AI in Veterinary Medicine: Hype or Help?

AI is everywhere — but what does it actually look like in a veterinary clinic? In this episode, we get practical: where AI is genuinely saving time (we're talking hours per vet), how it's transforming medical records and reducing cognitive load, and what real-world experience with AI in lab equipment looks like.

We also tackle the risks — over-reliance, the fear that saved time just means more appointments (it shouldn't), and what to tell clients who worry AI is making medical decisions about their pet. Plus, we dig into AI medical scribes and how offloading documentation can actually strengthen your client relationships.

And the question everyone's navigating: how do you communicate AI use to clients in a way that's transparent and builds trust?

🎉 Special offer for FlightPlan listeners: Save $100 on registration to the Pawsitive Intelligence AI conference at pawsitiveintelligence.ai using code FLIGHTPLAN at checkout.

Host = Brenda Tassava Medina, CVPM, CVJ

Panelists:

• Gabriel Baldinucci, CEO of Pawsitive Holdings
• Dr. Andrew Ciccolini, Chief Veterinary Officer at SerenityVet

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

On behalf of Purina, I want to discuss two specialized diets from Purina, the ProPlan Veterinary Diet EN and EN Fiber Balance. The EN formula is designed for general gastrointestinal support, featuring a balanced blend of soluble and insoluble fibers to promote healthy digestion and manage GI sensitivities. It's ideal for dogs experiencing gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea, pancreatitis, gastritis and enteritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. On the other hand, EN Fiber Balance takes it a step further with an enhanced fiber content specifically aimed at improving the microbiome. This formulation is particularly beneficial for dogs suffering from fiber responsive colitis, large bowel diarrhea, constipation, and diabetes. Both diets are crucial in managing GI health. To learn more, please visit www.proplanvet.com. Welcome aboard. You're listening to Flight Plan Quick Consult, your go-to podcast for veterinary insights that are fast, focused, and designed to elevate your practice. I'm your host, Brenda Tassima Medina from Encore Veterinary Consulting. Whether you are between appointments or heading into a strategy session, we've got takeoff ready tips, tools, and takeaways to keep your team soaring. So buckle up as we set a course for AI and veterinary medicine. Is it all hype or help? Today's panel includes Gabriel Baldanucci and Dr. Andrew Ciccolini. Dr. Ciccolini, tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Yeah, thanks, Brenda. I'm a veterinarian working in Colorado, been a vet for 15 years and started my career in the military. And since I've kind of participated in every just about every aspect out there in veterinary medicine, and currently work both in academia and also for a startup called Serenity Vet, which is a relief management platform. I'm their chief veterinary officer.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Awesome, which is how we met.

unknown 2:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

And next up is Gabriel Baldonici.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Hello, thank you for having me, Brenda. I'm the CEO of Positive Holdings, an investment firm and venture studio for the pet industry. And I'm building Positive Intelligence, which is our learning and adoption community for veterinary practice leaders who want to adopt AI into their operations across all parts of the clinic. We help them understand the universe of options. We curate a shorter list of vendors and we help support change management, prioritization, and all of the challenging parts of adopting new technology in a peer uh environment. Well, positive intelligence is having our launch full-day AI event at the front end of the VHM VHMA conference on September 9th. And anyone who's listening to Flight Plan uh can go to positive PAW positiveintelligence.ai and when you register you can use the code Flight Plan to receive $100 off on that conference. And we're going to be going really deep on all of these questions and how to really do the implementation change management for AI in your practice. So I hope you join us. Flight Plan is your code.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Awesome. And I know that you've got some real insight here, which and I'm so happy to have you here today. I'm always been into in the innovation space. For people out there who know me, they they may remember me as uh the first person to kind of dip their toes into social media back in 2011. And I've always been in that innovative space and I love AI. Um, it's it's so fun to experiment with and play around with, but I know there's also a lot of concerns. Um, most of my practices have transitioned to using some form of digital AI for their medical record keeping. But, you know, there's so much more that we could be tapping into. So um I'll kick it off to you, uh Gabriel. Where is AI creating the greatest value for veterinary teams today?

