Over 10,000 veterinary clinics globally, one shared challenge with documentation

For many veterinarians, the workday does not end when the last patient leaves. Notes still need to be written. Letters still need to be finished. And administration often spills into the evening.

This pressure is not limited to one country or one clinic type. It is shared across independent veterinary practices of all sizes. That shared reality is why VetFamily has entered a global partnership with Tandem Health, creating access to an AI documentation tool for more than 10,000 veterinary clinics across eleven countries. The collaboration begins with an initial rollout in Sweden.

Independent veterinary clinics are running full days and finishing notes late

VetFamily is one of the largest global networks supporting independent veterinary clinics. Its role is to provide purchasing support, education, and operational guidance, while allowing clinics to remain independent in how they practise care.

In Sweden alone, VetFamily represents more than 300 clinics. Many operate with tightly scheduled days where appointments run back to back and documentation is postponed until short gaps or after the clinic has closed. Evenings often become an extension of the workday.

Over time, this pattern affects the work environment. Presence during consultations becomes harder to maintain. Mental load builds between patients. According to VetFamily, this way of working is not sustainable in the long run.

Documentation is often written after hours and adds strain to the workday

For most clinics, clinical documentation is still written manually. Notes are typed during brief pauses or reconstructed from memory at the end of the day. Small delays compound across a full schedule.

The result is familiar to many veterinarians. Less attention during the consultation. More cognitive effort between patients. And workdays that extend beyond scheduled hours.

VetFamily saw that clinics were increasingly asking for change. Many were looking for ways to improve the daily work environment without adding complexity or taking control away from clinicians.

VetFamily partnered with Tandem to support a more sustainable work environment

The partnership with Tandem Health is a concrete step toward addressing these concerns.

Tandem is an AI medical assistant that listens during the consultation and generates a draft medical record based on the conversation between the veterinarian and the pet owner. The clinician reviews, edits, and approves everything before it is saved or transferred to the medical record.

For VetFamily, the decision was driven by the need to support more sustainable workdays and to give clinics access to innovation that fits into existing clinical work. The goal was not to force adoption, but to make a tool available, together with guidance and education, so clinics can decide for themselves how and when to use it.

As Karin Ronander, Sweden Country Manager at VetFamily, explains:

“Many clinics are struggling with a tough daily reality where late evenings with documentation have become normal. That is not sustainable. Helping our members free up time for care, team development, and recovery is a high priority. AI can play an important role here, and our collaboration with Tandem is a concrete step in that direction.”

Tandem runs quietly during visits and supports existing workflows

In clinics that choose to use Tandem, the tool runs in the background during the consultation. The veterinarian focuses on the animal and the owner. Tandem captures the conversation and prepares a structured draft note.

After the visit:

• The clinician reviews the draft
• Makes any necessary changes
• Approves it before anything is saved or transferred

There are no parallel systems to manage and no new workflows to learn. Tandem is used to support documentation that has already happened, not to change how clinicians practise care.

Audio is processed in real time and deleted after transcription. No complete audio recordings are stored. Clinical notes are not linked to patient identities.

Clinics report less evening work and more focus during consultations

The impact is most noticeable at the end of the day.

Clinics report:

• Fewer notes waiting after the last appointment
• Less documentation carried into the evening
• Greater focus during the consultation itself

Veterinary specific data will be gathered over time. However, similar use of Tandem in human healthcare settings has shown reductions in documentation time per patient case, along with lower administrative stress and greater presence in consultations.

As Dawood Abdulkarim, Global Medical Operations Lead at Tandem Health, puts it:

“The increasing administrative burden is not unique to human healthcare. With Tandem, clinicians report being more present, less stressed, and better able to build relationships with those they care for. That is the feedback that matters to us.”

The partnership starts in over 300 Swedish clinics and expands across 11 countries

VetFamily provides education, guidance, and favourable conditions for clinics that want to explore Tandem at their own pace.

The initial rollout focuses on Sweden, but the partnership is global. VetFamily’s network spans more than 10,000 veterinary clinics across eleven countries. The aim is to learn from the Swedish rollout, refine the approach, and expand access over time.

Clinics choose if and how to adopt the tool. Clinicians remain in control. And the focus stays on creating more sustainable, modern work environments in veterinary care.