Why workaround culture is becoming a veterinary PIMS warning sign

Instinct Science is using a new blog post to make a broader market argument: many veterinary teams are compensating for outdated practice information management systems, or PIMS, with manual workarounds that patch over missing workflow, communication, and billing functionality. In the March 2026 post, Leonie Carter, DVM, describes five common signs that a PIMS is falling short, including teams relying on verbal updates, duplicate documentation, manual charge capture, disconnected systems, and improvised processes to keep care moving. The message fits with Instinct’s larger push into general practice after launching Instinct EMR for Primary Care in December 2025, positioning modern, cloud-based workflow tools as an alternative to older legacy platforms. (instinct.vet)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this isn’t really a software story so much as an operations story. AVMA’s 2025 economic report found that PIMS was the most commonly used technology in practices in 2024, at 76.5%, but adjacent tools were less widely adopted, including integrated client communications software at 59.9%, digital inventory management at 43.5%, and online scheduling at 33.4%. That gap helps explain why so many hospitals still depend on workaround-heavy workflows even after digitizing core records. AAHA has also emphasized the value of standardized, live practice data for decision-making, underscoring that the issue is no longer just whether a clinic has software, but whether its systems actually support safe, efficient care. (ebusiness.avma.org)

What to watch: Expect more vendors to frame PIMS replacement around burnout, revenue capture, and workflow safety, especially as AI scribing, analytics, and integrated communications become standard talking points in 2026. (instinct.vet)