The consultation page is where you record everything that happens during a patient visit: clinical notes, vitals, diagnoses, treatment items, laboratory tests, and discharge instructions. A new consultation page is being introduced, so for now Vetera has two: the new consultation page and the old consultation page. This article covers the new consultation page.
Which page a consultation opens on depends on the type of consultation. You can switch between the two pages at any time from the top of the consultation page.
Note: Some features are still being added to the new consultation page. If a function you need is not there yet, switch to the old consultation page.
Consultations for a single patient, both outpatient and inpatient, open on the new consultation page.
These consultations open on the old consultation page:
multi-patient
farm visit
home call
boarding
pet service
multi-appointment
A multi-patient consultation opens on the old consultation page in a new browser tab.
Switch Between the New and Old Consultation Pages
New to old: select Return to old version at the top of the page. The consultation opens on the old consultation page. You can switch back to the new consultation page at any time.
Old to new: select Switch now in the banner at the top of the old page.
Open the Consultation
Checked-in and active appointments are listed under Recent consultations on your Dashboard. To open one, select the stethoscope button at the end of its row. You can also open a consultation from the appointment calendar or from the client and patient page.
A checked-in consultation shows the status 'Checked in'. Select Start consultation in the bottom action bar, or begin adding information, and the status changes to 'In progress'. For the statuses of a visit from arrival to invoicing, see Consultation Visit Workflow and Statuses.
The Header
The header has two rows:
Client row — the client's name (and a second owner's name, if there is one), phone number, email address, and tags.
Patient row — name, sex, and species, with buttons to add or update the age, weight, microchip, health plan, CPR agreement, and tags.
To add a tag to the client or patient, select Add tag on that row and select from the list. A critical note is shown as a banner under the header. Select the patient's name to open the patient page or to switch to another of the client's patients.
The Top Bar and Tabs
The top bar holds Return to old version, the view selector, the sliders button for your own view (see The Sections), and a menu with Delete consultation. Whether you can delete a consultation depends on your user permissions and your organization's settings.
Under the header are three tabs:
Consultation — where you work.
The consultation's date, or Today — select it to switch between this patient's consultations. Each is listed with its date, reason, and status. An inpatient consultation shows an icon before its status.
History — the patient's history without leaving the consultation. Filter it by type, such as Clinical notes, Medicines, Diagnoses, Laboratory, or Imaging, and by consultation.
The Sections
The consultation is laid out as sections on one page, from the top:
Consultation overview
AI Scribe
Clinical notes
Patient referrals
Treatment items
Prescriptions
Vitals
Diagnoses
Laboratory
Diagnostic imaging
Discharge instructions
Next steps
Select the arrow beside a section name to collapse or expand it.
Your own view. To hide, show, or reorder sections for yourself, select the sliders button to the right of the view selector in the top bar. In Update own mode, use the Visible switches and drag the handles into the order you want, then select Save. To open the page this way every time, select Use own mode as the default mode.
Clinic view modes. The view selector next to it shows the name of the view in use, such as Standard view, and lists any view modes set up for your clinic. Clinic view modes are turned on under Settings > Clinic location > Consultation advanced settings. For the steps, see View a Consultation Page Using a Custom View Mode.
The Right Side-Panel and the Bottom Action Bar
Buttons on the right-hand side of the page open the right side-panel. It holds information you use alongside the consultation:
Notifications and Tasks
Communication and notes — the client's communication history and internal remarks
Patient history — an AI-generated summary of the patient's history; select Refresh for latest update to bring it up to date, or Open full history to see everything
Financial info — the consultation's estimates and how much of each is used; select + Add estimate to add one
Integrations — each opens inside the panel or in a new window, depending on your settings
The bottom action bar shows the consultation total, the status, and the buttons for the next step in the visit. Which buttons you see depends on the status: for example Check in patient, Start consultation, Cancel check-in, Mark as inpatient, Go to invoice, and Ready for discharge. If a cost estimate limit is close to being reached or has been passed, a warning appears next to the consultation total.
