As a general practice veterinarian, you’ve likely encountered frustrating cases that run the gamut from impossible-to-manage diabetes to non-healing corneal ulcers, severe allergies, clotting and blood disorders, complex fractures, GI disease, and everything in between. You’re a jack-of-all-trades, but you can’t do it all without help. As a specialist veterinarian, you want to use your years of study and experience to tackle complex cases and help more pets but you’re booked months in advance with cases that could have been managed by a general practitioner with a virtual or phone consultation. What if there were a service that could increase access to specialty consultations and care for general veterinarians, while tailoring specialists’ referral caseload to those patients who truly need it? VESPECON wants to do just that, while also improving and streamlining the consultation and referral process for clients and veterinarians.

What is VESPECON?

VESPECON stands for VEterinary SPEcialty CONsultants (get it?) and features a network of specialty care providers available to advise general practitioners on complex cases. We aim to break down the barriers to specialty care so clients can have access to needed services, general practitioners can keep more cases in-house, and specialty practitioners can widen their referral network and treat cases ready for specialist level care. Our team will match each case with a specialist to guide the general practitioner’s treatment plan, and, when necessary, handle transfer to an in-person specialist for continued care. 

The VESPECON process

When general practitioners are faced with a case beyond their practice scope, VESPECON can help. GPs can contact their dedicated VESPECON champion, who will match them with a board-certified veterinary specialist to advise on the case. Through video conferencing, the advisory specialist will guide the GP through differentials, recommended diagnostics, and help devise a treatment plan. Because we use video, specialists and GPs can build a working personal relationship, resulting in improved communications, recommendations, and specialized patient care at the GPs fingertips. 

We enable general practitioners to take on more advanced cases in-house, and the advisory specialist will consult with the GP through a case’s entirety. When cases require advanced diagnostics or procedures that only a specialist can perform, we’ll help with the transfer to a local specialty facility through our provider network. Our concierge-style service will ensure your patient gets an appointment in a timely manner, with spots specifically reserved for VESPECON cases.

VESPECON benefits for clients and patients

In a perfect world, all clients would have access to specialist services for their pets and would be able to afford such care. In the real world, clients face many challenges in obtaining referral services, but VESPECON can help. When veterinarians choose to “VESPECON” a case, clients and patients benefit from:

  • Access to specialty care in remote locations
  • Access to specialty care when in-person referral is cost-prohibitive
  • The ability to complete a pre-referral workup with their familiar, trusted, general practitioner
  • Decreased wait times for referral through VESPECON’s network

VESPECON benefits for general practitioners

VESPECON helps to empower general practitioners and increases the level of care available to their patients. Benefits for general practitioners include:

  • Easy access to specialist advice
  • Ability to provide high-level care, strengthening the trust between them and their clients
  • Improved revenue because more cases are managed in-house
  • Learning from board-certified specialists to widen their knowledge and skill sets, improving future patient care
  • Simplified, streamlined referral process with reduced burden on the GP to coordinate care

VESPECON benefits for specialty hospitals

At VESPECON, our in-network specialist hospitals can make a difference in more patients’ lives by improving their reach in the community. Other benefits for specialty hospitals who join our network include:

  • Larger referring veterinarian network
  • Reduced need for marketing
  • Increased revenue with increasing VESPECON referral consultations
  • Consultation with an advising specialist before cases are referred, so they’re ready for specialist care when they arrive
  • Using your extensive knowledge base to educate and advise other veterinarians

VESPECON is a revolutionary concept that can improve relationships among veterinarians, clients, and specialists, and improve patient care by offering access to specialists when it’s needed most. Are you a general practice or specialty veterinarian ready to reap the benefits of VESPECON’s services? Contact us to get started, and help improve the lives of clients and patients in your community, and beyond.