When packaged apps don’t work, build your own.

Guest editor Dennis Hopkins shares the journey of building his first custom app: REX. He built it when he realized that off-the-shelf software didn’t meet the needs of a specialized Veterinary Hospice practice.

For over 15 years, I have owned and operated a successful remodeling company. However, all of these competencies and experiences were challenged when my wife, Sara, a seasoned veterinarian, decided to start her own business: Compassion 4 Paws. She was going to specialize in in-home hospice and end-of-life care for pets. I was excited to help her get set up; a business license, insurance, an accounting system and a marketing plan were key requirements to getting her launched.

The trouble came when we needed to decide on a system to manage the day-to-day administrative operations of the business, such as scheduling appointments, invoicing, and tracking DEA controlled medication. This problem was exacerbated as the business exponentially grew.

In order to stay competitive, efficient, and profitable, businesses need software to help manage their day-to-day activities. When researching software applications for Compassion 4 Paws, I soon realized that there was no software on the market that followed the specific and specialized workflow of a mobile hospice and end-of-life care veterinarian. I found plenty of wonderful software solutions for traditional veterniary practices; however, Sara’s practice was unique and specialized. She needed an innovative and unique software solution.

As my search continued, Sara and I developed temporary solutions that were primarily paper-based. As the business grew, these temporary solutions proved to be unmanageable and inefficient. With 3 doctors, 2 care coordinators, and a dedicated delivery employee, the inadequacies and redundancies of our paper system significantly multiplied. Not only was it hard for the staff to manage the workload, my wife was working 12-hour days to keep up with the least interesting part of the job: “paperwork”. I wanted my wife back and our son wanted his mom. In order to rebalance our professional and work-life, I needed to design, develop, and implement a new software application for Compassion 4 Paws.

Google and I spent many long evening together; I wondered: where to begin?

I soon came to learn about FileMaker, a platform for building customized software applications. It was affordable, easy to understand, and versatile. Apps built with FileMaker run in a web browser, on iPhone, iPad, Windows, and Mac devices. Our data could be stored remotely and it could sync seamlessly to all our devices, whether they be mobile or in our home office. FileMaker was capable of doing our scheduling, our DEA record keeping for controlled medications, tracking of our patient files, invoicing, and reporting.

As we began to design our custom application it dawned on us that other vet practices specializing in the same field as Compassion 4 Paws must be having similar struggles as us. At that point, we decided to expand our scope and develop a software solution designed for this specific veterinary field.

To learn more about FileMaker and its key players, I attended DevCon: the annual FileMaker developer conference in Las Vegas. This conference furthered my belief that FileMaker is a platform that has so much potential. It gives everyday small business owners the ability to easily and affordably streamline their businesses in ways they would have never thought possible.

REX is the name we have given to our solution. We are excited and proud to be demonstrating and releasing it at the upcoming annual trade conference for end-of-life care veterinarians, IAAHPC, this October.

Want to learn more about FileMaker? Check out our resources page or download a free trial.

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