When pet owners complete online health forms before appointments, veterinary teams benefit. Veterinarians and technicians can save up to 10 to 15 minutes of history taking at the start of appointments. They ask follow-up questions, zeroing in on chief complaints and enjoying more efficient exam time. Use these strategies to get more clients to complete forms in advance: Let clients know when to expect forms At the end of scheduling calls, summarize appointment details and when to expect the next communication. Say, “We will see for a wellness appointment with Dr. on <date, time>. Please bring a stool sample for an intestinal parasite screen. You will get a text/email confirmation shortly. Two days before ’s appointment, you will get a link to an online health form to complete and submit before the appointment. These are important health questions to help our medical team prepare for your pet’s appointment. We look forward to seeing you and .” Immediately upon booking appointments or procedures, clients should receive automated confirmations through your practice information management system (PIMS) or third-party client communication platform. Two days before visits, pet owners will receive another confirmation with the health form based on the reason for the visit (Figure 1). Figure 1. Graphics courtesy Wendy S. Myers, CVJ, Communication Solutions for Veterinarians If clients book same-day appointments, they will receive confirmations and forms at the same time. When clients schedule procedures, use benefit statements to reinforce the importance of completing anesthetic consents in advance. (Figure 2) Say, “We will see for a surgical admission appointment on <date, time>. Two days before the procedure, you will receive fasting instructions and an anesthetic consent form to review and complete on the day before ’s procedure. This will help our medical team prepare for your pet’s procedure and let us know how to contact you on the day of surgery.” Figure 2. Graphics courtesy Wendy S. Myers, CVJ, Communication Solutions for Veterinarians Create forms based on the reason for visit The appointment type will trigger confirmations with corresponding forms through your PIMS or third-party client communication platform. A dog owner with a wellness appointment will receive a canine adult wellness form, while a cat owner with a dental procedure will get an anesthetic consent. Team up in creating forms for a better workflow (See: “Forms that work”). Forms that work Have doctors and technicians collaborate to create forms for appointment types, such as: Canine adult wellness appointments Canine senior wellness appointments Feline adult wellness appointments Feline senior wellness appointments Progress exams Puppy appointments Kitten appointments New client appointments Technician appointments Sick patient appointments Urgent care appointments Anesthesia/surgical consent Quality of life consultation Make forms easy to complete Include hyperlinks and buttons in text and email confirmations that link to corresponding forms on your website. Buttons increase click-through rates by 15 percent over hyperlinks.1 Many clients will complete forms on cell phones, so have mobile-friendly designs. Use checkboxes with an option to check all that apply. When asking, “Have you noticed any health changes or concerns with your pet?” give clients an easy-to-skim list, such as increase in appetite, decrease in appetite, bad breath, vomiting, diarrhea, urination issues, difficulty rising, skin masses, etc. Have a comment box where clients can share details of symptoms and when they started. Ask permission to use photos and videos on social media with yes or no checkboxes. Share your financial policy and cancellation/late/no-show policy with a checkbox of “I have read and understand.” Have a prominent “submit” button at the end of forms. Depending on your third-party provider, forms may be sent to a clinic email, such as records@, or may write back to your PIMS. Send forms two days before appointments or procedures. Ask clients to complete and submit forms 24 hours ahead. Use all caps to emphasize deadlines. Call clients who have not submitted forms on the day before appointments or procedures Client service representatives (CSRs) should call during the morning and explain the benefits of completing forms, such as a smoother check-in, better communication with the medical team, or faster access to care. Say, “This is with . Dr. asked me to call you because we have not received your completed form for , which has important questions for our medical team to prepare to deliver care. Please complete and submit your form by __ p.m. today. I will text you the link now. If you need help completing the form or have questions, please call us at 555-555-5555.” Give clients a deadline of two hours before your hospital closes today. This gives CSRs time to save completed forms to patient records before the end of the workday, so details are available for morning appointments and admissions. Some forms may automatically write back to your PIMS depending on the third-party provider. Use the doctor’s name to bring authority to the call and urgency to the request. Because 67 percent of people do not listen to voicemails, send texts as backup communication.2 Send this text: “ has an appointment/procedure tomorrow at . Please complete and submit this online health form by X p.m. today so Dr. and our medical team may prepare to deliver care. Please call us with questions at 555-555-5555. We are open until X p.m. today.” Consider an option to complete forms on tablets upon arrival If clients arrive a few minutes early, CSRs could say, “Hello, and . Here is a tablet with the online health form for your . Please take a seat and answer the questions so Dr. may ask you follow-up questions. When you are finished, click the submit button and return the tablet to me. I will let Dr. and the technician know that you have arrived and are completing the questionnaire.” If clients are technology challenged or visually impaired, offer to have staff help them. If CSRs can step away from the desk for a few minutes, they can escort clients to seating areas and interview them to complete and submit forms. As a last resort, the technician takes a verbal history at the beginning of the exam. With automated confirmations and courtesy reminders, you will increase the likelihood of clients returning online forms. As a result, you will streamline history taking and have more time for engaging exam conversations. Wendy Myers, CVJ, knows the right words will lead clients to accept your medical advice, driving patient and practice health. As founder of Communication Solutions for Veterinarians, she teaches practical skills through online courses, conferences, and onsite consulting. Myers’ experience as a partner in a specialty and emergency hospital helped her understand issues that owners and managers face. Learn how she can train your team at csvetscourses.com. References Data on file. Otto. https://otto.vet 22 Business Phone Statistics. Numa. https://www.numa.com/blog/22-business-phone-statistics. Accessed May 21, 2025.
