
Revolutionizing Veterinary Record-Keeping: Dr. Sorbo’s Success with Tails AI
As a roving veterinarian, Dr. Kristian Sorbo has seen it all; having practiced in dozens of hospitals, he knows what truly sets the great ones apart. He now serves as the medical director at Mill Brook Animal Clinic, a full-service hospital in Arlington, Massachusetts. Passionate about providing exceptional customer service and quality pet care, Dr. Sorbo has expanded the hospital’s services to include dentistry, echocardiography, and abdominal sonography and has moved on to upgrading its technology stack.
Historically, the clinic used a server-based practice information management system (PIMS). Its primary utilization was billing, while all patient information and SOAP notes were maintained on paper. This system posed significant risks of lost records and missed charges; additionally, the server would often crash, disrupting clinic operations. To elevate their standards, the clinic switched to Digitail.
What set Digitail apart?
One word: curiosity, it seems to me that the team’s ethos is to be curious about what the end user wants. I don’t get that from anywhere else, and I’ve researched and used many PIMS. I would recommend Digitail to any practice. What I love most about Digitail, besides being a great product, is the amazing customer service. It has been absolutely above and beyond anything else I’ve come across” says Dr. Sorbo.
Client relationships and productivity
Dr. Sorbo is an active user of Digital’s AI Assistant, Tails AI. One of the features he enjoys the most is crafting client communication emails. “Relationships with clients are very important to me,” he says.
“How do you explain something like atypical Addison’s disease in writing to a dog owner who isn’t familiar with medical terms?
Having AI helps me break down complex diagnoses and treatments in a way that clients can easily comprehend.
“Tails AI is also fantastic at customizing the language to match specific client preferences,” Dr. Sorbo continues. “For instance, some clients prefer a straightforward approach, so I can ask Tails AI to draft a very pragmatic email. Others value emotional support, so I need to craft a more empathetic message.”
He also highlights the translation capabilities of Tails AI. “Just recently, I had a client from Brazil, and I used Tails AI to translate the discharge instructions into Portuguese.
The potential of AI to improve access to care, even with such small things as providing information to pet owners in their preferred language, is phenomenal.
It’s what takes good client service to the next level of exceptional.”
His second favorite Tails AI feature is transcribing SOAP notes. Compared to other voice-to-text solutions he’s tried, both within and outside the veterinary field, Dr. Sorbo finds Tails’ accuracy and convenience far superior. “I like that the transcription arrives in the SOAP format right away – no more copying and pasting or juggling multiple tabs,” he shares excitedly.
He estimates that dictating to Tails AI and editing the final product, compared to typing it out, is about four times faster. When it comes to writing recommendations or discharge information, he finds it to be about 10 times quicker.
Using AI has a positive impact on the clinic’s business performance as well. Dr. Sorbo is confident that enhancing client education through clear and personalized communication increases pet owners’ compliance with recommended treatments.
Using Tails AI reduces stress for me as a provider because I can spend less time and energy reviewing records, allowing me to be more productive. Just by that alone, I can spend more time with the client and their pet and also see more patients in my community.
Smart summarization of phone calls
“Another great feature I’m excited about is the new smart summarization of phone calls. It’s going to be incredibly useful for keeping thorough and complete medical histories for our patients,” Dr. Sorbo says.
He can already see how it will save time for the team and improve patient care: “For instance, if a client calls because their dog vomited once, we might advise observation unless the issue persists. Now, imagine there were 15 similar calls over the past three years. Individually, they might not stand out. But with these calls and concerns summarized and logged in the patient record, it could prompt us to consider an ultrasound to check for inflammatory bowel disease to make sure we are not missing anything. In addition to better patient care, it’s something we want to capture from the business side as well.”
Beyond software: a long-term partner
In summary, Dr. Sorbo shares his perspective on the role of AI in veterinary medicine:
Judicious use of new technology will help us practice better medicine. If you remove your responsibility and use AI or other technology to lighten your workload, then you’re doing it wrong. But if you use it to enhance your work performance, then you’re using it right. Treat technology like a trusted colleague — it’s there to assist you, not to replace your expertise.
What Dr. Sorbo values most about Tails AI is its ongoing improvement. “Digitail’s team prioritizes the needs of practitioners. They actively listen to our feedback and keep refining the product. It’s not a one-time release; it’s always evolving.”
Dr. Sorbo concludes: “Digitail serves as one of the main tools for our success. It’s a catalyst for that growth that we’re seeing. I can’t imagine operating with other PIMS now — Digitail is now a luxury I can’t practice without.“