SPEAKER_00 4:31

Yeah, well, if you look at the data that's coming out, whether it's the VHMA April study or others, it's pretty clear that uh medical records dictation um scribes is where uh you're getting you're getting the most value today. And it's really about saving time. All it's saving about two and a half hours per vet per day just by using those tools. And if you look at that ROI, that's where time is first, cost is second. Um that's the the the frontier of value and ROI and AI right now, followed by administrative uh tasks and you know operational workflows through the practice, um scheduling, invoicing, capturing missed invoice items, admin is number two right behind it in terms of value creation. But we're starting to see some shifts actually as uh AI application in other areas of the practice starts to gain a little traction and gets more adoption and testing uh by practice leaders.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Oh, awesome. Andrew, what's your uh take on AI? And as a veterinarian, what do you see as the greatest value for veterin teams today?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Yeah, I definitely agree that the medical records is the number one use case. I mean, those scribes have been around for a while, and so they've gotten pretty good and useful. Um, and to me, it's not just the saving of time, it's the cognitive cognitive load as well. Uh, I can feel like I'm much more prepared for my cases. Uh, using the scribes to actually summarize the medical records for me prior to going into an appointment, so I can feel much more prepared is really useful. Um, we also use it a lot for our phone calls. Um, so it'll record our entire phone call and uh write a summary for us, which really helps save a lot of time. Um, there's some other features too, not you know, not all of them do it, but those that integrate really well with the PIM software can help you with charge capture. Um, so on the business side, that can be really useful in making sure you're not uh charging inappropriately. Um so there's really been a lot of useful tools coming out. Um and because those have been around a while, they feel ready. And then there's some that maybe aren't quite ready yet, um, which I know we're gonna get into more, uh, but there's some areas where I feel like it is still a little bit of hype.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Okay. Okay. Have you had any experience using some of the AI in lab equipment?

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Um yes. Uh so I've used some of the like cytology features, um, which I think is is really helpful to get like a quicker answer. Um, and they've been pretty accurate. Like we've had a few where like we weren't necessarily convinced, and so we we sent it in and you know had a pathologist review it. Um, and so far they've been, I don't want to say 100%, but I can't remember one that you know came back with a completely different diagnosis. Um, so I've been pretty impressed by it. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Okay, okay. And with everything that we hear about AI, the more you use something, the better that it gets, correct?

SPEAKER_02 7:37

That's what they say, yes. Um, and that's certainly the hope. And I I do think things will keep keep getting better.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Okay, all right. What about um risks? I want to shift over into talking a little bit about AI risks. Um, what kind of risks should should practice owners be paying attention to? Most of our audience are practice owners of any independent practices, but as AI becomes more integrated into daily operations, what should they really be paying attention to? Gabriel, let's start with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Sure. I think that um AI can be very powerful and very impressive, and it's easy to become lulled into the over-reliance and forgetting to double check everything it says that it makes mistakes. Uh and it's really just you're busy, you're tired, um, and you might not, you really need to second guess it, you need to double check its work. Um and you have to have a human in the loop. And so I think that the getting a little sloppy or lazy and starting to depend on your AI and forgetting that sometimes it makes mistakes is probably the biggest risk.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Yeah, it it reminds me so much of uh like the medical records, especially. Um, and somebody that I work with said, you know, treat AI as if it's a a very uh a very qualified intern, but it's still an intern and you've got to check the work.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

I was gonna say the same thing. Treat it like a person who got out of vet school yesterday and never worked in a practice.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Yes. So it saves you time, but you are ultimately the expert and the knowledge, knowledge base behind it. Um, and it also reminds me of um when I was in high school, I worked for an OBGYN as a medical scribe. So essentially, I was his AI. I followed him everywhere and I wrote everything down that he said, but he had to like check my work, you know, guide me, make some corrections. He's like, uh, you need to go take a medical terminology class, you know, little things to kind of get me up to speed so that he could skim it more easily. And I think that um what people are are experiencing when they start to use AI is oh, it's not perfect. And so they abandon it or they they will stop using it for a period of time. And it's like you don't understand how quickly this this area is actually growing and leaps and bounds. Um, by the week, absolutely. I had one practice that started in early December, and they said by March it was just like a completely different platform. It was so much better.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Yeah, the exponential growth is uh insane.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

So, Dr. Ciccolini, from your perspective, what risks should practice owners be paying attention to?

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Yeah, I think for veterinary professionals, um their fear is that this is going to be used as an excuse to fit more appointments into a day and that will not be well received. I think the community is just like already ready to revolt over how many appointments we're trying to fit into, you know, an hour to into a day, into a week. Um, so I don't think there's a lot of room to just say, like, oh, well, you're saving some time on medical records, so now you can see an additional appointment. Um I think it's just giving giving venue professionals some of their time back. Uh, you know, they're not having to stay late. Like it's really not creating an opportunity to fit in two, three more appointments in a day. And so I think that would not be well received as a business tried to justify it.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah, I think that this is an opportunity to really lean into quality of appointment versus quantity of appointments, so that, you know, AI and the medical record aspect of it can really give us the headspace to spend a little bit more time, think more clearly, and make those recommendations that maybe have been slipping through the cracks because we're trying to get to the next one or we know that we're 30 minutes behind. Um, is that the way that you're seeing it?

