ImproMed Quarterly Newsletter

ImproMed Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016

Table of Contents Featured Articles ..................... 1 Finish Strong. And start stronger. Top Five Takeaways from the Veterinary Technology Summit ......... 4

Technology in Practice .......... 6 The Truth About Rewards Cards

Customers of the Month .......... 7 CountrySide Veterinary Services Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates Claus Paws Animal Hospital

Training Corner ...................... 8 Sheets and Charts

Tech Support ........................... 9 Top five FAQ’s from Vet Summit

Finish Strong.

And start stronger. What do you want to accomplish in 2017? A steady increase in patients to help your practice grow? Improved compliance with your existing patients? Professional development and training for your staff, designed to help them boost efficiency? New diagnostics, wellness plans, or other services to add to your practice? All of the above? A strong 2017 actually begins during the fourth quarter of 2016, which is the best time to focus on strategic planning for the end of this year and the beginning of next year. From end-of-year reporting and tax planning to budgeting and goal-setting, we’ve compiled some tips and tricks to help 2017 be your best year yet.

Plan for Year-End The information you need for year-end preparation is right at your fingertips. Certain reports that give you a snapshot of your financials and inventory can help you prepare last-minute tax strategies and plan for the following year. At ImproMed, we recommend the following:

• Create a year-end folder in the primary database server. Call it YE2016. • Print or export the year-end Financial Summary Report and the Inventory Category Totals. These are canned reports that can be accessed via the following steps: o Click

on the Infinity button | Modules | Reports.

o Click

on the + sign next to Financial Reports and place a check next to Summary Report.

o Click

on the + sign next to Inventory Reports and place a check next to Inventory Category Totals.

that the Print with Defaults is unchecked, and click Print. You’ll want to select your start and end dates as Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2016.

o Verify

This will give you what you need for year end. (Additional instructions can be found on our ImproMed.com website.) For most clinics, these reports give a good indication of how successful the practice was the prior year, what items may be left unresolved going into the New Year, and areas where improvements can be made for the coming year. If you have any questions regarding reports, please contact ImproMed Support at 800-925-7171.

Plan for Taxes It’s always wise to review your current equipment and business practices to make sure you are taking full advantage of hardware and software advancements. The end of the year is a particularly good time to upgrade hardware and software because you can take advantage of Section 179 tax deductions to decrease tax payments and increase cash for other needs. Section 179 encourages small business owners to invest in equipment or technology by allowing them to deduct the asset’s value during the first year. When you acquire new equipment such as hardware or software, you may deduct the first $500,000 of the value during the first year of ownership. For example, let’s say you purchase $10,000 worth of new hardware or software during December. Your Section 179 deduction would be the full $10,000. If your combined federal and state tax bracket is 38 percent, your tax savings would be $3,800 and therefore your net equipment cost would be $6,200 because you keep the $3,800 that you would have otherwise paid in taxes. (Contact us for more details on ways to take advantage of Section 179.)

Plan for 2017 Fourth quarter of 2016 is the best time to identify goals and map out strategic plans for your practice. Would your practice benefit from training for your staff to help them improve their software efficiency? Are there certain features that you’d like to implement, such as workflow tools or wellness plans? You can plan and budget for these initiatives in 2016 to ensure they happen in 2017. Are there other workflow processes that could be improved? For example, are your staff members spending too much time on the phone booking appointments or handling appointment confirmation calls? Would automated reminders by text message or email solve this problem? Automated client

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communications services like Rapport allow clients to book or confirm appointments via their computer or mobile device, which saves significant time for front office staff and allows them to spend more time with clients and patients at check-in and check-out. The way you accept credit cards is another example. Is your current service affordable, or are you getting hit with surprise or hidden fees? Are you spending too much time with double data entry, accepting the credit card charge and then manually entering it into your software? Consider ImproMed Payment Solutions, credit card services that integrate with your practice management software, which allows you to save time at checkout because you eliminate extra steps. The new year is right around the corner. With some strategic planning and proactive use of your software, you can make 2017 the best year yet.

Upcoming Events Industry Trade Shows Join us at the ImproMed booth and see what’s new! AAEP December 4 – 7, 2016 Orlando, FL Booth 1350 NAVC February 4 – 8, 2017 Orlando, FL Booth TBD WVC March 6 – 8, 2017 Las Vegas, NV Booth TBD

Top Five Takeaways from the Veterinary Technology Summit Nearly 500 veterinarians, practice managers, and staff members who use a Henry Schein software platform attended the 2016 Veterinary Technology Summit in Nashville last month. Attendees enjoyed morning keynote sessions (including a panel of software power-users sharing real-life best practices), standingroom-only practice management sessions, hands-on software support, and daily happy-hour receptions that facilitated great networking. We took some time to chat with attendees one-on-one. Here are the top five things that attendees loved most about the event.

#5

Learning to tackle inventory.

After labor costs, inventory is the second largest expense for most practices, and managing it appropriately can be challenging. A variety of inventory sessions taught attendees how to keep costs down yet maintain adequate amounts of product on the shelf to generate revenue.

