The world has moved on since the first practice management systems began to appear in veterinary practices 20 years ago. High speed internet and massive advances in computing power have allowed for big innovations in PMS usability, which can bring significant business benefits, writes Tony Houghton…
Veterinary practice management software (PMS) has come a long way in the past decade or so. Back in the mid-2000s, software was developed for a very different field of devices and internet speeds.
Software and data had to be hosted and managed in a practice’s own on-premises servers and was designed for a static desktop screen. Data had to be backed up manually, information was not shareable in real time and coordination of workflows was limited.
So how is PMS developing now? Mature PMS systems have honed their functionality and workflows over time, which has resulted in capable and reliable software. Now they can be enhanced with increasing customisation so that the system reflects the nature of the practice, small or large, or farm, equine or small animal.
Options for personalisation mean users can choose how their screens appear and what information is prioritised. Instead of one-size-fits-all, it’s now possible for a system to be responsive for different types of practice and different team roles – and to easily evolve alongside the developments in a business.
Flexible functionality
These days, we can take advantage of modern technology for cloud-based systems and make the most of mobile options and modern user interface concepts and designs, such as drag-and-drop and dynamic screen sizing to access the PMS on Chromebooks, tablets and smart phones, in the practice or on the go.
This allows for much more flexibility in how a practice can function efficiently, with information being easily accessible and instantly updatable in different locations, whether that’s adding to patient records in the kennels or consult rooms, or dealing with clients at the front desk.
Some customisation possibilities are aimed at organising data in a way that suits the individual user, for example choosing which columns are shown in a frequently used table and what order they appear in.
Summary panels that show client information can be similarly customisable so that a practice manager could choose to see details such as the account balance and outstanding invoices first, a receptionist could choose to have the client’s contact details, but a vet could opt to have a view of the animal’s details. This can make it much easier to keep an eye on key metrics or ensure that basic information needed for a consult is immediately to hand.
These developments are a recognition that in a system that is the backbone of a vet practice’s organisation, different people will need to use it in different ways. Now it’s possible to really make the system work for users individually, rather than everyone having to stick within pre-determined boundaries.
Accessibility
Accessibility is an area that has been transformed. Modern PMS systems can now be customised for light or dark screens, brightness and background highlighting of colours, with fluid font sizes that adapt the layout of screens automatically if a user wants to see details in larger type. This is all aimed at making information easier to read and navigate.
To further improve accessibility for those with visual impairments, software can also work with screen readers, including providing a full description of controls when the mouse hovers over them, including the function and a description of the screen.
Multilingual systems are also available now, instantly translating buttons and functions into a different language with the click of a switch. Developments in tech are making it easier for practices to support and benefit from a diverse workforce.
In the back end, refinements to the way the software is structured is improving its performance. Functionality and software updates can be more quickly and regularly integrated, and certain areas of the system can be scaled up for times of high demand, such as the end of the month when businesses are running all of their invoicing.
The future is AI
The area of development for veterinary PMS systems that promises the furthest-reaching benefits for practices is artificial intelligence (AI). One of the greatest strengths of AI is its efficiency in interrogating and analysing data, finding patterns, trends, correlations and anomalies and providing insights.
PMS systems are starting to use large language Model (LLM) AI systems, which are trained to understand and generate human language, allowing us to ask questions as if we were talking to another person. This, after tuning with veterinary-specific data, is a much more intuitive way for us to seek out the information we need quickly and effectively.
This holds a lot of promise for revolutionising areas such as the reporting capability of a PMS, making it easier, for example, for a practice manager to quickly find the best report to deliver specific information on VAT to answer a business question, forecast a trend or make a data-driven decision.
In a vet practice, the beauty of AI for this function is that it augments the team’s skill set. It takes the pressure off a busy professional to need to also be an expert on how to use complex software and fills the gap of the specialist skills needed for crunching data. Practice teams can get on with their day jobs and ask the software conversationally for what they need, when they need it – whether that’s information they use regularly, a new function they’ve never used before or solution to a novel challenge.
About the author
Tony Houghton is Managing Director at VetIT, a leading provider of veterinary practice management software. With more than 20 years of experience creating digital solutions for the veterinary industry, he brings valuable insight into how the right technology can improve efficiency and elevate patient care.
If you’re looking to get more from your practice management system, why not speak with one of our Technology Consultants? We’d be happy to arrange a personalised demo and explore how our solutions can support your practice.
Image: iStock / Varijanta
Original publication: VBJ267, Pages 14-16 (June 2025)
