. What business and leadership lessons can traditional veterinary practice

This is learn from alternative care models to improve accessibility, client loyalty, and perhaps even financial stability.

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I mean, we touched on this earlier. I think, you know, at least in my mind, and keep in mind, you know, I have done some emergency medicine

But my heart is really in, like, general practice and this kind of relationship-centered type of care. And I think emergency and specialty are a little different here, but a lot of similarities exist, and I really think,

it all comes back to a veterinarian being able to convey value to their client. Like, regardless of the cost of the visit and the medical outcome, you want the client to leave the room feeling good, right? And,

You know, even in the worst-case scenario, like an appointment that leads to euthanasia of a pet or something like that, like, obviously the client will be sad, but you want them to have

a positive memory, like, hey, that veterinarian did their best to help me through a tough time, and they did a good job of it. And I think…

You know, if we can convey value, it does a couple of things.

you know, number one, it will help with compliance, so just people following your instructions and, you know, using the proper medication, and doing regular blood testing and things like that. You need to be able to present it in a way

that has the medically important information, but also a way that speaks to the individual and their kind of needs and wants in the moment. Like, you need to kind of hear what they’re asking for, and not just giving them the medical gold standard type of thing.

But yeah, I think it will help with compliance, and helps with return business. And I think, you know, any clinic that has, you know, like that client loyalty and high compliance, people who will, you know, follow their veterinarian’s advice, like, those are the successful clinics. That’s what everybody wants to be, and it does lead to financial

sustainability. You know, in terms of

you know, specific alternative models and stuff like that. I mean, there’s a whole lot going on out there. It’s really cool to see certain clinics, you know, whether it’s some of the membership wellness plan stuff, whether it’s, you know, in-home versus in clinic, like, there’s a lot of telemedicine as well,

you know, people are getting creative. I don’t think there is one magic solution. Like, there’s actually a lot of really interesting possibilities there, but it’s cool to see how that’s evolving and what people are building out there. But I think regardless of the model and the structure, like, it really is about

Conveying value to the client, and gaining that client trust, that client loyalty, and that leads to a healthy practice.

Don Adeesha: Tell me about how do you go about identifying

what the client needs at that moment, right? Because, how are we going to speak their language

What are some of the telltale ti- signs, perhaps, of how you should communicate.

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, and I mean, that’s… that’s… so that’s a big question. I think it… I think it’s an important question. It… it really…

I mean, to me, that comes down to communication skill more than medical skill. I mean, don’t get me wrong, obviously the medical skill is very important, but

you know, you could be the best clinician in the world, and if you don’t listen to your client, and they’re not listening to you, it doesn’t matter, because nothing’s going to happen, right? So, you know, I can appreciate that veterinarians

do get some, but maybe not a whole lot of communication training, and it is… it is a tricky skill. The good news is, it is a learnable skill, like, I think it’s something that people can work on and improve.

you know, COVID is actually working on some features that will help people with this, and that’s a whole other conversation, but, you know, I think…

Part of it comes down to… simply…

taking a little bit of time to listen to the client, and again, I’m hoping that COVET frees up more time, and you can spend those extra 2 minutes listening, and then, you know, not just hearing what they say, but really listening and trying to get the underlying tone. Like, if…

you know, sometimes it comes down to nonverbal communication or paraverbal communication, and you can tell when the, you know, the issue of price comes up, like, somebody gets a little fidgety or non-committal.

you know, kind of taking a step back and just say, like, hey, you know, I sense that this is a tricky topic and a tricky decision, and I get it, right? Like, it’s… this is not easy, it’s a lot of money, and I think, you know, just empathizing with them, you know, providing options, and being very…

clear and direct in a kind way is kind of what has served me well, and again, I’m not a communication expert, per se, but, again, it’s worked well for me, and I do think those are things that most people can do if they’re not doing already, so…

Don Adeesha: Okay, acknowledging them where they’re at. Why do, I mean, we get this…

Often, in our panels as well, like, It feels salesy sometimes.

How can we overcome that personal perspective?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, and I think… The trick is being able to…

verbalize the reason for the things you are recommending at a level that the client understands in a way that resonates with them, right? So, for instance, like.

you know, doing regular blood work with a senior pet, or something like that, I think is a good example, and I think it’s something that can seem salesy, so…

You know, because it could be a few hundred dollars, like the pet is, let’s say they just turned 7, and they have no medical issues, right? They’re apparently normal, right? And so I think, depending on how you put that across, it could look like, hey, you’re just, you’re trying to upsell me, but I think

you know.

being able to verbalize that this is going to help us, you know, detect diseases earlier and intervene earlier in the long run, it will, you know, potentially extend your pet’s life. And, you know, I guess also.

one thing is not being pushy, right? Like, if you can clearly communicate that, and somebody understandably says, no, I don’t want to do that, I think that’s a legitimate answer, and I think you need to kind of respect those bounds and say, okay, that’s great, let’s move on, and I think maybe we can circle back to that, you know, in 6 months or next year.

you know, certainly there’s payment options and all that stuff, but I think there is a point where you need to kind of, again, listen to the client and work with them and their priorities. But I do think…

You know, especially when you have these longer-term trust-based relationships,

Some of this messaging, like, it’s not…

about having the whole conversation in 2 minutes in one visit. Like, it’s about having that conversation at multiple touchpoints along the way, right? So…

you know, maybe when the pet’s 7, they don’t do that blood work, but when they’re 8 or 9, they can, and I think, you know, again, if this is one extended conversation, and even better, like.

I think clinics that can send out information in advance of a visit, so like, hey, your pet has just turned 7, we generally recommend, you know, wellness blood testing for all of these reasons.

