Beyond the prescription: Introducing the 360° Wellness Badge
Key takeaways
- The 360° Wellness Badge recognizes veterinarians who look beyond just the prescription – considering nutrition, supplements, and lifestyle recommendations alongside the presenting complaint.
- Addressing diet, prevention, and supportive products alongside the primary complaint gives clients a complete care plan, one they're more likely to follow through on with less chance of recurrence.
- The 360° Wellness Badge is earned automatically based on the care you deliver; there's no need to apply.
The 360° Wellness Badge is Vetster's way of recognizing veterinarians who consistently deliver complete care through clinically appropriate diet, preventive care, and OTC recommendations.
Why a complete care plan matters
A pet presenting with a skin condition is rarely dealing with just a skin condition. While both Apoquel and Zenrelia are effective at managing symptoms of itch, lasting relief comes from addressing the root cause. Dietary sensitivities may be a contributing factor, or a concurrent parasite burden may be complicating the picture further.
Treating the symptoms without addressing the underlying cause can leave pets vulnerable to recurring issues. An owner who leaves with only a prescription, but no guidance on food, triggers, or prevention, is more likely to experience repeat flare-ups and less likely to adhere to the treatment plan. Helping owners understand why the problem occurred, and how to prevent it in the future, is an important part of achieving lasting clinical success.
Research in both human and veterinary medicine consistently shows that multi-element care plans improve treatment adherence and reduce repeat presentations for the same condition. Nutrition, OTC support, and preventive care aren't add-ons — they're clinical tools. The 360° Wellness Badge recognizes vets who use them as such.
Recognizing the four elements of a complete care plan
The badge reflects a consistent pattern across appointments, not a checklist for every single visit. It's designed for vets who routinely incorporate the following into their care plans:
Diet & nutrition
Addressing diet as an active part of the treatment plan — not a follow-up item. For many conditions, nutritional guidance is as clinically significant as the prescription itself.
OTC & supplemental support
Recommending OTC products or supplements that complement the primary treatment, like medicated shampoos, ear cleaners, joint support, and omega-3s, when clinically relevant to the presenting condition. These recommendations can also provide ongoing value beyond the appointment, with VetsterRx earnings applying to all OTC, diet, and supplement products, including recurring purchases of those items.
Preventive care
Layering in prevention that's directly connected to the case (for example, parasite protection when treating a skin condition, weight management when addressing orthopaedic issues). Prevention becomes rooted in the diagnosis and is not just a generic reminder.
A clear path forward for the pet parent
Closing the appointment with a clear, multi-element plan helps turn recommendations into action. This summary should be clearly and thoughtfully documented in the Plan section of the medical record. Adherence starts with clarity: owners who leave knowing exactly what to do, why, and in what order are more likely to follow through at a higher rate.
How to earn a 360° Wellness Badge
The badge is based on information we already gather from appointments. We look at how consistently veterinarians add diet recommendations, preventive care, and clinically appropriate OTC products to the prescription pad, as well as the quality and completeness of the treatment plan itself. These measures are assessed as a proportion of your overall appointment volume, so veterinarians with fewer appointments are not at a disadvantage. What matters is how consistently you deliver comprehensive care, regardless of how many patients you see.
The most direct path to earning the badge is having more proactive care discussions. That means taking the extra effort at the close of an appointment to address diet, flag a preventive gap, or recommend a supporting OTC product when it's clinically appropriate. If you don't have the opportunity to cover everything during the consultation, remember that care doesn't end when the appointment does. You can always add clinically appropriate recommendations when finalizing any prescriptions, and reinforce them in the medical record or via a direct message to the client. Over time, that habit is what the data picks up.
If you're already having proactive care conversations and adding clinically appropriate recommendations to your clients' carts, you're well on your way. These recommendations can also create additional earning opportunities through VetsterRx, while also strengthening your profile on Vetster. The 360° Wellness Badge can help increase your visibility to clients looking for an all-encompassing approach to veterinary care, and may help drive more appointment requests from clients seeking this type of support.
Making proactive care a consistent practice
The 360° Wellness Badge recognizes veterinarians who consistently deliver comprehensive, preventive care. It reflects the small habits that make a meaningful difference to patient outcomes and client experience, and acknowledges the clinicians who make those conversations part of their everyday practice.
Questions?
Reach out to our Vet Success team at vet-success@vetster.com.
