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AI can take on repetitive communication and documentation tasks in a veterinary practice, but it should operate inside a human-owned protocol. Cheryl Smith, CVPM, Secretary/Treasurer of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Board and hospital administrator at Galway Veterinary Hospital, frames the practical test this way: when the phone rings, who answers, how quickly, and how is the result measured? Her February 12, 2025 AAHA Trends essay presents AI as support for staff—not a substitute for veterinary judgment or accountable client care.
That distinction matters because communication is part of the medical workflow. A message that is not assigned, answered, escalated and recorded can become a clinical safety problem. AI may help with phones, scheduling, channel-preference patterns, note-taking and client education, but the practice must define ownership, review outputs and preserve a reliable medical record.
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What Smith’s AAHA board perspective says about AI
Smith’s argument is a professional viewpoint, not an official AAHA or board policy. AAHA’s Trends disclaimer says its content is intended to inform, educate and inspire through diverse viewpoints and should not be read as an institutional endorsement unless explicitly stated.
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Her starting point is operational rather than futuristic. Before buying an AI system, a practice should answer basic questions about its communication protocol:
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- Who answers incoming calls, and what response time is expected?
- Are emails reviewed once a day or throughout the day?
- Which person or team owns text messages?
- Which messages require an immediate response, a callback or a veterinarian’s review?
- How is every exchange transferred into the patient’s medical record?
Smith describes AI as assistance for routine work. In her words, “AI is not about replacing jobs but enhancing them.” A system might answer routine phone questions, schedule appointments or surface patterns in whether a client prefers text, email or a telephone conversation. Those are opportunities to reduce repetitive workload and let staff spend more time on complex conversations; they are not guarantees of higher satisfaction or better outcomes.
Where AI can fit in a veterinary communication workflow
Phone answering and appointment scheduling
An AI receptionist can handle defined, low-risk requests such as collecting a caller’s name, species, preferred appointment window and reason for contact. Scheduling automation can present available slots without requiring a staff member to perform every calendar step. The practice still needs a clear handoff for emergencies, medication questions, complaints, frightened animals, language-access needs and any situation in which a caller’s intent is uncertain.
Write the escalation rule in plain language. For example, an automated system may gather information after hours, but a trained person must review messages about breathing difficulty, uncontrolled bleeding, toxin exposure, collapse, severe pain or a rapidly worsening condition. The rule should specify who receives the alert and what “immediate” means for that practice.
Channel-preference assistance
AI may identify patterns in how individual clients communicate. A record could show that a client consistently responds to text, while another prefers a telephone conversation. Such a pattern can help staff choose a practical channel, but preference does not override clinical need, consent, accessibility or privacy. A client who prefers text may still need a live conversation when the issue is complicated or emotionally sensitive.
AI scribing and clinical documentation
AI-based scribing platforms can listen during an examination and shape notes into a SOAP-style narrative. Smith also mentions dental charting and radiograph review as areas in which AI tools may be introduced. These applications change more than the note-taking task: they change how information moves into the practice-management system and the patient record.
Before deployment, define who verifies the transcript, who corrects errors, when the final note is signed and how the original audio or draft is handled. A polished sentence can still be clinically wrong if a drug name, dose, laterality, measurement or client instruction was misheard. The veterinarian or appropriately authorized clinician remains responsible for the completed record.
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Client education and operational writing
In a separate April 15, 2026 AAHA Trends essay, board director Melissa Magnuson, DVM, describes using AI to draft client-education material, translate complex medical information into language pet owners can understand, and examine patterns in client questions and feedback. She also identifies possible operational uses such as drafting policies, training documents and meeting summaries.
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Choose the communication channel by risk, not convenience
AAHA/AVMA telehealth guidance distinguishes asynchronous communication—text, email and voice messages—from synchronous live audio or video. Neither mode is universally superior. Match the channel to urgency, complexity, the client’s access to technology and whether the team needs real-time clarification or visual information.
| Communication mode | Useful characteristics | Risks and limitations | Questions to settle before use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous text, email or voice message | Reduces phone or email tag, limits interruptions and leaves information readily retrievable for the medical record. | A delayed review can postpone evaluation; messages may be missed; intent is harder to clarify; text-only contact can feel less personal. | How often is the queue checked? What response-time promise is made? Which symptoms trigger a live call or urgent referral? |
| Synchronous live audio or video | Supports in-depth discussion, immediate clarification and a rapid response when the clinician is available. | Internet quality, lighting, background noise and the pet’s cooperation can affect the interaction. The exchange may not be stored or integrated into the practice-management system. | Does the platform record or export the interaction? Can the client connect with available devices and internet service? Who documents the encounter? |
For either mode, ask whether the platform works across the devices and operating systems your clients actually use. Confirm integration with the practice-management system, support arrangements and all fees. AAHA/AVMA guidance recommends a full capability demonstration before purchase rather than relying on a feature list.
A practical implementation sequence
1. Map the current communication flow
List every entry point: telephone, voicemail, email, text, portal, social messaging and live video if offered. For each one, record its owner, hours of monitoring, expected response time, escalation path and location in the medical record. Include weekends, holidays and staff absences. This map exposes gaps an AI product cannot solve by itself.
2. Classify requests by urgency and complexity
Create categories such as administrative, routine clinical, potentially urgent and emergency. Administrative requests may be suitable for automation. Routine clinical questions may need a technician or veterinarian review. Potentially urgent and emergency content should bypass unattended automation according to a written rule. Give the system examples of phrases that require escalation, while making clear that examples are not a substitute for clinical judgment.