That way, when they get into the room, and the veterinarian mentions this, it’s not unexpected, right? It’s not this…

$300 cost that has come out of nowhere. Like, both parties are already aware of it, and it does make that conversation easier for the veterinarian, so I think that

you know, that communication for clinics that are operating really efficiently. It extends beyond that one conversation and becomes, you know, a longer conversation over time and over multiple touchpoints, because, you know, frankly, with a lot of people, even with veterinarians and myself, like, sometimes you need to hear something more than once for it to really sink in, but that’s kind of consistent, kind, respectful communication.

I think in the end, does win out, so…

Don Adeesha: Amazing.

Now, through your work with practices at Coet, what common characteristics do you see in clinics that successfully modernize, and can you share an example of how thoughtful technology integration improved clinical outcomes, workflow efficiency, or financial performance?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I mean, there’s a couple things that jump to mind. I’d have to look up… I don’t have the name of the clinic off the top of my tongue, but there was one clinic. It is an emergency clinic, and I think, again, there are some differences between emergency and general practice, the big one being that you don’t have a set appointment book in emergency, right? It’s just visit after visit after visit.

And, the study that they did is basically measuring their vet’s productivity, before and after the implementation of CoVET, so I think it was about 6 months later.

And they, they did find that their productivity went up by about 10%. Like, each vet was seeing an extra… it was 1.2 or 1.3 cases per shift. And, you know, that at scale, that turns into, significant numbers, right? And, you know, I, I think, again, when you can go through cases faster, because you have these extra tools.

It allows you to do more. Again, if you’re in general practice and you have a set schedule, maybe you’re just

Maybe you’re not filling it with extra visits, maybe you’re taking that as time for yourself to breathe or eat lunch or go home on time, that kind of thing.

But that is… that’s kind of one, one case, you know, that jumps to mind. You know, you mentioned other interesting use cases, like.

I mean, a lot of practices are doing this, but I do think of certain specialty practices in particular. You know, they’re not just using CoVET to record consultations and write medical notes, but they’re actually using it to, like, look through patient histories, right? They get just reams and reams of documentation, and they need to get through all of this in a very fast and efficient way.

And so one of the tools that CoVet offers is you can upload, you know, patient history files and have a summary presented to you in 30 seconds, which gives you all those core details. You can actually talk to COVET and ask it more detailed and nuanced questions. You can basically send the AI back to those records to pull out additional details. So, a lot of clinics have adopted that.

You know, emergency clinics.

are kind of using it, and other clinics as well, but they’re using it in a team-based environment, right? So, like, multiple people sharing records and passing cases back and forth when one vet rounds a case to another, or when, you know, a triage nurse nurse or technician will start a case, add material, create a preliminary report, and then pass it off to the veterinarian that’s going to be picking it up. So.

like, we’ve built the platform in a very flexible way, and we’re adding more and more tools with every passing week, and it’s really cool to see how different practices are embracing them. Like, it’s… I don’t want to say no two clinics are alike, but, like.

you know, different people are using it in different ways, and it’s really cool to see that, so…

Don Adeesha: Absolutely. Now, Dr. Mossop, as we wrap up, I would love to have one key takeaway for our audience members, the golden nuggets of the conversation

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing that I would recommend people do is to just try it out. Like, obviously, I’m biased, I think COVID is your best solution, but no matter what solution you use, like,

some of this stuff you can listen to as many podcasts and, you know, watch as many Help Center videos as you want, but it’s not quite the same as actually having the tools in your hand and being able to use them in real cases and, you know, see how they work and start to tinker and, you know, customize them, because I do think

like, one thing that has become apparent to us, like, veterinarians are, not surprisingly, very picky about their medical records and their other communication, right? Like, they want it to be accurate,

And they wanted to match the formatting and the style that they want, and rightfully so, right? I get that. These, you know, documents are extremely important. And I think

you know… A tool that gets a vet to kind of

80% or 85% just isn’t good enough. Basically, what we see happen is that somebody starts using it, they’ll try it out for a couple of weeks, but they find that bridging that extra 15-20% gap is just too onerous, right? They’re going back, they’re having to edit and change.

And it’s a pain in the butt. Like, it kind of relates back to this first point, is it needs to work and be easy to adopt, but, you know, they kind of run into some friction there. And so, for success, you really do, like, you need the output to get to where they want to be, to, like, 95…

plus percent, right? Like, it needs to require very little manipulation after creation for a vet to stick with it long-term, and so…

in that sense, like, customization is important. I think Covette works very well out of the box, and that’s why I’m saying, you know, I’d encourage people to try it.

But, you know, most vets do personalize it to some extent. Again, we have a ton of options, you know, our support team is there to help you if you run into trouble or you have questions. But I think, you know, the only way to really try it and do that little bit of tweaking is

to start using it, right? So that’s kind of my thing, is just try it out, see how it goes. You know, we have a free trial, it’s easy to get started, so…

Don Adeesha: Do you, how do we get that free trial?

Dr. Mike Mossop: Yeah, so, good, good question. Just go to our homepage, co.vet, C-O dot V-E-T, very easy. There’s a little button up in the right corner, and I think probably a few other places, but, yeah, no credit card or anything like that required.

you can basically sign up and start using the app that day, you know, you can sign up 5 minutes before your visit and get going. And I find it usually takes people, like.

a day, maybe two days, to kind of get used to the basics and learn the workflow. So again, it’s a very rapid adoption curve, and I’m optimistic, if your listeners out there give it a try, that they’ll enjoy it, so…