What are AI scribing tools in veterinary medicine?

AI scribing tools capture clinician–client–patient conversations (audio or text) and generate structured medical notes (e.g., SOAP), client summaries, and coding suggestions to reduce documentation time and burnout.

How do AI scribes work during exams?

They transcribe the visit, identify medical entities, map content to note sections, and draft documentation for clinician review. Best practice is a human-in-the-loop workflow before records are finalized.

What are the benefits for clinics?

Time savings on notes, more face time with patients, improved record completeness and consistency, faster callbacks/client handouts, and potential downstream gains in billing accuracy and charge capture.

What risks or limitations should vets consider?

Possible transcription errors, hallucinated details, bias from training data, missed context in noisy rooms, and over-reliance on AI output. Clinician oversight and QA policies remain essential.

How should clinics evaluate accuracy and quality?

Use representative test cases, measure factual accuracy and section-level completeness, audit hallucination rates, review differential/plan clarity, and track editing time vs. baseline documentation time.

What about data privacy and consent?

Obtain client consent for audio capture, store recordings securely with encryption, restrict access via RBAC, confirm vendor data-use limits, and document retention/deletion policies in compliance with local rules.

Will AI scribes replace veterinary judgment?

No. Guidance emphasizes AI as decision support and documentation assistance. Licensed veterinarians remain accountable for clinical judgment, final records, and client communication.

How do we integrate AI scribes into workflow?

Pilot with a few clinicians, establish note templates, define QA/approval steps, set room audio standards, train staff, track KPIs (time saved, edits per note), and iterate before full rollout.

What costs and ROI should we expect?

Vendors typically price per user or per note. ROI comes from reduced documentation time, improved clinician capacity, fewer after-hours notes, and better charge capture; validate with a 6–8 week pilot.

veterinary innovation

Veterinary 2025: What to Know About AI Scribing Tools

A 2025-ready primer on AI scribing for veterinary clinics—what it is, how it works in the exam room, the VIC-aligned best practices for accuracy, privacy, and consent, and a practical roadmap to pilot, measure ROI, and scale safely.

John Constantine

23 Apr 2025 • 1 min read

We're thrilled to have contributed to the following Veterinary Innovation Council (VIC) guidance document. We'd like to extend a special thanks to the following people for sharing their expertise and insights:

Dr. Eleanor Green, Founding Dean, Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Lauren Olavessen, Chief Veterinary Officer at Bitwerx
Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, Chief Medical Officer, the American Animal Hospital Association Editor
Aaron Massecar, PhD
Gary Peters, Cofounder at PupPilot

https://navc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/What-Do-Vet-Profs-Need-to-Know-About-Artificial-Intelligence.pdf

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