FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Nobody really likes to talk about costs, fees, & charges – but, unfortunately, it is necessary. So let’s talk about costs & fees for a moment.
Veterinary practices take care of animals, and that is all warm & fuzzy. But they are also small businesses - often with high overheads and relatively low/small margins. Employees want to be paid, banks want their mortgage money, the many dozens of suppliers want prompt payment or they will cut off supplies, and a long list of other financial obligations need to be met. These obligations care not about sick dogs & cats. They want to be paid.
Hence, veterinary hospitals need to charge and to collect fees in order to pay their bills. Otherwise veterinary hospitals cannot continue to provide service – or they cannot continue to provide a high level of service. Therefore, we need to ask for payment at the time of service.
Dialogue
We are always willing to talk to you about costs and fees. It is not a taboo subject.
We try to make you aware of costs as best we can. We are always willing to quote (to give you a fee estimate) for anything you wish. We send out during the course of the year many, many quotes (fee estimates) on various proposed medical and surgical procedures. It is time consuming to do this, but we are more than happy to do so. We also strive to keep fees down, and many of our fees have not been raised in years. Our costs do nothing but continue to go up.
Veterinary Fees In America
The costs to owners for small animal veterinary medical services, in the greater scheme of things and at least in other than the megahospitals, are still very reasonable. Truth is, small animal veterinary costs, other than in the megahospitals, have been a bargain in the past, and they pretty much continue to be so today. Just look at what’s going on in human medicine. Or compare to the costs for other professionals & craftsmen – attorneys, financial folks, dentists, physicians, electricians, plumbers, and it continues. Most folks in vet med are not getting rich. Hence, in most cases, the fees are reasonable.
Value
We make every effort to give you good value for the dollars you spend. Each client must make his or her own decision about whether you believe you are receiving good value for your dollars.
Like many other veterinarians, we have already done a whole bunch of pro bono and discounted work in cases of need. And we continue to do so. But we can only do so much.
Comparison of Fees Among Hospitals
This is not so easy to do. It is true that fees do vary - to some degree - among veterinary hospitals. But always remember to compare apples to apples - that is, to properly compare one service to another service. Not all services are created/provided equally. Be sure to look at how much time is spent with you during the office visit/consultation, and consider the thoroughness of the examination & consultation. And there are a bunch of other considerations – thoughts to ponder & apples to apples.
Summary
In the end it is necessary to charge fees in order to pay the staff and to meet the bills, so that we are able to keep the doors open. We think this makes sense to you. Thank you for understanding.
Methods of payment we accept:
- cash
- checks
- credit cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Express & Discover
- debit cards