Vetspire is a veterinary practice management platform that integrates AI tools—such as automated transcription, patient summaries, and diagnostic support—directly into clinical workflows.
In this op-ed, Jose Perez-Diaz, Vetspire VP of Engineering, explains how it reduces administrative burdens and supports veterinarians without disrupting their practice.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the veterinary landscape, with tools like AI scribes that automate documentation and diagnostic systems that analyze patient histories and imaging data. But adoption has been uneven. Many veterinarians hesitate to use AI because they worry it will change how they practice, add to their workload, or fail to account for the nuances of animal care.
That concern makes sense. Veterinary medicine is rooted in empathy and trust between clinicians, clients, and pets. For AI to gain traction, it must fit into existing workflows and feel natural to use, not intrusive or confusing. As one UX expert put it: “[AI healthcare] tools need to do more than just work as expected. Besides being functional, they need to feel right to the people using them—patients, doctors, nurses, and caregivers.” (UX Matters, 2025)
Veterinary medicine is still in the early phase of digital transformation. Electronic medical records are widely adopted, but newer AI tools like automated case summaries and diagnostic support are only beginning to make their way into clinics. Many teams are still figuring out how to bring these tools into daily practice without disruption or added burden.
At Vetspire, a leading veterinary practice management platform, we believe the same applies to veterinarians. For us, strong AI starts with design that makes sense for the people who use it.
How Vetspire Thinks About AI
Unlike many tech vendors that start with the algorithm and ask clinics to adapt, Vetspire builds technology around how veterinary teams actually work. Our platform is designed to reduce documentation burdens and surface insights without adding complexity.
Here’s what guides our thinking:
- Start with the user: AI should remain subtle and supportive. It exists to reduce mental load, not disrupt established habits.
- Be clear: End-users don’t need to understand how AI works behind the scenes. You need to see that it helps, such as with faster recordkeeping or easier scheduling. AI should support efficiency. And when AI makes a suggestion, it should be labeled as such.
- Make it flexible: Every clinic runs differently. AI must adapt to varied workflows and comfort levels instead of enforcing rigid patterns.
- Keep the clinician in charge: AI only speaks up when asked. That way, it supports the team without taking over.
What We’re Building
At Vetspire, we believe that you don’t follow the technology; the technology follows you. For example, we avoided making chatbots as the first go-to solution. Currently, they don’t match what clinics need most. Instead, we’ve focused on tools that offer immediate, everyday help:
- Pulling key information from PDFs to save time on paperwork
- Creating patient summaries from long case notes
- Helping veterinarians find clinical data faster
- Using diagnostic retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) models to suggest evidence-based diagnoses
Together, these tools are building blocks for more advanced support later. We want future AI systems to work across these features automatically, offering even more help without needing more effort from the user.
Helping Clinics Use AI Comfortably
Technology alone doesn’t determine success. In veterinary medicine, cultural barriers often pose a greater challenge. Many clinicians fear AI will take over decision-making, add extra work, or change how they practice medicine.
We address this by keeping things simple: “Click a button and record.” The AI adapts to the veterinarian, not the other way around. Our inclusive design ensures that both young, tech-savvy practitioners and seasoned clinicians can engage without difficulty.
This gradual exposure allows trust to build naturally. Veterinarians stay in control, and AI becomes a helpful background tool, not a disruption.
What We’ve Seen So Far
This user-centered approach is already producing measurable impact:
Specialty Clinic Case Study
Prior to switching to Vetspire, clinicians at one specialty clinic in Tuscon, Arizona, were spending significant portions of their day on manual recordkeeping, transcription, and navigating inefficient workflows. These administrative burdens limited the time available for direct client and patient interaction.
Upon implementing Vetspire and Vetspire AI, the specialty clinic reported saving 90 minutes per day on recordkeeping tasks. Clinicians noted that documentation was faster, easier, and more consistent, improving both internal communication and client experience. “We’ve gotten feedback that using AI Scribe has been a really great experience for pet owners because it allows for more human and animal connection,” one veterinary dermatologist noted.
Multiple GP Location Case Study
One veterinarian and owner of multiple general practice (GP) clinics in Canada sought to unify operations and improve the efficiency of medical recordkeeping across all locations. His teams were spending extensive time entering SOAP notes manually, which slowed appointment flow and limited client interaction.
The clinic network saw a 90% reduction in recordkeeping time per case using Vetspire’s AI Scribe transcription functionality. Clinicians also reported spending more time engaging with clients and patients instead of typing notes. The owner noted that the efficiency gains “feel like hiring a full-time scribe in every clinic,” helping his teams focus on care instead of paperwork.
These are direct examples of how thoughtful design improves the human-animal bond by freeing up time for care and connection.
What’s Next?
We’re working toward a future where agentic AI can suggest next steps, connect dots in patient data, and flag things veterinarians might not see right away. But getting there doesn‘t mean throwing in more features. It means connecting the tools we already have in smart ways.
The plan is to integrate our patient summaries, diagnostic tools, and structured data into a seamless system that feels like a natural extension of the clinician’s workflow. Throughout this evolution, we stay focused on UX. AI will remain invisible, intuitive, and supportive, ensuring that adoption continues to grow rather than stall.
