Joii Pet Care app & AI - thoughts/opinions?

RE: Joii Pet Care app & AI - thoughts/opinions?

Roanneth Slater-Brown — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:41:47 GMT

I'm very keen to see how this washes out Arlo, as telehealth has got to be a better option when people can't afford vet fees than Dr Google?

We aren't the only ones watching with interest that's for sure: https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2023-1/what-the-uks-new-telemedicine-rules-mean-for-veterinarians-in-the-us/

RE: Joii Pet Care app & AI - thoughts/opinions?

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 14:21:31 GMT

Hi Roanneth,

[quote userid="31290" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-veterinary-practice/32392/joii-pet-care-app-ai---thoughts-opinions/178050#178050"]The problem is the AI diagnostics part of the app is entirety free[/quote]

Yes, but, almost entirely useless I suspect!

I mean, if a vet would struggle to give a good diagnosis via a video consult, what chance does the owner have of doing it with an AI system?

In my experience of automated systems which ask questions, they are usually very basic indeed, and it's over-icing the cake to describe it as in any way 'intelligent'!

[quote userid="31290" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-veterinary-practice/32392/joii-pet-care-app-ai---thoughts-opinions/178050#178050"]Then once the AI has spat out an answer, the owner is pretty much hooked, especially as they offer a follow-the-sun approach with remote veterinary personnel strategically located globally to be able to offer a video consult 24/7 without the stupid fees an OOH visit would attract. This is a deal breaker IMO in light do the cost of living squeeze.[/quote]

I'm not sure I agree most people will be hooked by an automated system. I think they want more for their sick animal. They want the reassurance of talking to someone.

But I think your point about pet owners being beguiled by what they are offered online is true. I just think it will more likely come from person to person consultations than AI.

[quote userid="31290" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-veterinary-practice/32392/joii-pet-care-app-ai---thoughts-opinions/178050#178050"]I’m actually taking an Organisational & Business Psychology MSc & using this company as a case study as it’s incredibly cleverly done plus has massive potential to form strategic partnerships with F2F practices & thus cover themselves in terms of physical exam. That said, I have noticed they are setting up a physical practice in St Albans too. [/quote]

I'm a bit unsure why a face-to-face practice would be happy to provide the 'front' for a service which has the potential to do so much harm to the profession.

Still, even if they DO manage to pull that off (or set up their own network of clinics), one of the good things about tech is that I think it can be a leveller. It really is not expensive for independent practices to offer video communication with their clients, which should protect against competition from others.

RE: Joii Pet Care app & AI - thoughts/opinions?

Roanneth Slater-Brown — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:51:52 GMT

Hi Arlo

The problem is the AI diagnostics part of the app is entirety free, but also proprietary, so replicating that will be problematic/impossible for most F2F practices. Then once the AI has spat out an answer, the owner is pretty much hooked, especially as they offer a follow-the-sun approach with remote veterinary personnel strategically located globally to be able to offer a video consult 24/7 without the stupid fees an OOH visit would attract. This is a deal breaker IMO in light do the cost of living squeeze.

I’m actually taking an Organisational & Business Psychology MSc & using this company as a case study as it’s incredibly cleverly done plus has massive potential to form strategic partnerships with F2F practices & thus cover themselves in terms of physical exam. That said, I have noticed they are setting up a physical practice in St Albans too.

It will be fascinating to watch how this develops & if the proposed changes to the VSA 1966 have any impact (have any proposed changes been made public yet?), let alone the soon to be published white paper regarding regulation of AI technology in the U.K.

Interesting times…

RE: Joii Pet Care app & AI - thoughts/opinions?

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 13:32:05 GMT

Roanneth Slater-Brown - I think it's going to be really interesting to see what happens with apps like that, but most vets I speak to think that telemedicine is really limited in what in can offer animals. In the same way as they say its very doubtful a doctor would be able to offer much useful diagnosis or treatment for a six month old baby (which also can't speak and describe its symptoms).

There is also the ever-present fear that vets have of a disciplinary, which I think will make most super cautious in their use of video consultations, probably recommending a physical exam in most cases.

On the flip side, I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me how they'd used one of these apps, and how amazing and reassuring it was to be able to see a vet in the middle of the night on a video call.

Putting this all together, I think video consults will be mainly limited to triage, follow ups and very basis stuff with existing clients (flea tx).

If I owned a practice, though, I would probably be nervous about clients searching online, finding a corporate online consultation service, being tempted and then referred to one of the corporate's practices. So I would perhaps be considering how I can offer a similar online triage video service, especially for existing clients.

One thing I was talking about with a vet friend was that if most OOH calls come in before 11:00pm, perhaps offer a remote video consult service until 11:00pm and then shift the OOH over to Vets Now after 11:00pm.

Just a thought.