A new client, and no history
A family moves to the area and registers their two dogs and a cat. One of the dogs has a long-term condition. At the first appointment, the vet has nothing but what the owner remembers. Reception emailed the previous practice when the client registered, but nothing has come back.
Somebody chases. The previous practice says they never received it, or they need the owner's consent in writing, or they sent it to an old address. Two weeks later a PDF arrives and somebody has to attach it to the right record.
Meanwhile your own inbox has requests from other practices for histories of clients who have left you, and those are waiting too.
Why history requests stall
There is no shared system between practices. Requests go by email, sometimes phone, and each practice handles them in its own way, often through a general inbox that also receives supplier emails, client queries and insurance correspondence.
Consent adds a step. Most practices want confirmation that the owner has asked for the transfer. If the request does not include it, it waits.
And there is no list of requests that are open. The only reminder is a vet asking why the history is not there.
Clients often register a week or two before they need an appointment, which is enough time for a history to arrive if the request goes out the same day with everything the other practice needs. It usually does not. The request goes out when someone gets to it, missing the previous practice's exact name or the owner's old address, and the clock starts late.
What missing histories cost
| Gap | Effect |
|---|---|
| No history at first visit | The vet works with less information than exists |
| Repeated tests | Work may be repeated that was already done elsewhere |
| Insurance claims | Insurers asking for full history cannot be answered |
| Incoming requests ignored | Other practices and your former clients wait on you |
| Staff time | Chasing and matching PDFs by hand |
What history a vet needs and how it is used are clinical matters. Data sharing rules are for your practice and its advisers. We build the process around the request.
A tracked request in both directions
- Registration form online or at the desk, capturing the previous practice and the owner's consent to request history.
- Request sent from a dedicated address with the consent attached, in a clear format the other practice can act on quickly.
- Tracking of each request with automatic reminders at intervals you set, and a list of anything overdue.
- Filing. When the history arrives, it is matched to the patient and attached to the record in your practice management system, where it allows document import.
- Incoming requests land in a queue, checked for consent, and prepared from your records for a person to approve and send.
- A status view for reception so they can tell the client, or the vet, where the history is.
Histories that arrive before they are needed
Requests go out on the day the client registers, with consent attached, so the other practice has what it needs. Reminders go out without anyone remembering. When the history arrives, it is on the record before the first appointment in most cases.
Requests from other practices are dealt with promptly too, which is good for your reputation among local practices and for the former client who is waiting on you.
Insurance claims benefit as well. When an insurer asks for the full history of a pet that joined you last year, the previous practice's records are already on file rather than being requested for the first time.
Do histories go missing at your practice?
- New patients are often seen before their history arrives
- History requests are sent by email with no tracking
- Requests are held up for owner consent
- Incoming requests from other practices wait in a general inbox
- Histories arrive as PDFs someone has to attach by hand