Home

Directions

Careers

Contact Us

• Prepared by the attending veterinarian  itemizing  costs of proposed veterinary care for sick or injured pets
• Estimate sheets cover diagnostics (in & out-patient), surgical procedures, & hospitalization/nursing care of admitted patients
• Gives wide range with low and high ends- trying to prevent any financial "surprises" when a final bill is generated
• When clients let us know they have limited financial resources, the veterinarian will be very careful about choosing the most valuable diagnostic test/tool and limit medications & treatments to those deemed vital  to treating the patient's condition in order to try to keep the bill within the client's budget. However, by "cutting corners", clients must understand that we may inadvertently miss something that may change the outcome of the case.   That is why we always offer the "gold standard of care" initially and then alter the plan if the client is unable to commit financially to the estimate.

• Cash / money order
• Personal Check with a driver's license- accepted by Tele-check system
• Visa, Mastercard, & Discover credit cards
• Care-credit

Regrettably, we are unable to extend credit agreements and billing options due to the high rate of delinquency we have experienced in the past with clients not paying their bills.  Although we wish we could treat every patient even if the client has financial constraints, we are a private practice and can not afford to continue to loose large sums of money.  With such losses continuing, we would be unable to pay our bills and would ultimately have to shut our doors.

Care-Credit is an independent financial resource that extends a certain amount of credit to qualified clients at a zero percent interest rate for an initial period of between 3 - 12 months depending on the total amount of credit used.  The balance remaining after the initial grace period is then charged at a 23.98% apr similar to other major credit cards. In essence,  Care-Credit is an interest free payment plan.  By participating in the plan, the hospital is assessed a percentage of the credit used by the client, thus it costs the hospital to use the service.  However, in good faith, we would rather forfeit a percentage of the bill and be able to treat the patient than to not use Care-Credit and be unable to treat a patient whose owner has financial constraints.

Interest Free Rate Periods

• $300-$600 is 3 months interest free
• $601-$999 is 6 months interest free
• $1000 & over is 12 months interest free

Applying for Care-Credit

• Requirements include a verified income of at least $1000/month and a picture driver's license or federal ID
• Application must be filled out- single or with a co-applicant (hint- co-applicants almost always help unless they have poor credit history)
• Application can be processed Mon-Sat 8am-12am EST, Sun 11am-9pm
• Approval within 5-10 minutes
• Approved applicants can apply a portion or all of their "approved credit line" toward paying off their bill

• High Cost of Pharmaceutical Drugs- We find most clients do not realize how expensive medication is, for we all get used to paying a small co-pay in relation to the ACTUAL COST of the drug. We use a combination of "veterinary" (ie heartworm preventative) & "human" (ie heart disease, antibiotics, chemotherapy, pain medications,& anesthetics) pharmaceuticals that are all fairly expensive. Some special "emergency" drugs such as the antidote for antifreeze and a drug to breakdown large blood clots cost hundreds of dollars per dose.  Unfortunately, the cost of these pharmaceuticals is the same for us as for human medical doctors, and insurance does not pay the majority of the cost.
• High Cost of Medical Equipment-  such as ECG & blood pressure monitors, anesthesia and X-ray machines, X-ray film, IV fluid pumps,  blood analyzer machines, microscopes, and all the other equipment we use. As an example, a single fluid pump unit costs us nearly $500- and we have over 30 pumps.  Some equipment is bought new, but we get much of the equipment secondhand from human hospitals that are upgrading.   The quality is still excellent and the cost is still very high, but compared to the cost of new equipment, it is the only option.
• High Cost of Surgical Equipment- such as our CO2 surgical laser, surgical instruments, suture material, surgical staplers, and fracture repair/bone plating equipment.  A single bone plate can cost us between $100-200 from the company.  
• Salaries of the staff- including doctors, technicians, receptionist, and other support staff.  Staffing the Emergency Center 24 hours a day 7 days a week is a huge expense.  Patient care at the Emergency Center costs more because your pet is constantly monitored and treated 24 hours a day by dedicated  technicians & doctors on the premises at all times.
• Continuing Education- for doctors and technicians to stay current on new medical treatment protocols, pharmaceuticals, surgical techniques, disease epidemics, and legislation pertinent to practicing veterinary medicine.  The hospital covers costs of professional meetings & seminars, journal subscriptions, and on-line veterinary resources.
• Hospital Operating Costs- including management, accounting, and office costs, government taxes, employee benefits, professional licenses, insurance, and the other hundreds of costs involved with maintaining a comfortable working environment for staff, patients, and clients.