Filters and Columns
On the new consultation page, most sections show a table where you can choose the columns and filter the rows. Your column choices are saved, but table filters are not. When you reload the page or open the consultation again, set the filters again.
Note: Filters in the Clinical notes section are kept. Select Reset filters to clear them.
Filters set on the new consultation page are not used on the old consultation page. To choose which sections are shown and in which order, create your own view mode. See Create Your Own Custom View Mode.
Edit the Consultation Overview
The consultation overview shows the reason, reason type, veterinarian, and consultation type, and for an inpatient the ward. Select View more for the rest: preliminary notes, appointment and check-in times, responsible surgeon and nurse, clinic location, cost center, and project code.
To change a detail, select it and change it. The change is saved automatically. Any custom fields set up for your organization also appear here.
To admit the patient, select Mark as inpatient in the bottom action bar. For the steps and the fields in the dialog, see Mark a Patient as an Inpatient.
To see the forms attached to the consultation, such as consent forms or vaccination certificates, select Show forms at the top of the overview. For adding and editing forms, see Use Consultation Forms.
Record With AI Scribe
AI Scribe & Actions sits in a bar above the clinical notes section. AI Scribe records a consultation, transcribes it, and suggests clinical notes from the transcription.
In the AI Scribe bar, select the note type from the drop-down list, for example SOAP Note.
Select the microphone button and choose the microphone to record with.
Select Record. To record on your phone instead, select Mobile and scan the QR code with the Vetera mobile app; the consultation opens on your phone and recording begins there.
When you stop the recording, review the suggested notes and add the ones you want to keep to a clinical note.
The clinical note is created and marked as AI-generated. You can open the History tab while a recording is in progress; the recording continues. For the full steps, see Use AI Scribe in Consultations.
Note: Always review AI-generated suggestions before you make clinical decisions.
Add Clinical Notes
Clinical notes are where you write your findings and your plan for the patient, and where notes suggested by AI Scribe are added.
Depending on your clinic settings, the section has one clinical note field that saves as you type, or lets you add several clinical notes of different types. For the settings, see Clinical Notes Settings, Clinical Note Types and Templates.
To add a clinical note when several are allowed:
If the consultation already has clinical notes, select + Add note. On a new consultation, the New clinical note editor is already open.
Choose the note type from the drop-down list, for example General note.
Write the clinical note, or select + Add template to start from a clinical note template.
Select Add note.
The clinical note is added to the consultation with its type and creation details. Use the buttons beside each clinical note to edit, print, or archive it.
Select Current to see this consultation's clinical notes, or Historical to see notes from the patient's earlier consultations. Once the consultation has a clinical note, a filter row appears:
filter by Type or Staff user
switch between Active and Archived notes
select Reset filters to clear them
Patient Referrals
In the patient referrals section, select + Add to refer the patient or to write feedback to the referring veterinarian. The referral opens in a separate dialog. For the steps, see Admit a Referred Patient and Begin Consultation.
Add Treatment Items
Treatment items cover medicines, procedures, supplies, food, and bundles. They go on the patient's record and on the invoice.
In the treatment items section, type in the Add medicines, procedures, supplies, food or bundles field and select the item from the results.
Fill in the details asked for, and save.
The item appears in the treatment items table.
Next to the search field, under or add from:, buttons let you add items without searching:
Refill — the patient's refills
Historical items — items from the patient's earlier consultations
Health plan — items from the patient's health plan; shown when the patient has one
Estimation — items from an estimate; shown when the consultation has one
Working with the table:
Current and Planned tabs switch between items given now and items planned for later
Search added items and the Item type filter find an added item
Columns chooses which columns are shown
the pen button on a row edits that item
to delete several items at once, select their checkboxes and then Delete selected
To change what a bundle contains for this patient, see Use Item Bundles on a Consultation. To work with planned items, see Add Planned Treatment Items for a Patient.
