Way overpriced emergency vet services!
First and foremost, I commend the surgeon and staff who cared for my 9 month old dobie, Harley, at MedVet, Manassas, VA; they were very professional and provided Harley with great treatment and care. My 3star rating wasn't a knock on them but more of the overall expense to have a foreign obstruction removed from Harley's stomach and intestines. We were given an initial estimate of $6261, which could possibly go up to $7200-7400 if the surgeon had to remove a portion of her small intestines, which did not have to happen, thank God. I paid the required $6261 down payment but ended up having to pay an additional $1500 when I picked Harley up, which was a bit confusing at first since the cashier initially told me I owed $1000. When I asked what the additional $1000 was for she had a nurse explain the charges to me, which turned out to be for the overnight care, which one would have logically expected to be included in the initial estimate since they knew they would have to keep her overnight for observation, a tube inserted into the stomach to help with drainage, meds, and so forth, but she did say she could at least remove $300 of the additional charges, which I was grateful for. However, when I went to pay I was told that I owed $1500?! I naturally inquired how we got to $1500 when I was told $1000 initially and then told that they would subtract $300; I was thinking $700 to close out my tab. Apparently, when the cashier pulled up my account the additional overnight charges hadn't been applied yet, which was why she initially told me I owed $1000. So all and all, the treatment cost me $7700...almost 4X what it would have probably cost me if I could have had my primary vet perform the surgery, given that my primary veterinarian quoted me $1500 if they performed the surgery (we thought surgery wouldn't be necessary because the multiple X-rays indicated things were moving in the right direction, which ultimately turned out not to be the case). Anyway, this is the reason for the 3 star rating. They actually have a picture of their promise to their patients hanging on the walls of their waiting rooms...one of the promises of which states, "We will respect the financial situation of our patients." Well, I'm sorry, but giving an estimate with a $1500 wiggle room and charging 4X what the average veterinary practice would charge doesn't show much respect or concern for their patients' financial situation; it seems more like taking advantage of after hours and weekends, and pet owners not having viable options for treatment, in my personal opinion. And their astronomical prices hits like a ton of bricks and in some, probably a lot, of cases, tends to unnecessarily create financial hardships. In the very least, it creates animosity and distrust of the emergency veterinary practice. Thank God I was smart enough to purchase pet insurance, which hopefully covers 80% of the mentioned costs.
8 de outubro de 2023
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