ComplaintsforGoodfriends Veterinary Clinic

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to goodfriends vet on July 25th 2022 to have my female cat age 4 spayed. I was charged $693 for the visit which did include a feline leukemia test for $78. I was told my cat experienced complications which resulted in the surgery taking much more time and costing more. At the time of billing when I questioned the extreme price I mentioned I received a voicemail which I still have saved stating pumpkin was fine not even 3 hours after she had been dropped off. I asked to see proof documenting the complications and how much longer the surgery took due to them resulting in the increase in price, I was provided none of this information. I was told it was on my bill which I have included to this complaint. As you can see my bill has very limited info and describes none of the complications resulting in my high price. I simply asked for evidence to justify my bill. I do not have evidence for the extra charges so why should I pay them.

  Business response

  08/05/2022

  The claims that Mr. ****** is making are not entirely accurate. Our office first saw Mr. ******'s cat, ******* ***, on 7/15/22 for an initial exam and bloodwork in preparation for an upcoming spay surgery. Mr. ****** was not present at this appointment (his father had brought the cat). His father approved the pre-anesthetic organ function blood panel, but stated that he could not approve the Feline Leukemia/FIV test that is also recommended for new feline patients. Mr. ****** called our office later that day and approved the additional blood test. He was informed of the price for that test ($77.30) and was told that he could pay for it at the time of the cat's spay surgery. Dr. D******** attempted to call Mr. ****** with the bloodwork results on 7/20/22 and left a message with the normal results. Mr. ****** never called back to follow-up and never expressed any questions regarding the upcoming surgery. On 7/25/22, ******* *** was dropped off at our office for a routine spay surgery. Mr. ****** never inquired about the cost of surgery and never requested a cost estimate for the procedure. During the surgery, Dr. D******** found mucopurulent discharge (pus) coming from the uterine body. This is not a routine finding in healthy spay patients. Therefore, it appeared that ******* *** was in the early stages of developing a pyometra (a uterine infection that can occur in older intact females, and if left untreated it can have fatal consequences). Dr. D******** therefore had to dedicate more time during the procedure to address the mucopurulent discharge, and to reduce the risk of contamination within the rest of the abdomen to hopefully avoid other complicating problems such as peritonitis (this involved flushing the incision meticulously with sterile saline, changing to a new pair of sterile surgical gloves and using a new pack of surgical instruments for the remainder of the procedure).  The patient recovered well from anesthesia with no further complications. At 12:08 pm, Dr. D******** attempted to call Mr. ****** with a post-op update to discuss everything (there was no answer and Dr. D******** left a message). Called owner again 4:18 pm since we had not heard from Mr. ******, and left another message explaining everything that occurred during the procedure. Also informed the owner in the voicemail message that additional antibiotic medication was administered to ******* *** after the procedure, to help treat the infection that was noted in her uterus. At 5:07 pm, the owner called back and spoke with the receptionist since Dr. D******** was with another patient at that time. The receptionist discussed the discharge instructions with the owner. The owner requested a copy of his invoice and the discharge instructions document be emailed to him (the discharge instructions document explained the early pyometra that was found during the surgery and explained the treatment with antibiotic medication). At 5:15 pm, the owner called back and was very upset about the cost of the procedure. He was very rude to our receptionist and would not allow her to explain any of the charges. Dr. D******** then attempted to speak with the owner to discuss all of the details regarding the procedure. While Dr. D******** tried to convey to the owner why the procedure took longer than expected (due to the early infection found in her uterus), the owner would not listen to Dr. D******** and barely allowed her to speak. He also claimed that we quoted him $7.00 for the previous feline leukemia/FIV blood test; informed the owner that this was inaccurate and that he was quoted the correct price and that this blood test still had not been paid for. The fee for that blood test was included on his invoice for the surgery. Dr. D******** tried to explain to the owner that the routine spay base fee is $430.00 (as shown on his invoice), which is comparable to the standard cost for this procedure being performed at a small animal general practice. The additional fees included the post-op medication for Pumpkin Pie (which are standard for any spay surgery patient; $23.01 for the Onsior pain medication), a fee for the additional time the procedure took due to managing the mucopurulent discharge that was found in her uterus ($75.00), the additional antibiotic medication that was needed based on the findings during her procedure (Convenia injection, $75.00) and the E-collar that the patient needs to wear during the recovery period ($12.30).  He continued to raise his voice, speak over Dr. D******** and be hostile towards her. He then threatened social media backlash, warning, “good luck with that,” and hung up the phone on her. At 5:37 pm we received a phone call from a woman who claimed to know Mr. ****** well and she asked to try to get the fees on his bill lowered. We informed this woman that we cannot discuss anything pertaining to our client or patient with anyone else without the owner's consent. Mr. ****** then called back and spoke to our practice manager. Again, she tried to explain to Mr. ****** what occurred during the procedure and what the additional charges were for. Mr. ****** did not request the medical record notes. Instead, he demanded "photographs of the infection" during the surgery which we do not have, as it’s not our practice to photograph or video our surgeries. The practice manager informed the owner again that the surgery took longer than a typical spay surgery because of the infection. All of the steps that were taken were in the best interest of the pet. The owner implied that Dr. D******** was lying about the infection and accused us of trying to take advantage of him. He also accused Dr. D******** of telling him that his cat had a UTI (urinary tract infection) earlier that day, which was completely false. During the earlier phone conversation, Dr. D******** verbally told the owner that his cat had evidence of an early UTERINE infection (of the uterus) and this was also stated in the discharge instructions document that was emailed to the owner.  The conversation continued to escalate, and he then yelled at our practice manager and hung up the phone on her. If Mr. ****** had listened to what he was being told and allowed our staff to fully explain all of the details of the procedure and the billing, then he would be able to understand why this surgery was more costly than a typical spay surgery. Again, Mr. ****** never once requested an estimate of cost prior to the surgery. Additionally, the surgical consent form that was filled out that morning when the pet was dropped off for the procedure, was signed/dated and the “PERFORM CPR/DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY” box was checked off. Under that box it explains that there may be additional fees for any additional services rendered. While ******* *** was in our care from the morning of 7/25/22 to the morning of 7/26/22, we provided the best care possible for her. Our prices are standard for the services provided and were in no way inflated. We understand that financial concerns can cause frustration for clients. While we have compassion for those concerns, it does not warrant a reduction in our costs. Our costs reflect the value of our services and medical care for pets. Mr. ****** was provided an alternative payment option (Care Credit) and declined even discussing it. It is ultimately the client's responsibility to pay their bill in full at the time that services are rendered.  The unfair treatment shown by the owner towards our staff was unnecessary and inexcusable. A "billing adjustment" will not be considered. 

  Customer response

  08/05/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

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