Add a Prescription
In the prescriptions section, select + Add prescription, add the medicines, and save. The prescription appears in the prescriptions table, where you can edit or print it. For the steps, see Create a Written or Phone Prescription.
Record Vitals
The vitals section shows the patient's vitals in a table. By default the table shows weight, temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
Select + Add entry. A row opens with the date and time filled in.
Enter the values you have. Leave out any value that is not available.
Select the save button.
To change an entry, select its pen button. Vital entries cannot be deleted.
To record other vitals, such as blood pressure or body condition score, select Columns and select the eye button beside each vital you want shown. The vital's column is added to the table, and you can enter values for it in the same way.
Select Over time to chart a vital across entries; Current returns to the table.
For more detail, see Add Patient Vital Signs.
Add a Diagnosis
Depending on your clinic location settings, a diagnosis is optional or required. The diagnoses section is where you add diagnoses and see the ones set on this consultation.
In the Search for diagnosis field, type the name or code and select the diagnosis from the results.
Under Category, select Primary or Secondary. Under Type, select Differential or Final. Add any detail in the Description field.
Select Save.
The diagnosis is listed with its type, code, and description. To change it, select the pen button.
To see all diagnoses from the patient's earlier consultations, open the Diagnoses tab on the patient page. Select the stethoscope button on a row to open the consultation the diagnosis was made on.
Order Laboratory Tests
In the laboratory section, select + Add lab test.
In Add new lab test, check the veterinarian, planned time, and department.
Narrow the list with Laboratory group and Subgroup, or search by name, then select + beside each test you want to order.
Select Save.
The test is added to the laboratory section with its status and referral number. To enter results:
Select the arrow beside the test to expand it, then select + Add results.
Enter the values in the Result fields.
Select Update results.
To change results later, select Edit results. Where a reference range exists, high results are shown in red, low results in blue, and results within range in a neutral color. Color is a visual aid only; always read the result value itself.
Order Diagnostic Imaging
If diagnostic imaging is enabled for your organization, imaging requests for the consultation are listed in the diagnostic imaging section. Use the search field and the Status, Equipment, and Staff filters to find one.
Select + Add diagnostic imaging.
In Create diagnostic imaging worklist entry, check the veterinarian, date, and time, and select the Equipment and Status.
Under Selected diagnostic, choose the imaging you want to order. Select + to add more than one.
Add any remarks for the referral, then select Save.
The request is listed with its status, referral number, and remarks. Select the arrow to expand it, the eye button to open it, or the three-dot button for more actions.
Add Discharge Instructions
In the discharge instructions section, select + Add discharge instruction. An editor opens and saves as you type.
Write the instructions, or select + Add template to insert a text template.
To have a draft written for you, select Generate with AI, then review it and keep what you want. Always review generated instructions before sending them to a client.
To bring in details already recorded in the consultation, select Bring data.
To attach a file, select + Attachments.
When the instructions are ready, select Email to send them to the client or Print for a copy. Both are at the top of the section, next to Show forms, which shows any discharge forms. If a colleague changes the text while you are editing, a banner lets you choose Keep my version or Accept changes.
Plan Next Steps
The next steps section is the last on the page. It has three cards — Appointments, Reminders, and Tasks — each listing what is already planned for the patient. Select + on a card to add more:
Appointments — opens the appointment calendar to book the next visit
Reminders — opens the Add reminder dialog
Tasks — opens the Create task dialog
The client and patient details are filled in for you.
Finish the Consultation
When the consultation and treatment are complete, select Ready for discharge in the bottom action bar. The status changes to 'Ready to discharge', and the client and patient move to reception for invoicing.
To undo it, select Cancel discharge.
To go straight to the invoice, select Go to invoice.
Ready for discharge appears on the consultation page only if it is enabled in your clinic location settings. Otherwise, the status is set from the invoice page.