UPDATED CLINIC POLICIES - MARCH 2023
Welcome to 2023! Its been a while since we've sent out some updates
This particular newsletter is to update you with the on goings of the hospital, fees and policy and the second one is to update you with regarding to new products, services and discounts!
As you may have already noticed, the entire veterinary industry (and many other industries as well!) are suffering from staff shortages. We have gone from a 4-doctor practice, to a 3-doctor practice and thus have reduced availability for appointments and surgery, and are booking out well over 2-3 months. As a result, you may also experience a delay in us returning calls and getting back to you with lab results and consultation requests. We are working hard to find a replacement veterinarian to help reduce the strain. We also have some technicians on intermittent leave and/or with family obligations and we cannot operate without our technical and reception teams (they are an integral part of our practice!) and thus some delays have been occurring. Not an easy endeavor but we are indeed working on it, and we thank you for your patience!
Price Increases
Every year, typically in January, our suppliers typically raise the cost of their services and products, in addition to increasing staffing costs. This increase unfortunately gets passed on to the consumer. You may have noticed that the prices have increased as a result. We thank you for your understanding and continue to strive to provide fair pricing and value for our region. We recommend budgeting for these increases but also consider pet insurance as an option for your family to help offset some of the costs of unforeseen emergencies and illnesses (many of our staff members have pet insurance even for our own pets!)
Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR)
The VCPR is necessary as per our veterinary licensing body. This relationship must be upheld to legally provide services to you. To maintain the relationship, we must have an examination/consultation with you and your pet at least once a year or as deemed necessary based on your pets condition. We have begun to go through our client database and have been contacting those who have not been to the practice in over 4 years. You will have the choice to either book your pets in or have your file activated. Inactivation means that we will no longer provide you or your pet with services and should you wish to return as a client you will be put back on our new client waiting list. For those that we have not been able to get a hold of or just not gotten to yet, this policy applies regardless if we've made contact. Thus, if you have not have a pet visit to our hospital in an extended amount of time, we encourage you to reach out if you would like to remain as an active client.
Prescription Fees to Outside Pharmacies
We stock a very large variety of prescription medications, supplements and diets and we try to source the best quality and priced items we can while being very conscious of stocking items that are indeed labelled for animal use and those with guarantees and product support. Going forward, should you request a written prescription for an item that we carry to an outside Pharmacy of your choice, a prescription fee will be added to your account in the amount of $18.40+tax. Refills can be included if appropriate. This additional fee does not apply if the prescription is not stocked by our hospital and is only available via an outside source.
Missed Appointment Fees/Cancellation Policy
We have a very busy daily schedule with clients wanting appointments and a very long waiting list as well as urgent care needs. We now require that all booked appointments (including surgery) provide us with a minimum of 24 hours notice to cancel your visit. If you fail to cancel or reschedule your appointment without notice or miss your appointment; you will be charged a missed appointment fee of $40 (veterinary visits) or $20 (technician visits) payable at your next visit. Giving us 24 hours notice (or more!) allows us to get patients in, in a timely manner that are on our waiting list. Clients who are consistently late for their appointments may also be subject to a late fee as these late appointments put our entire team behind. If you are running late for your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. We do our best to provide you with text or email reminders 48 hours before your scheduled appointment. If you do not receive these notifications please let us know!
Long Weekend Closures
We work really hard all year long and have decided to give our team a much-needed break on long weekends. Going forward, we will be closing for all statutory long weekends. This means that if the holiday falls on a Monday, we will be open as usual on the Friday, but not be operating on Saturday to Monday. If the holiday falls on Friday, we will be closed Friday to Sunday.
Wellness Plans
Some of our clients are on wellness plans, which entail monthly payments to pre-pay for services through the year to help you budget. If you are not aware of such plans and wish to inquire, please let us know and we can have one of our customer care team members discuss them with you! For those that are not on a plan but have a balance with us, please note that going forward, after 60 days, your balances will accumulate a 1.5% service/interest fee per month (equal to 18% per year) on unpaid balances.
Behavioural Consultations
Should your pet require a behavioral consultation, we will refer you to one of our veterinary technicians as a start point. Should your inquiry be more extensive, we recommend you book in either a telemedicine consultation ($40) or an in-person examination and consultation if your pet requires an examination as well. Please know that we can also refer you to a list of trainers in our region and/or to a veterinary behavioral specialist as needed.
Tolerance Policy
Under no circumstances will we tolerate abusive or aggressive behaviour towards our team. If you have concerns, please contact our management so that we can address them with you. If you demonstrate these behaviours, we have the right to terminate our relationship with you and no longer provide you with services.
Ongoing Policies
Sincerely, The Doctors and amazing team at Oxford County Veterinary Clinic
This particular newsletter is to update you with the on goings of the hospital, fees and policy and the second one is to update you with regarding to new products, services and discounts!
