Enterprising Veterinarians Are Using Telehealth to Add Real Revenue to Their Practices
Veterinary Telehealth is getting a lot of attention these days. Most of the veterinarians we speak to acknowledge that they provide free telehealth to their clients every day in their practices already – via telephone, text or social messaging. Despite admitting to doing it, many veterinarians still don’t see a pressing need to incorporate technology that would make these services more secure and professional, while also allowing them to get paid.
Clients Are Willing to Pay For Telehealth
Waiting too long to incorporate a formal telehealth veterinary solution could be a mistake. More consumers are willing to pursue technology or other alternatives to traditional veterinary care – like advice from a pet store employee, a Google search or even a poll of Facebook friends. Incorporating a virtual care solution into your practice now will help ensure client loyalty and improve care for your patients. The good news is that telehealth can be easily incorporated into your veterinary practice today.
Growing Your Revenue & Taking Mobile Payments
Virtual care can grow your practice because the right telehealth solution allows veterinarians to almost instantly build a new revenue stream. This is possible by simply transitioning clients communicating with you by email, phone and social media into a mobile solution that’s easy to use and has credit card payment options already built-in. A secure telehealth option like Direct Health allows veterinarians to bill for the professional services they provide, and many enterprising veterinarians are already reaping the benefits, including Dr. Aaron Smiley who has successfully incorporated virtual care into his growing practice.
Veterinarian Success with Virtual Care
Dr. Aaron Smiley, DVM manages two veterinary practices in Indiana and actively uses Direct Health to offer virtual care to his patients. “I used to consult with clients via text, but Direct Health makes the process secure, preserves my work-life balance and I can get paid for the consult.”
“We get a lot of clients that will call up and want a diagnosis over the telephone. Now we offer them virtual care,” Smiley says.
In order to really get the financial benefit, Smiley and his team began telling all of their clients about the availability of their telehealth option consistently. Team training and a clear understanding of how virtual care was providing value for their clients and patients was important. His team even watched Dr. Smiley conduct virtual visits and heard first-hand how much the owners appreciated having it as an option.
The path to making telehealth pay for your practice is to commit to it. “I think it’s important to make sure that the doctor is engaged if the practice plans to provide virtual care. It won’t be successful if it’s offered only half-heartedly,” Smiley says. “If the clients aren’t being attended to on virtual care, it will flop.”
Dr. Smiley’s telehealth offering has actually helped him get more time in his day. By educating his clients about Direct Health during their in-office visits, he has been able to move time consuming phone calls, emails and text messages from clients onto the app where he charges a small fee for consultation and is able to tend to his practice even when he’s not in the office.
In just a handful of months, Dr. Smiley has already started generating more than $1,000 a month via virtual care. And the future looks bright.
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