Technology

As we communicate more through e-mail, electronic etiquette is evolving. Make sure you're evolving, too.

19 tips to cut back on no-shows and get back to business.

Don't you want to improve efficiency, communication, and revenue? If you're not using electronic medical records, you're losing out on these opportunities.

Neel Veterinary Hospital in Oklahoma City, a paperless practice, prides itself on using the latest technology. "Adding computed radiography was a natural step in our practice evolution," says co-owner Dr. Tina Neel.

Two detail-oriented doctors, technological advances, and a tight floor plan combine at Harden Ranch Veterinary Hospital. The result: 10 pounds of practice in an 8-pound space.

Don't buy home computers for the office?even if the price seems irresistible. You'll save on aspirin when you spend a little more on business-grade machines.

Dr. Doug Clarke at Pet Veterinary Clinic in Grandville, Mich., says it used to send chills up his spine when clients said they'd been looking up medical information on the Internet.

The patients at West Park Animal Hospital in Cleveland are getting on their feet faster, because practice owners, Drs. Kane Henderson and Borys Pakush, installed an underwater treadmill to expand rehabilitative efforts for dogs and cats. "Hydrotherapy cuts down healing time after surgery and eases joints for pets suffering from arthritis," says Dr. Henderson. "We also use the treadmill for weight loss and strength training."

Practitioners ask: Is paperless really possible? Are electronic medical records worth the investment? Here's what early adopters say.

One practice's struggle to update their practice-management software proves highly worthwhile.

Look beyond the price tag when you buy, then track usage and profitability carefully to make the most of your purchase.

An e-mail newsletter is an inexpensive way to promote your clinic.

Scientists are working to preserve the grey nurse shark, an endangered species, by eliminating the death of sharks in the womb, according to an article on www.cnn.com. Through a process called intra-uterine cannibalism, grey nurse embryo pups develop a jaw with razor-sharp teeth very early and cannibalize their siblings in the womb. Because the sharks have two wombs, two sharks survive every two years when the shark breeds.

A 33-pound royal turtle was snatched by poachers from a Cambodian river and smuggled across the Vietnamese border by motorbike, according to an article on CNN.com.

Up-and-coming generations could be poised to make big waves in the science and engineering fields, according to a survey by Bayer HealthCare LLC–Animal Health Division. In fact, 42 percent of parents surveyed report that their daughters have already expressed an interest in continuing to study or having a career in these fields, and 63 percent report that their sons have expressed the same interest.

Pet owners can now purchase the first patented GPS tracking system for pets, a 5-ounce device that snaps to a pet's collar. It's equipped with GPS and two-way wireless to track a pet and let the owner review his or her pet's location on a wireless device, like a cell phone or BlackBerry.

Your colleagues generally aren't making tracks to the forefront of technology. Could you benefit from adopting a higher-tech approach?

We contacted more than 40 companies that provide software products to the veterinary profession. The data presented in ?Apples to Apples: Comparing Your Software Options? is compiled from those companies that responded. Use the contact information below to find out more about featured software products.

Look at the choices to decide which practice management software system best meets your needs—and learn what users say about their systems' best and worst features.

Learn how to build a winning hospital from start to finish with this advice from Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board members and Hospital Design Competition winners.

With the advent of e-mail, it's easy to jot a disjointed note and send it off to clients or colleagues. But a slap-dash approach may lead you to say things you'd never consider appropriate if you were using a pen and paper. Keep out of trouble with these e-mail etiquette tips:

If you and your employees use work-related e-mail addresses, you probably face in boxes that bulge with spam, technically known as unsolicited commercial e-mail. And you're not alone in the battle against notices for low mortgage rates and questionable pharmaceuticals.

Long before my father was born, the world must have marveled at the steam engine.

Don't forget Web resources when advertising for a new veterinarian, says Lynette Ott, practice manager at Barton Heights Veterinary Hospital in Stroudsburg, Pa. Classified ads are expensive, so you want to limit the space you use-but you still want to provide potential associates with lots of information before they apply.

The Internet's an invaluable tool, but it also can pose a threat to your practice by leaking proprietary information and by opening your system to hackers and viruses, says Dr. Stephanie Slahor, JD, Ph.D. The key to protecting your practice: Make sure team members don't let sensitive information out via message boards, mass mailings, file transfer protocol sites, or chat rooms, she says. The safest bet? If it's confidential, don't say it online!