As you may have already noticed, the entire veterinary industry (and many other industries as well!) are suffering from staff shortages. We have gone from a 4-doctor practice, to a 3-doctor practice and thus have reduced availability for appointments and surgery, and are booking out well over 2-3 months. As a result, you may also experience a delay in us returning calls and getting back to you with lab results and consultation requests. We are working hard to find a replacement veterinarian to help reduce the strain. We also have some technicians on intermittent leave and/or with family obligations and we cannot operate without our technical and reception teams (they are an integral part of our practice!) and thus some delays have been occurring. Not an easy endeavor but we are indeed working on it, and we thank you for your patience!
Price Increases
Every year, typically in January, our suppliers typically raise the cost of their services and products, in addition to increasing staffing costs. This increase unfortunately gets passed on to the consumer. You may have noticed that the prices have increased as a result. We thank you for your understanding and continue to strive to provide fair pricing and value for our region. We recommend budgeting for these increases but also consider pet insurance as an option for your family to help offset some of the costs of unforeseen emergencies and illnesses (many of our staff members have pet insurance even for our own pets!)
Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR)
The VCPR is necessary as per our veterinary licensing body. This relationship must be upheld to legally provide services to you. To maintain the relationship, we must have an examination/consultation with you and your pet at least once a year or as deemed necessary based on your pets condition. We have begun to go through our client database and have been contacting those who have not been to the practice in over 4 years. You will have the choice to either book your pets in or have your file activated. Inactivation means that we will no longer provide you or your pet with services and should you wish to return as a client you will be put back on our new client waiting list. For those that we have not been able to get a hold of or just not gotten to yet, this policy applies regardless if we've made contact. Thus, if you have not have a pet visit to our hospital in an extended amount of time, we encourage you to reach out if you would like to remain as an active client.
Prescription Fees to Outside Pharmacies
We stock a very large variety of prescription medications, supplements and diets and we try to source the best quality and priced items we can while being very conscious of stocking items that are indeed labelled for animal use and those with guarantees and product support. Going forward, should you request a written prescription for an item that we carry to an outside Pharmacy of your choice, a prescription fee will be added to your account in the amount of $18.40+tax. Refills can be included if appropriate. This additional fee does not apply if the prescription is not stocked by our hospital and is only available via an outside source.
Missed Appointment Fees/Cancellation Policy
We have a very busy daily schedule with clients wanting appointments and a very long waiting list as well as urgent care needs. We now require that all booked appointments (including surgery) provide us with a minimum of 24 hours notice to cancel your visit. If you fail to cancel or reschedule your appointment without notice or miss your appointment; you will be charged a missed appointment fee of $40 (veterinary visits) or $20 (technician visits) payable at your next visit. Giving us 24 hours notice (or more!) allows us to get patients in, in a timely manner that are on our waiting list. Clients who are consistently late for their appointments may also be subject to a late fee as these late appointments put our entire team behind. If you are running late for your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. We do our best to provide you with text or email reminders 48 hours before your scheduled appointment. If you do not receive these notifications please let us know!
Long Weekend Closures
We work really hard all year long and have decided to give our team a much-needed break on long weekends. Going forward, we will be closing for all statutory long weekends. This means that if the holiday falls on a Monday, we will be open as usual on the Friday, but not be operating on Saturday to Monday. If the holiday falls on Friday, we will be closed Friday to Sunday.
Wellness Plans
Some of our clients are on wellness plans, which entail monthly payments to pre-pay for services through the year to help you budget. If you are not aware of such plans and wish to inquire, please let us know and we can have one of our customer care team members discuss them with you! For those that are not on a plan but have a balance with us, please note that going forward, after 60 days, your balances will accumulate a 1.5% service/interest fee per month (equal to 18% per year) on unpaid balances.
Behavioural Consultations
Should your pet require a behavioral consultation, we will refer you to one of our veterinary technicians as a start point. Should your inquiry be more extensive, we recommend you book in either a telemedicine consultation ($40) or an in-person examination and consultation if your pet requires an examination as well. Please know that we can also refer you to a list of trainers in our region and/or to a veterinary behavioral specialist as needed.
Tolerance Policy
Under no circumstances will we tolerate abusive or aggressive behaviour towards our team. If you have concerns, please contact our management so that we can address them with you. If you demonstrate these behaviours, we have the right to terminate our relationship with you and no longer provide you with services.
Ongoing Policies
- We continue to be closed between 12 pm and 1 pm for lunch and sanitation break
- We continue to be closed between 4:30-5:00 pm on Tuesday and Thursdays for a dinner break (as we are open until 8 pm these nights)
- We continue to have access to emergency veterinary hospitals and Smart Vet telemedicine for after hours care and/or for those that cannot be seen promptly within operating hours
- We continue to have a wait list for new clients and cancellation lists. We are not taking on new clients at this time but will let you know when that changes
- We continue to require that all pets be up to date on their Rabies vaccinations (unless otherwise exempted) to be able to safely provide services
- We continue to require that all pets be examined annually (for some more often!) to be able to provide services and prescriptions (this includes all breeding animals as well)
- We continue to strive to provide you and your pets with the best quality medicine and introduce new and exciting treatment options as they come available!
Sincerely, The Doctors and amazing team at Oxford County Veterinary Clinic