#4

Tools to track business outcomes.

Many attendees cited new tips, tricks, tools, and technologies that helped them identify areas of potential improvement, such as capturing missed charges and increasing practice efficiencies. Then they were able to meet directly with sponsors and industry experts to learn how to implement these tools. As one attendee said, it’s not just having access to information, but also learning how best to use that information to help our practices grow.

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#3

Eliminating missed charges.

Believe it or not, they are happening in every veterinary practice. Attendees learned ways to find services that practices should be charging for, as well as technology solutions designed to automatically capture, record, and invoice those charges.

#2

Networking with other practices.

Attendees loved having time to share information and best practices with other practitioners that were using the same software platform. Many are taking proven solutions already working in other practices back to their own for implementation.

#1

Finding ways to become more efficient.

Efficiency makes practices more profitable. When technology can do things faster and more accurately, it frees up staff to spend more time with clients and patients and less time on paperwork.

Bonus: The Summit gets bigger and better every year! Attendees say the Veterinary Technology Summit is different than every other industry event. It’s not just about CE credits (although credits are available for certain classes). Instead, it’s about learning to use technology to create a great veterinary business. As one attendee said, “I learn how to incorporate the technology and software to improve not only our staff’s lives but also the amount of time we are able to give our clients and patients.” Interested in attending the next Veterinary Technology Summit? Watch for more information on VetSummit.com!

Special Offers Year-End Savings

ImproMed Hardware

The end of the year is a particularly good time to upgrade hardware and software because you can take advantage of our end-of-year Route 66 finance program for new purchases. This program includes 6 months of $0 payments, followed by 6 months of $99 payments, and then your remaining balance is spread over 36 months.

ImproMed Hardware meets all of your technology needs. Our workstations and tablets are designed to work with your practice management software and built to withstand the harsh practice environment.

You can also take advantage of Section 179 tax deductions to decrease tax payments and increase cash for other needs. Section 179 encourages small business owners to invest in equipment or technology by allowing you to deduct up to $500,000 of the value of your purchase during the first year of ownership.

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Contact your ImproMed representative for more details on ways to take advantage of Section 179 and Route 66. Call 1-800-925-7171 or email [email protected].

Save $100 on workstations and tablets.

To take advantage of this offer or to obtain a quote, contact us today at 1-800-925-7171 or email [email protected].

Technology in Practice

The Truth About Rewards Cards Credit card processing fees can be difficult for practices to understand if they are not familiar with the process. For example, did you know: • Credit card service providers charge an interchange rate just to use their card? • Merchant service providers charge an additional swiping fee markup? • Additional fees are charged to fund credit card reward programs? It is important to understand how these rates and fees work so you can properly manage them. For instance, if your customers like to pay with reward cards, here are some things you need to know:

Reward cards may not be very rewarding for you. Many card issuers offer cards that pay points and cash back rewards to seduce consumers to apply for their cards. However, most veterinary businesses don’t know that any points or cash back rewards that are paid to the consumer are actually funded by vendors, not the major credit card companies. This means that you are not only paying the interchange rate and the per-swipe charges, but also 1% to 3% in additional fees to ensure points and cash back to those customers who pay for veterinary visits using a rewards card. This can equate to large fees if you have clients that use reward cards often.

Ask if rewards rates are included in the quote.

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When credit card service providers ask you for a statement so they can compare rates and save you money, they are counting on you not being educated on how the credit card processing system works with fees, rewards, and points. They will do a cost comparison that doesn’t figure in the rewards rate, so it appears they can save you a lot of money.

That is, until you get your first statement and realize that the savings just aren’t there. By then, you’re locked into years of contractual agreements.

Find ways to cut fees. For the best cost savings when processing transactions, debit cards are the way to go. They are the most secure and cost the least to process. These rates are low and there are no reward points or percentages figured in. It never hurts to encourage debit payments when you are looking at ways to cut the fees. Many competitors will let you believe they can give you hundreds and even thousands of dollars in savings by their calculated cost comparison, but that is normally because they fudge the numbers when it comes to reward card processing.

ImproMed Payment Solutions provides a fair and accurate rate comparison so the rate you receive in your quote is the rate you can expect to pay. In addition, ImproMed Payment Solutions integrates with your ImproMed software – a big time-saver at check-out.

For more information, contact our payments specialists at [email protected].

Customers of the Month

ImproMed Customers of the Month Each Customer of the Month is nominated by our employees to recognize clients who are ambassadors for our practice management software.

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CountrySide Veterinary Services

Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates

Claus Paws Animal Hospital

For over 35 years, CountrySide Veterinary Services in Appleton, WI, has provided quality veterinary care to the Fox Valley and surrounding communities. The practice currently has 8 fulltime doctors, 14 CVTs, and 7 additional support staff members. CountrySide uses ImproMed Infinity practice management software. One of the staff members’ favorite parts of the program is the Clinic Census, which allows them to track any patient within the practice, at any time. They even mounted a large monitor to a wall in the hallway between exam rooms, so doctors and technicians could quickly locate their next patient. This has become a significant time saver for the practice!

Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates was recognized by Tawni Karle, one of our product managers. Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates is committed to offering the highest standards of veterinary medical care with state-ofthe-art diagnostic equipment and outstanding expertise accompanied by compassion, dedication and respect for their equine patients. Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates currently uses ImproMed Triple Crown version 3.2sr3.

Claus Paws Animal Hospital was nominated by Benjamin Fenner, one of our technical support staff members. His nomination said it best: “John Claus is always an absolute delight to work with whenever he comes in. His name rings bells all around the support office as somebody who everyone enjoys. He is understanding, patient and hilarious to work with. He really enjoys learning new aspects of the program and making suggestions. Both he and his clinic are some of the best customers to work with in support.”

Training Corner

Sheets and Charts Two under-used items, found in Medical Records, are Sheets and Charts.

Enter the lab results into the glucose fields using a medical record form or in the appropriate Lab Field Value.

Sheets (also known as Lab History Sheets) are used to group and display values entered into medical record fields in a grid-like format. This allows the doctor to access and monitor a patient’s lab results without having to search through the entire medical record. Charts extract numerical data entered into medical record fields and displays them in a graphical format. The graphs can be printed out and shared with the patient’s owner so he or she can visualize trends in test levels.

To view and track the results, click on the button labeled Sheets. Select the lab history sheet you created. This displays the values in rows and columns. To view the data in a graphical format, click on Charts. Select the field you are tracking and the date range. On this screen, you can choose the Chart View or Grid View. With Chart View selected, you can choose different chart types: Bar, Line, Area, or Step (also available in 3D).

An example of using sheets and charts would be when tracking glucose levels in a diabetic patient.

Click Add Data which adds the field values to the chart in the bottom half. If you want to view more than one field on the chart, select another Field. Click Add Data. The information can now be viewed or shared in several different formats.

From the Medical Records sub-menu, choose Lab History Sheets. Create a sheet to track glucose levels and, from available fields, select any glucose fields you wish to monitor.

End Of Year – 2016 On the last business day of the year, follow the steps below: 1. 2.

Create a backup of your data. Print or export the following reports: a. Summary Report b. Inventory Category Totals 3.

Run the Year End Procedure tool.

Watch for scheduled webinars, coming in December, demonstrating the end-of-year procedures or view recorded end-of-year webinars at your leisure.

Tech Support

Top Five FAQ’s from Vet Summit One of the most popular features of the Veterinary Technology Summit is the Support Lab, where attendees can sit down with our ImproMed software experts and get hands-on help with all of their software questions or try some of the new tips, tricks, and features they learned during the sessions. Here are the most frequently-asked questions at this year’s event … with answers to help you get the most out of your software investment.

1. Where do I find all of my notes? With the exception of Client and Patient Notes, all notes may be viewed in the medical records.

2. How do I set up products and inventory? 1. First, click the Infinity button | Setup | Products [Inventory] | Product [Inventory] Items. 2. Next, click Create for Mode. 3. Proceed to each tab and enter all appropriate information. 4. Click Apply to save the changes and keep the dialog box open, or click OK to save the changes and close the dialog box. For complete, step-by-step instructions, refer to the Help topic: Setup, Product Items (Invoice Items) Setup or Setup, Inventory Items.

3. How do I set up Intelligent Inventory? When you register for Intelligent Inventory, an email is sent to ImproMed's Support Team. You will then be contacted by a member of the support team who will schedule a day and time to configure the Intelligent Inventory Service Manager and assist you with getting set up. For detailed, step-by-step instructions, refer to the Help topics within your ImproMed Infinity software: Intelligent Inventory | Configure and Intelligent Inventory | Using.

ImproMed Software Latest Versions ImproMed Infinity: Version: 5.2 sr3

Vetech Advantage: Version: 25.410

ImproMed Triple Crown: Version: 3.2 sr3

DVM Manager: Version: 5.2.5300

ImproMed Advantage+: Version: 30.410

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4. How do I set up Intelligent Inventory for multiple practices? Inventory is tracked separately per practice. If the practices all share one database, then the Intelligent Inventory service manager will run all or some of the practices. All of the other steps for Intelligent Inventory, contained in the Help module, are exactly the same: registering, linking, receiving and managing unit of measure will all be per practice.

5. If I transfer an estimate to an invoice and the medical staff enters in a VetNote that is linked to a product already on the invoice, how can I avoid invoicing the item twice? The best thing to do is to change your process so that the duplication doesn’t occur. To avoid the duplication, consider the following options: 1. Have the item on the estimate or linked to the VetNote, but not both. 2. If all staff members are aware of what is on estimates/invoices and what products are linked to VetNotes, from the Move Products screen, uncheck the item that will be duplicated so it doesn’t get moved to the invoice again. 3. Take advantage of the Episodes of Care module. Staff can review what is already on the invoice and then determine if the item should be moved to the invoice from the estimate or from the VetNote.

We hope these answers are helpful. If you have more questions, feel free to contact our ImproMed support team, via phone, email, or online chat.

A Tradition of Excellence 800-925-7171 | www.impromed.com