Leading Pet Insurer First To Sign Up To Use Revolutionary Communications Hub

PETPLAN has become the first insurance company to sign up to use the new ‘smart’ communication hub VetEnvoy. The platform, which is run by LiveTime 24/7 Ltd, has been built specifically to handle the Vet-XML data format, created by the SPVS-led Vet-XML Consortium, which allows data to be easily, reliably and securely transferred between different Practice Management Systems (PMS), lab and insurance companies as well as microchip databases. Another insurer Pet Protect also looks set to sign up to use VetEnvoy and the Consortium is currently in talks with others such as AXA, Norwich Union and Direct Line. “Receiving claims electronically has to be the future,” said Simon Wheeler, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at Petplan. “Although our existing paper-based process is very slick - it has to be given the tremendous number of claims received and processed each day - VetEnvoy will make processing more efficient. Claims will be delivered immediately and an electronic audit trail means that vets can be certain of receipt by Petplan. And the resulting reduction in settlement time offers significant client benefit.” SPVS President Richard Hillman receiving a cheque for £2000 on behalf of the SPVS Educational Trust from Mike Fletcher, Director of LiveTime 24/7 Mike Fletcher, Director of LiveTime 24/7, added: “We are delighted that Petplan has signed up to use VetEnvoy. The current power of VetEnvoy lies in its ability to simplify and speed up the processing of insurance claims. This means that the current average cost of processing a claim could be cut by at least half. Also, by utilising the information that vets already hold within their PMS, it is also helps reduce the chances of mistakes being introduced when compiling the information.” As well as speeding up the processing of insurance claims, another eventual key benefit of VetEnvoy will lie in its ability to provide a more straightforward and efficient way of transferring medical records, including digital images such as radiographs, ultrasound and photographs. Richard Hillman, SPVS President, explained: “VetEnvoy is truly revolutionary and the Society is proud to be a leading partner in bringing the system to fruition. Research among veterinary practices revealed that – unlike medical practices - most still do not store case referrals and lab reports in an electronic format. “While many PMS systems can store and retrieve financial records, the efficient electronic management of clinical records, which is the core function of practices, had previously been neglected. An electronic system focusing on medical records will give practices the ability to access medical notes from any location with Internet access as well as speeding up insurance claims and making the process more secure and less prone to error.” The official announcement from Petplan came at the SPVS IT Day where LiveTime also presented a cheque for £2000 to the Society’s Educational Trust. Veterinary practices can currently benefit from a free 90-day trial of VetEnvoy by signing up via the website www.vetenvoy.com.. SPVS members will also receive a 20% reduction in costs per claim if they choose to continue using VetEnvoy after the trial.

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