Omokoroa Pet Vets is a thriving veterinary practice located in the picturesque coastal town of Omokoroa, New Zealand. The practice was established in 2023 by Dr Nick and Dr Raewyn Sygrove, a husband-and-wife veterinary team.
Omokoroa Pet Vets aims to provide high-quality veterinary services to the local Omokoroa community and beyond. Nick and Raewyn offer care in their clinic and through home visits, as they recognise that pets are often considered part of the family.
Their practice emphasises a family-focused approach to veterinary care, and it has quickly gained a reputation for its high-quality care and personalised service. A key factor in their success has been the implementation of Covetrus Ascend, the cloud-based veterinary practice management software.
A need for mobile accessibility
Omokoroa Pet Vets carefully considered several key factors before selecting their practice management system. As a small but growing practice, they wanted a solution that could enhance efficiency, reduce practice chaos, and allow them to adapt to their evolving needs.
The key factors that influenced their decision were:
- Mobile accessibility: Nick and Raewyn wanted a system they could access on their mobile devices, as they started out as a mobile practice. They wanted to retain this flexibility once they operated from their own premises.
- Cloud-based affordability: The practice wanted the convenience and security of cloud storage, which eliminated the need for expensive on-premises servers and backups.
Nick had used various veterinary practice management solutions in the past, including VetlinkPRO, RxWorks, and ezyVet. Having previously managed a large veterinary practice in Tauranga and with overseas experience in Hong Kong, Nick understood the importance of finding a system that would align with their operational needs.
“The main reason we chose Ascend was that it had mobile availability and was super easy to use,” explains Nick. “Also, as it’s cloud-based, we don’t have to do the huge data backups we used to do. Being able to put Ascend on my phone, iPad, and computer at home makes it a no-brainer. Ascend has been fantastic,” he adds.
Onboarding experience
The onboarding process for Covetrus Ascend was pivotal in setting up Omokoroa Pet Vets for success. Despite the challenges of a busy startup period, the training and support provided were excellent.
“We started with Ascend in February, and even though it was a pretty busy time, the training was thorough. We’d spend time with the trainer over five or six weeks. In between, I could go back to them with questions via email. On top of this, the learning videos are really good,” he adds. “If I couldn’t find something, I could submit a question and get an answer within the day.”
The customer success team also made a positive impact on the launch of the practice. Nick says, “Olivia and Georgia from the customer success team were great. They’re helping us with starting another little side business too.”
He adds that the 24/7 Covetrus technical support team have been responsive and effective too, particularly during the initial setup and onboarding process.
Features delivering value
Nick says Omokoroa Pet Vets find Covetrus Ascend a powerful tool in their daily operations. Several features stand out in particular:
- Mobility and flexibility: Ascend’s cloud-based system has been crucial for managing the practice from multiple devices. “We’ve set up all the staff with it on their phones,” says Nick. “Not that we encourage them to work from home, but they can book in a family or friend if they want to. Plus they can see how busy we are if they’re running late, so it’s really handy.” He adds that he and Raewyn often discuss patients at night. “We can quickly jump on and get information or check up on each other if one of us has a half-day off, it’s really easy” he says.
- Affordable security and data backups: The transition from physical data backups to cloud storage (included within the cost of Ascend) is a significant improvement. Nick appreciates this affordable change, saying, “Considering we have to keep records for up to seven years and our patients are living a lot longer than that, it’s good to have that information and not have to worry about swapping over memory banks and taking them home. It makes life so much easier!”
- Integrations: While Omokoroa Pet Vets has explored online booking systems, they decided to retain control over appointments. Nick explains: “We tried online bookings but found it challenging to manage appointment lengths and timings. So, we prefer to handle scheduling ourselves, but Ascend’s wide integration options are still a big plus.”
- Reporting: The reporting and workflow management tools are becoming increasingly valuable. Nick comments: “We were making sure our drug books for monitored drugs were all up to date and we could quickly punch in the codes and find out where they’d been dispensed to. So our books are all tickety-boo!”
- Workflow: Covetrus Ascend intuitive nature streamlines the consultation process at Omokoroa Pet Vets, saves time, and ensures all records are accurate. Nick and his team plan to use the Inpatients Workflow digital whiteboard feature as they move into doing larger surgeries.
Covetrus Ascend adoption outcomes
The implementation of Covetrus Ascend has provided positive tangible outcomes for Omokoroa Pet Vets:
- Increased efficiency: The software has streamlined administrative tasks, allowing staff to spend more time providing care to patients. Nick estimates that Ascend saves them at least 4 hours per week, which is invaluable for a smaller practice.
- Improved communication: The mobile access feature has enabled staff to communicate more effectively with clients and each other.
- Enhanced patient records: Omokoroa Pet Vets uses Covetrus Ascend to manage patient records, including medical history, medications, and appointment information. This helps ensure that patients receive the best possible care.
- Scalability: As the practice grows, Ascent can easily accommodate the increased workload.
Improved time savings and operational efficiency
The positive impact of Covetrus Ascend on Omokoroa Pet Vets has been significant, particularly in terms of time savings and operational efficiency.
“It is really easy to use, and we find it definitely speeds things up. The dropdown boxes on the computer have fields like weight, hydration, mucous membrane colour, capillary refill time and so on – it’s all there. And when we send notes to other clinics or even the after-hours clinic, they say things like ‘Oh man, that was a really good history’. This all saves times.”
Final thoughts
Nick’s advice to others considering Covetrus Ascend is unequivocal:
“I have spoken to a few New Zealand vets who are looking at setting up a similar sort of mobile service like we did. I’ve said to them, get Ascend because it makes life so much easier. The fact that you can put it on all these different modalities, and you can sign in on all these different places, makes life so much easier. It’s awesome,” he affirms.