Introduction
Running a veterinary practice is no small task. Between managing appointments, providing top-notch patient care, and keeping an eye on finances, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. With so many moving parts, having clear visibility into your practice’s data is essential for making informed decisions. That’s where reporting comes in.
Why reporting matters
If you’ve never given much thought to reporting, you’re not alone. Many practices are so busy with day-to-day operations that data analysis takes a backseat. But having access to the right reports can make all the difference. Imagine knowing exactly when your busiest appointment times are, which services bring in the most revenue, and how often clients miss their scheduled visits. Instead of making decisions based on gut feeling, reporting gives you real, actionable insights to keep your practice running smoothly. Whether it’s hiring additional staff, investing in new equipment, or expanding services, having concrete data helps you make confident choices that support the growth of your veterinary practice.
The benefits of reporting
If you already have reporting tools within your practice management system but aren’t using them to their full potential, now is the time to start. Leveraging reporting tools can bring major benefits, including:
- Seeing the bigger picture – Without reporting, it’s easy to focus only on the immediate tasks in front of you. A strong reporting system helps you step back and see trends over time, allowing you to make proactive, rather than reactive, decisions.
- Identifying trends – Understanding patterns in patient visits, seasonal fluctuations, and appointment no-show rates helps with better scheduling and resource planning. For example, if you notice a spike in demand for wellness checkups in the spring, you can prepare by increasing appointment slots during that period.
Above: Sample data displaying attended vs missed appointments
- Optimising financial performance – Knowing which services generate the most revenue allows you to focus on high-value treatments while adjusting pricing on less profitable ones. Additionally, tracking outstanding payments ensures that you are getting paid on time and not leaving money on the table. Understanding where your money is coming from and where it’s going helps you manage costs and reporting allows you to see if you’re overspending in certain areas and make adjustments to improve profitability.
Above: The Covetrus Ascend reporting dashboard displaying a practices top services by revenue, allowing the practice to assess whether they want to increase prices to boost their bottom line.
- Improving client experience – By monitoring appointment no-show rates, you can identify gaps in communication and implement reminders via email or text. Understanding how clients engage with healthcare plans also allows you to tailor offerings to encourage more participation.
- Enhancing operational efficiency – Staff scheduling can be a major challenge, but reporting helps you see when your busiest and slowest times occur. This enables you to allocate resources effectively, ensuring enough coverage without overstaffing.
- Saving time – Manually gathering data can be tedious and time-consuming. With a central dashboard, you can quickly access the insights you need without wasting hours compiling information from different sources.
Gain insights within Ascend
Covetrus Ascend, our cloud-based Practice Management System is designed to simplify your practice operations while empowering your team to work more efficiently, stay connected and focus on delivering great animal care – all housed in a visually intuitive interface.
Tracking your veterinary practice’s performance has never been easier with Ascend’s new Business Intelligence Dashboard. This powerful tool provides real-time insights into key business metrics, helping you make informed decisions without the hassle of running reports or merging spreadsheets.
With data presented in easy-to-read graphs, the dashboard gives a clear overview of revenue, invoices, client retention, and compliance—all in one place.
Here’s how it helps your practice:
- Quick performance overview: Imagine it’s Monday morning, and you want to do a quick check on your practice. Instead of pulling multiple reports, log into Ascend and instantly see total revenue, invoices, clients, and patients. With just a few clicks, you compare this year’s numbers to last year’s and spot trends early.
- Spotting missed appointments: As a reception team, you may have noticed a drop in appointments over the last few weeks. By checking the Compliance section of the dashboard, you can quickly see if missed appointments have increased. If so, this insight can help your team take action—whether it’s sending automated reminders, following up with clients, or adjusting scheduling processes—to reduce no-shows and keep appointment slots filled.
- Revenue insights: If you’re looking for ways to boost revenue before the slower months. By reviewing the Revenue section of the dashboard, you may notice that a service like dental cleanings were a top-performing service this time last year. With this insight, you can run a special promotion, encouraging more bookings and maximising revenue during the seasonal slowdown.
Above: Sample data displaying top 10 stock items by revenue
- Consult insights: You want to see which vets in your practice had the most consults. The dashboard highlights the top 15 team members by consultations, giving you a clear view of who is seeing the most patients. This helps you recognise top performers, balance workloads, and identify opportunities for additional training or support where needed.
Conclusion
Reporting isn’t just about numbers—it’s about understanding your practice, making smarter decisions, and driving long-term success. Whether you’re tracking revenue trends, managing missed appointments, or recognising top-performing vets, having the right insights at your fingertips allows you to take proactive steps that benefit both your team and your patients.
With Ascend’s Business Intelligence Dashboard, you no longer have to guess or spend hours compiling data. Everything you need to monitor performance, optimise operations, and improve client experience is available in one easy-to-use platform. By embracing data-driven decision-making, your practice can run more efficiently, stay financially healthy, and continue providing exceptional patient care.
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