Open API Access in Veterinary Software: What Does it Mean for Your Practice?
Practice management software that successfully manages veterinary patient information and daily workflows with minimal fuss is critical to the success of modern veterinary teams. But with so many options on the market, how do you choose the best software for your clinic? One important factor to consider is a platform with an open API.
API is a computing term that stands for “application programming interface.” You can think of an API as a bridge that allows different software applications to communicate and work together. Many legacy (i.e., server-based) veterinary practice management systems have closed ecosystems and can’t easily integrate with outside programs.
Given the rapid advancement of technology in recent years, legacy systems that don’t communicate with other platforms can feel clunky and outdated. Here’s a look at what open-API platforms, like Shepherd, can mean for your practice.
Benefits of veterinary software with an open API
Legacy systems can create operational bottlenecks when staff manually input or transfer data from one platform to another. Open API software helps to eliminate this issue by providing greater flexibility. Benefits of using software with an open API include:
- Integration possibilities — Open API software allows for seamless integration of outside applications, many of which are critical to practice operations. Telemedicine platforms, payment solutions, insurance providers, diagnostic laboratories, scribing programs, and inventory systems are only a few possibilities. An open API allows for integration with current platforms as well as future technology.
- Efficiency — Every minute saved in administrative tasks is valuable to a busy veterinary team. Open API software eliminates manual data entry, automates booking, reduces errors, speeds up the appointment process, and streamlines communication so teams can spend more time with patients.
- Client approval — Open API software helps veterinary practices meet pet owner expectations and improve their experiences by offering online appointment scheduling and virtual visits, providing rapid updates and frequent communication, and enabling secure portals for easy access to medical records.
- Data ownership — Transferring data from one system to another can be challenging. Once you make the move to a new system, open API software ensures you have more control over future data migrations.
- Future-proofed clinics — Software with an open API helps teams keep up with the latest technological advances in the field, such as AI-driven diagnostics or wearable pet health monitors. As new programs and platforms become available, clinics using open API software can become early adopters with no waiting for manual (and often expensive) updates.
Choosing an open API platform for your veterinary practice
Switching to software with an open API can help modernize your practice and further your ability to meet client and patient needs. However, choosing a system and executing a data migration can be tricky. Here are some key questions to ask yourself when discussing or demoing a new platform.
- Does the new system integrate with our existing tools, or are we willing to switch to new ones?
- How much money and time will it cost to transfer data from one system to another?
- How much customer support and training does the software company provide?
- Is the system secure and reliable?
- Is the system intuitive to navigate?
Master the open API with Shepherd
Open API veterinary software is the future of practice management. Seamless integrations, reduced administrative burdens, and enhanced client engagement allow veterinary teams to work smarter, not harder. Shepherd ensures your practice can adopt new technologies and adapt to changing needs.
Veterinary medicine is challenging enough, and you don’t need inefficient, outdated software slowing you down. Shepherd Veterinary Software gives you the flexibility and innovation you need to optimize your practice so you can focus on providing the best patient care. Contact us or schedule a demo to learn more and get started.
