Frequently asked questions
How Vivocare works, how setup goes, and what it does and doesn't do.
Can we try it before committing?
We run a walkthrough on one of your own rooms and protocols, and then set up a workspace for a small team to start with. You can grow from there.
How long does setup take?
Your organization is usually ready within a day. Mapping rooms and cages and registering protocols is the bulk of the work, and you can start with a single room.
Can staff sign themselves up?
No. Staff are invited by your owner or administrators, using their institutional email, so only your people reach your records. Each person belongs to one organization.
Do we have to track every mouse individually?
No. Mice and rats are tracked as a headcount per cage by default. An animal gets its own record only when it needs one, for example for clinical care, per-animal study data or a USDA-covered species.
Does Vivocare write or approve IACUC protocols?
No. Your IACUC approves protocols as it does today, and Vivocare works alongside the system your IACUC office already uses. Vivocare registers the approved protocol, with its species, documents and amendments, and tracks animal use against its approved numbers.
Does it handle per diem invoicing?
No. Vivocare exports cage days as a CSV for your existing billing or recharge system. It is computed from the cage ledger, so empty cages are never charged.
How does the census work?
Staff scan cage cards room by room with a phone and confirm each cage against the system. Missing, unexpected and misplaced cages are caught during the census. A second person reconciles the count on the web; where nobody else can, the submitter approves with a reason and the count is marked self-approved.
What happens when someone makes a mistake?
They correct it. The correction supersedes the original entry and keeps it, along with who made the change, when and why. Nothing is hard-deleted.
How is our data kept separate from other institutions?
Every table in the database enforces row-level security, so each institution's records are walled off in the database itself, not just hidden in the screens. Within your institution, people see only the facilities they are assigned to. More than 1,800 automated database checks try to read and change another institution's records, and every release must pass them.
How do staff sign in?
With their institutional email and a password. Two-factor authentication with an authenticator app is available, and once someone turns it on, every sign-in needs it. Single sign-on isn't available yet.
Can someone quietly change or delete a record?
No. Audit tables are append-only, and the database itself refuses edits and deletes on them. Submitted records are corrected, never erased: the correction keeps the original with who changed it, when and why. Signatures keep the signer's name as it was when they signed, and an institution's records can't be deleted.
Is Vivocare SOC 2 compliant?
Our SOC 2 audit is in progress. Ask us for the current status and the security details your review needs.
Can we export our records?
Yes. Census, animals, husbandry, clinical cases and treatment sheets export as CSV, and compliance reports can be downloaded, so your data is never locked in.
We have several buildings. Does that work?
Yes. One organization can hold many facilities. Protocols, the formulary and your member list are shared, and operational records stay with their facility.
Does the cage census work in barrier rooms without Wi-Fi?
Yes. The mobile cage census works offline and syncs when the phone is back online.
Does Vivocare handle breeding and colony management?
Not yet. Today Vivocare runs facility operations: daily health checks, clinical cases and treatments, cage census and per diem, and protocol animal numbers. Breeding and colony management is on our roadmap.
Does Vivocare support GLP facilities?
Yes. Vivocare keeps a full audit trail, corrections that preserve the original, and signatures that keep the signer's name as signed. A validation package is available on request.
How is Vivocare priced?
Per facility. Tell us about your facilities and we'll send a quote.