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3. Define human ownership
Name the role—not merely “the team”—that monitors each queue. Specify who reviews AI-generated drafts, who approves a response, who calls a client back and who closes the loop in the record. A handoff is incomplete until the receiving person acknowledges it. Build a backup owner for breaks, vacations and technical outages.
4. Configure documentation and consent
Decide what enters the medical record: the client’s original message, the AI draft, the edited response, the time of contact and the responsible staff member. Use consistent templates so another clinician can reconstruct what happened. Tell clients when an automated assistant is involved, what information it collects and how to reach a person. Follow applicable privacy, consent and record-retention requirements for your jurisdiction and platform.
5. Pilot one bounded use case
Start with a task that has a clear success definition, such as appointment requests during business hours or first-draft client handouts. Limit the topics the system can answer. Keep a human review step, log exceptions and provide an obvious route to staff. Do not launch phone automation, messaging, scribing and diagnostic support simultaneously; a narrow pilot makes failures easier to identify.
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Use scripted scenarios involving ambiguous wording, duplicate messages, a client who changes channels, an urgent symptom, an upset owner, a poor internet connection and a system outage. Verify that alerts reach the intended person, that the client receives an honest expectation about timing and that the final exchange is recorded correctly. Repeat the test after software updates or workflow changes.
7. Train and audit
Train receptionists, technicians, veterinarians and managers on the system’s boundaries, editing requirements and escalation rules. Audit a sample of AI-assisted interactions for factual accuracy, tone, timeliness, accessibility and record completeness. Share recurring errors with the vendor and revise prompts, templates or protocols rather than quietly accepting them.
Documentation changes when AI enters the chart
AI-generated text can make a note look complete while hiding missing context. A safe charting protocol should require the reviewing clinician to check patient identity, history, examination findings, assessment, plan, medications, doses, follow-up instructions and any uncertainty. Dental charting and radiograph-related tools deserve the same scrutiny: the output is an aid to review, not a replacement for examining the patient or interpreting evidence.
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Decide whether drafts are retained, how corrections are attributed and how staff distinguish an AI suggestion from a clinician-approved finding. If a system cannot transfer information reliably into the medical record, the practice must provide a documented alternative. Convenience is not a reason to create parallel, incomplete records.
Remote monitoring and AI-assisted diagnostics
AAHA’s remote-monitoring resource notes that devices can collect information synchronously or asynchronously. Trends may help a team notice warning signs or follow a chronic condition, but the value depends on an agreed monitoring arrangement. Tell clients what data will be received, when it will be reviewed, who reviews it and what happens if no one responds outside those hours.
Do not imply that sending data creates continuous clinical supervision unless the practice truly provides it. Establish thresholds for contact and document the interpretation. For AI-assisted diagnostic services, ask providers what services they currently offer, what inputs they require, how results are delivered and which clinician is expected to review them. The veterinarian remains responsible for medical decisions and ethical care.
How to compare communication tools
Use a written scorecard instead of choosing the most impressive demonstration. Compare each option on the following axes:
- Mode: asynchronous messaging, live audio, live video, or a combination.
- Clinical fit: the urgency and complexity the tool can safely handle.
- Clarification and empathy: whether staff can ask follow-up questions and respond appropriately to distress.
- Accessibility: device, operating-system, bandwidth, language and disability considerations.
- Record integration: whether messages, notes and timestamps enter the practice-management system without risky manual copying.
- Oversight: queue ownership, escalation alerts, audit logs and outage procedures.
- Total cost: subscription or usage fees, implementation work, training, support and any charges for additional users or channels.
Ask for a complete capability demonstration, including an export into a test record and a simulated emergency handoff. Confirm support hours and response commitments in writing. A USB webcam may be useful for a clinic that conducts live video visits, but it is not universally required; check the chosen platform, existing devices and connectivity first.
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What to measure—and what not to claim
Set baseline measures before the pilot: unanswered calls, time to first response, abandoned scheduling requests, duplicate contacts, percentage of messages documented and the number of escalations. Review representative client feedback for clarity and ease of access. These measures show whether the workflow is functioning; they do not prove that AI itself caused a change.
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The reviewed AAHA materials do not provide a named statistic demonstrating that AI improves client satisfaction, adoption or communication outcomes. Report your own results with the date, population, channel and measurement method. Separate one-time pilot findings from recurring performance, and avoid promising that automation will improve satisfaction before your practice has evidence.
Common failure modes and fixes
Messages have no owner
Symptom: clients receive inconsistent delays or repeat the same request. Fix: assign a queue owner and backup, publish monitoring hours and create an escalation acknowledgment.
Automation answers beyond its competence
Symptom: a routine script appears to give individualized medical advice. Fix: narrow the allowed topics, require human review for clinical content and route uncertain or urgent language to a trained professional.
The chart contains a polished but inaccurate note
Symptom: a transcription error changes a medication, measurement or instruction. Fix: make clinician verification mandatory, use structured fields and audit high-risk elements.
Clients misunderstand response timing
Symptom: a client assumes a text or wearable alert is being watched continuously. Fix: state review hours, emergency alternatives and the expected response time at the point of contact.
The platform does not fit the practice
Symptom: staff copy information between systems or abandon the tool during outages. Fix: test integration, export, support and downtime procedures before committing; include those requirements in procurement decisions.
The human standard for AI-assisted veterinary communication
AI can remove repetitive steps, organize information and produce a useful first draft. It cannot own a relationship with a worried pet owner, decide whether a symptom is an emergency or accept responsibility for a diagnosis. The practice must preserve a path to a person, a clinician-reviewed record and a clear answer to every operational question: who receives the message, how soon, through which channel, and what happens next.
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