Case study: Enhancing ordering efficiencies with myAnimalRx

For veterinary practices, maintaining efficient operations while ensuring high-quality care is a constant challenge. myAnimalRx, a unique online platform by MWI Animal Health simplifies how veterinary practices manage prescriptions and product orders. By streamlining workflows and reducing administrative burdens, myAnimalRx helps clinics enhance collaboration with their customers and focus more on their core mission: animal health. For their producer customers, the benefits of the online platform include reducing the hassle of ordering crucial medications, by streamlining to one easy to use online store and receiving product quickly and conveniently.

Challenge: Complex prescription processes before using the online platform

Before adopting myAnimalRx, many practices faced significant challenges in managing prescriptions and product orders. Tracey Stencel, CVT, A.A.S. (VET), manages the online catalog for Anderson Vet, a mixed animal practice in Zumbrota, Minnesota, so she has seen first-hand the value of an efficient ordering platform. She recalls the inefficiencies of the previous, analog system, when dairy farmers would fax scripts to the veterinarians, who would then sign, and fax back. This cumbersome process often led to delays and miscommunication, especially when veterinarians were not immediately available to sign prescriptions. Time spent on approvals took away time spent on patient care.

This approach to ordering also meant inventory needed to be kept on-site, tying up capital and valuable space. Another complication with analog ordering is the lack of views into order histories, making it difficult to predict potential requests, and stock the appropriate products in the right amounts. Housing too much inventory holds the risk of some of it expiring, and money going down the drain.

Practices like Anderson Vet were competing with online retailers—who don’t have the knowledge and relationship with clients and their herds— for order fulfillment. An order fulfillment solution that puts the clinic in control of product pricing and prescription approvals, with the added benefit of holding less inventory in hand, would be a game changer.

Action: Communicating the value of the online platform to customers and coworkers

Introducing myAnimalRx to clients required thoughtful communication and strategic implementation. Stencel adopted a hands-on approach to help producers see the financial advantages of using the solution, making them more likely to adopt. She would demonstrate the cost savings by creating invoices for both in-clinic purchases and myAnimalRx orders. "I’d ask them, 'Do you need this today?' If they say no, I’d make an invoice from the catalog and one from the clinic. They were amazed at how much money they could save by drop-shipping to themselves,” she says. 

Anderson Vet has attributed the use of myAnimalRx for being able to get/increase the clinic’s margins, with the added benefit of not needing to carry stock in their clinic.

Other clinics have used the tactic of free shipping for orders placed through myAnimalRx.  Orders over $200 come with free shipping; however, some clinics have included the incentive of free shipping for smaller orders to get customers accustomed to using the platform. This approach helped ease clients into using the platform and highlighted the immediate benefits. Using myAnimalRx also fostered better collaboration among veterinary staff by providing a centralized platform for managing orders and prescriptions. The platform’s user-friendly interface made it easier for staff, like Stencel, to track prescriptions. 

She explains, “We know when they ordered it, how many were approved and what veterinarian prescribed them. We can trace what products shipped, which makes it simpler to pull any reports we need for rebates from drug companies.” Streamlining administrative tasks, reduced the workload for staff and allowed them to focus more on patient care.

Results: Positive outcomes for clinic and customers from using the online platform

The transition to myAnimalRx has brought numerous positive outcomes for Anderson Vet and other practices. One of the most significant benefits is an improvement in inventory management. By reducing the amount of stock kept on-site, practices can operate more efficiently and free up valuable space.

In addition to operational efficiencies, myAnimalRx improves financial management for veterinary practices. By securing By securing online payment via credit or debit card,at the time of purchase, helped the clinic maintain better cash flow and reduce accounts receivable. "Our accounts receivable lowered because most everybody’s on a credit card payment at the time of purchase," Stencel explains. This financial stability allows the practice to invest more in their core activities and enhance overall service quality.

A major advantage for customers is enhanced convenience, particularly for producers located far from the clinic. With myAnimalRx, they could receive their products the next day, eliminating the need for trips to the clinic. "Our territory is huge. This catalog is very beneficial,” Stencel says.

 

What to remember

With myAnimalRx, veterinary practices can focus more on what truly matters—providing exceptional animal care and building lasting relationships with their producers. By adopting this innovative platform, practices like Anderson Vet have seen significant improvements in inventory management, financial stability, and overall efficiency. The positive outcomes extend to producers as well, who benefit from cost savings, convenience, and timely access to essential products.

As Stencel aptly puts it, "If clinics want to provide a better service to their producers, they should use myAnimalRx. It’s really simple, and the benefits are clear."