The Diagnostic Gap Hurting Your Patients - How One Texas Vet Solved It
Dr. Rachel Becker, DVM | Hope Animal Hospital | Angleton, Texas
The Problem: Referring Out Means Losing Control
For small-animal practitioners in rural and suburban markets, the diagnostic referral loop is a familiar source of frustration. A patient presents with a vague abdominal complaint. You need imaging. The nearest specialist is an hour away, the appointment is a week out, and the client is anxious. By the time results come back, you've lost time, the client has lost confidence, and your clinic has lost revenue.
Dr. Rachel Becker knew this problem well. When she opened Hope Animal Hospital in Angleton, Texas, nearly six years ago, her goal was straightforward: offer the kind of diagnostic capability that most practices in her area simply didn't have. That meant bringing ultrasound in-house and doing it right.
The Barrier: Equipment That Doesn't Deliver
Dr. Becker's first attempt at in-house ultrasound hit a familiar wall. She purchased a portable unit that looked good on paper but underperformed in practice. Image quality was poor. Its use was limited largely to cystocentesis. When a technician accidentally dropped it, she was left without a machine and with a clear sense of what she actually needed.
"It wasn't very good quality. Really, the best thing it was used for was just synthesis. Otherwise, it wasn't great."
This is a common story in veterinary practice: a low-cost ultrasound that seems like a reasonable entry point ends up limiting clinical capability rather than expanding it. Clinicians either stop using it or use it poorly, and patients don't benefit the way they should.
The Solution: The Right Machine, Backed by Real Support
Dr. Becker's search for a better option led her to Core Imaging and the Carnation—a full-featured, touchscreen ultrasound designed for the demands of small-animal practice. The image quality was immediately apparent. So was the interface.
"It's very user-friendly. Everything is touchscreen. And the quality itself is pretty amazing — it's been a complete 180 compared to our previous machine."
But the equipment was only part of the solution. What accelerated her team's growth was the hands-on training Core Imaging provided. A Core trainer came directly to Hope Animal Hospital for a full day of in-person instruction, with all three associates attending together.
"She showed us a lot of aspects of the machine that we weren't utilizing. We were able to get the correct images and views, label correctly, and do measurements that we just weren't doing before."
The training covered abdominal ultrasound technique and — critically — echocardiography, an area the team had wanted to offer but hadn't felt confident enough to pursue.
The Practice Impact: More Capability, More Accessibility
Beyond individual cases, the Carnation has shifted how Dr. Becker's team approaches diagnostics across the board. Monthly ultrasound case volume grows consistently. Abdominal ultrasounds are now part of their senior wellness packages, establishing baselines and enabling earlier disease detection. Echo capability is expanding.
Clients have benefited financially as well. In-house imaging means that many cases that previously required specialist referral can be resolved at the primary care level.
"It's just made the diagnostics we offer much more affordable versus having to send them to a specialist. Clients can scan the QR code and have the images immediately."
And in a market where access to specialty care is limited, that matters, both to the patients and to the practice's ability to retain cases.
The Takeaway for Your Practice
Dr. Becker is direct in her advice to colleagues considering the same move:
"I would highly recommend it. Just dive into it. The Core team is amazing at providing training, and they're there for anything that you need. It provides much higher quality of care for your patients — and it'll allow you to do more in-house diagnostics versus referral."
The diagnostic gap is a solvable problem. The right equipment, combined with the right support, makes in-house ultrasound accessible even for practices that are just beginning to build that capability.
Dr. Rachel Becker practices at Hope Animal Hospital in Angleton, Texas. To learn more about the Core Imaging Carnation and in-house ultrasound training, contact our team.