Digital Empathy Debuts Spotlight, Shaping the Future of Client Experience for Independent Veterinary Practices

September 18, 2025 at 15:55 PM EDT

After two years of development and eight months in beta, Digital Empathy today announced the official launch of Spotlight, its first proprietary technology product. The debut, which took place at the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) conference in New Orleans this month, represents a turning point for the company. Alongside Spotlight, Digital Empathy unveiled a redesigned website that reflects its sharpened role as the strategic growth and marketing partner for independent veterinary practices.

Spotlight Marks a New Era for Digital Empathy

Spotlight transforms veterinary intake from a perfunctory data entry process into a powerful source of clinical and relationship insight. By capturing the observations and goals of pet owners before the appointment, then writing them back into the SOAP and appointment scheduler, Spotlight gives veterinary teams a level of context and clarity that was previously missing. In early use, 80% of pet owners completed the Spotlight check-in prior to visits, with nearly half of wellness appointments flagged to have underlying sick symptoms.

“Independent practices can win on experience,” said Robert Sanchez, CEO of Digital Empathy. “Spotlight embodies that belief with technology that fades into the background while surfacing the insights that matter most for patient care, client trust, and team safety. After a decade of serving veterinary clients, Spotlight signals a new era for Digital Empathy: a relentless focus on helping independent practices thrive by delivering exceptional experiences from inquiry to loyalty.”

The new digitalempathyvet.com makes that strategy explicit. It outlines Digital Empathy’s North Star Method, a structured approach that begins with a practice’s long-term goals and builds strategy, design, content, and measurement around them. The site also highlights the company’s broader capabilities: websites and copywriting that differentiate, research and insights that uncover pet owner perceptions, search marketing that outpaces competitors, and client-experience tools like Spotlight that deepen pet owner trust at every interaction.

For veterinarians, the combination of these services means they can stop competing as “just another option” and instead be chosen intentionally by clients who align with their philosophy of care.

“Our new clients and patient visits are up, even as the industry trends downward nationally. Digital Empathy has helped us maintain and even grow during these uncertain times,” said Myriah Southard, Practice Manager at Valley Center Veterinary Clinic in Valley Center, California.

Spotlight will be available to practices beginning October 1, with Avimark integration live at launch and additional PIMS integrations with Impromed and Pulse planned by the end of 2025. The product is offered at $300 per month with no setup fees.

For more information about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightvet.com. To learn about Digital Empathy’s strategic services for independent veterinary practices, visit www.digitalempathyvet.com.

About Digital Empathy

Digital Empathy is the strategic growth partner for independent veterinary practices. Dedicated to revolutionizing the bond between pet owners and veterinarians by providing tools that help them feel and work as a team, the company delivers positioning, websites, copywriting, research, search marketing, and client-experience tools like Spotlight. More than 600 practices across North America trust Digital Empathy to define their difference, attract right-fit clients, and build lasting loyalty.

About Spotlight

Spotlight, developed by Digital Empathy, is a client-intake platform that transforms rushed check-ins into meaningful clinical context. Through a quick, adaptive Q&A delivered by text, Spotlight captures owner observations, concerns, and goals before the visit and writes them directly into SOAP notes and appointment schedules. The result: visits that begin with insight, not intake.