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Yeah, and I think we've we've heard from clients that they're happier when we use AI, not because they necessarily notice the AI, but because we talk our exam findings out loud and they start to see more of the value of, you know, we we hear from clients, we didn't even know you were doing an exam. And now you're talking it out loud. So it's captured by your scribe, and the client gets to hear that and they get to perceive the value more. Um, and you know, we don't miss things as much because we can go back to our recording and um make sure we remember what we talked about, we address all the clients' concerns. So I think that quality is really improved through the use of AI.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Yeah, the one thing that I noticed right away, um I had a practice that they started using digital AI, and I arrived on the second day of that utilization to shadow them in appointments. And the thing that I noticed right away was the change or the shift in the relationship with the client, especially with the technicians who were doing the history taking and asking the most basic questions, because prior visits with them, they were at a computer screen and they were looking at the screen for the next question and asking it and then typing it in and then turning back. And it was this back and forth type of motion. But when I watched them on day two, they were literally just face-to-face with the client the entire time, just having a conversation. And it was just so much more relaxed. And you could see that the client got a lot more out of that interaction. And I believe that that is leading to maybe less of the frustrations that that support staff feel around, well, you know, they told me that already. Why are they saying it again to the doctor? Because it felt very transactional before. And now it feels like they're talking to a real person. So they might be less likely to feel like they have to repeat themselves.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Yeah. I 100% agree. And, you know, I think going to the next step of your original question of like, what should businesses be worried about? You know, we've we've heard from surveys that while you know, clients like that aspect, what they don't want is they don't want an AI making medical recommendations. And they do have that fear that that's how it's being used. Uh, I think very few people are using it that way. They might, you know, use it to help give give some recommendations on next steps, but there's still very much a person involved. But people have that fear, and so we do need to address it and and tell people up front that that's not how it's being used.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

And uh one place that might play out that is uh an area to be careful and watch out for is the AI receptionists. Uh people can actually have a really positive experience with an AI receptionist because they can get their phone call answered faster, they can get questions answered after hours, they can get administrative things done, questions answered. But you you can lose trust if it feels like the AI is making medical decisions, you know, as Andrew just said. So it has to stay away. Even triage when you think about scheduling, they don't want an AI to do triage and determine how important something is. So that's something to watch out there that could actually uh hurt trust.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Yeah, and I'm glad you brought that up because that's that's the area where I feel like things aren't getting better. Like AI receptionists, I I've not experienced interacted with one where I left being happy that they used it. Um so I I'm sure eventually they'll get better, but right now they're they're pretty rough, and I'd be hesitant to use it in the hospital I worked in.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Yeah, I've had a mixed bag of of um feedback from like members of my VMG group. Uh, one practice absolutely love their their AI receptionist, and another practice using the exact same one said, Oh, it was a disaster. So I think that it is a mixed bag and it it just it's something that is going to grow, um, just like everything else within AI. I do have another quick question that I get frequently from practices that maybe you both can help with is what is the best approach to informing clients that you're using an AI, um, an AI agent to uh help with the medical record keeping? Do either one of you have some good tips around that?

SPEAKER_00 16:25

I'll defer to Andrew on this one as he's in the practice every day.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Yeah, I think we're just up front with it and we just you know explain why we're using it very quickly and give them the option to opt out. Um you know, I I've not had anybody say no, um, but just knowing that that is an option, um, they can say no if they want to. And people, people, at least now, like everybody's aware of AI. You know, a year and a half ago, two years ago, it was maybe more of a big deal. People were kind of like, oh, okay, now everyone's just like whatever, they're used to AI being used everywhere. Um, and to me, they don't seem to mind that much.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Yeah, yeah. That's what that's what I'm encountering as well. And when I shadow um different practices, I've not heard clients object to it. Um, I did I did tour one practice and they had signs in the rooms with a uh a microphone sitting in front of the sign that just said we are you utilizing AI um to assist with our medical record keeping. And it was a good visual, I think, in the room that was helpful to the clients and the staff because they didn't have to constantly remember to to uh let the clients know.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Yeah. Right. Interestingly, you know, I had a medical appointment just yesterday and they were using an AI scribe and they didn't mention anything, they didn't say a word about it. I didn't see a sign anywhere. I mean, I knew what it was, and obviously I don't care, uh, but I just thought it was interesting.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Yeah, that is interesting.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Yeah, it will become the default over time.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

It will, it will, I'm sure it will. Um, and I think maybe even another place to put it would be in our new client paperwork as we're as we're bringing a new client in to just make mention of it so that they are aware of it and they check off that they they are aware fully aware of it. That would be a great way.

SPEAKER_02 18:16

Yeah, and the scribe that we use for phone calls, it you know has a recording up front that says, like, hey, this phone call will be recorded and and uses an AI software to summarize. Perfect. That's helpful.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah. Well, thank you both for joining me on today's um podcast. And thank you all for flying with us on Flight Plan Quick Consults. And also thank you to our generous sponsor, Purina. If today's insights helped you climb to new heights, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your crew. Until next time, keep your mission clear, your team aligned, and your practice is soaring.