Case study: How one practice decided to go paperless

Team members at Main Street Veterinary Hospital in Flower Mound, Texas, were in a panic. One of the practice's best clients was waiting at the reception desk while the staff tried to locate her medical records. Employees ran from room to room, shuffling through stacks of paper and flinging open drawers. "It put the whole hospital into a tizzy," says practice manager MaryBeth Soto.

Two weeks later, an employee finally stumbled on the records—on top of the refrigerator in the break room. That was the final straw for Soto and practice owner Dr. Denise Smith. Eleven years later, the practice is almost completely paperless, and Soto couldn't be happier. The practice's electronic records system simplifies filing and allows team members to pull up any record in seconds. This has cut down on storage needs, reduced waste, and even lowered payroll costs since managing the system is less time-consuming. Most importantly, team members can focus on assisting clients rather than scrambling to find those wayward charts.