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$45.00 "Professional Consultation" fee

Started by uppi
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uppi

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Is it fair if the Vet I go to see for the first time (have a 5 month old kitten) charges a $45.00 professional consultation fee on top of the vaccination charges I originally went in for (I scheduled an appointment just for my cats 3rd distemper vaccination and rabies vaccination) or am I getting ripped off?

Thanks
 
That is a very good question. Consultation fees are what clients pay to see the doctor, have the dr examine their pet and use the knowledge that the dr has, not to mention the time it takes for the dr to do all of that. Sometimes is called the 'office call' fee. Although it would be nice to just pay for the cost of the items that you receive (vaccines, flea control, etc), you have to expect to pay for the visit to see the doctor. Your veterinarian has a ton of knowledge and examining your kitten (esp for the first time) may seem like an easy task that shouldn't cost money, but your vet is checking for a lot of things in that 'simple' exam. Also, it is not realistic to make a salary just off of veterinary 'items' (back to vaccines, medications and preventatives), especially when vets are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from vet school (literally). You have to pay for the time and knowledge of your vet.
Think of it this way, do you know how much you pay when you go to a human doctor? I'm not talking about what you pay your insurance. Medical doctors have 'consultation fees' that are easily $300 and up. $45 doesn't seem so bad now, does it? 😉
And one more thing- you can 'shop' around and see what different vet clinics charge. I've worked at some that have a $35 office fee and a $20 'recheck' office fee if you are coming back in for recheck exams.
So to answer your question, no- you are not getting ripped off. 😀
 
uppi said:
Is it fair if the Vet I go to see for the first time (have a 5 month old kitten) charges a $45.00 professional consultation fee on top of the vaccination charges I originally went in for (I scheduled an appointment just for my cats 3rd distemper vaccination and rabies vaccination) or am I getting ripped off?

Thanks
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$45 is a complete rip off.... for the VET.

My consult fee is $125.
 
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The consultation fee makes total sense. There are circumstances in which you should not vaccinate. The main one is if the patient has an underlying medical condition. As an example it is possible that your animal has a virus, is running a temperature and is slightly lethargic. If the animal is new to you it may not be obvious that the cat is not well. But the exam that is performed will likely turn up the fact that the animal has a virus. In this case it is inadvisable to vaccinate the cat. The cat's immune system is already stressed out from handling the current virus. Vaccinating a sick animal may make the animal sicker and the vaccine may not be effective. As far as the price $45 is our standard exam fee.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. After hearing your replies I do agree that 45 dollars for a consultation fee is more than appropriate, I guess it just caught me off guard. This being my first time owning a pet and taking it to the vet, I wasnt sure what to expect. However I do wish they would of informed me about this charge beforehand. But they probably just figured I knew better! lol.

And the Doctor did do an excellent job- gave my cat a physical exam, gave me advice on my cats biting problems, his diet, etc. All in all it was a good first visit

However with that said, My cat was declawed last month. I brought him back home to my hometown, where my parents took him to our hometown vet we know very well and trust. He was declawed by the laser procedure (which I am told is more expensive than the traditional "clipping" procedure). He also stayed at our vets clinic overnight, and was given weeks worth of antibiotics and pain medication. He also had his second distemper vaccination at the time. After I got my cat back from my parents, they gave me the bill. All this cost 220 dollars. I guess I am having a hard time grasping that a simple check up and two shots, and a routine parasite exam at this other vet can cost more than half that total (paid 113 dollars)
 
$220 for surgery, meds, etc. is darned cheap, so that probably set your pricing expectations a bit low 🙂
 
45 bucks is a steal...i pay 80 bucks , sometimes more for consults...but soon i will pay no one!!! hahaha
 
Try not to get too worked up comparing fees different veterinarians charge. Unlike MDs, where insurance companies and medicare largely dictate charges, veterinarian's fees tend to be more variable. Just because one veterinarian charges more than another does not necessarily mean the more expensive veterinarian is "ripping you off" any more than it means the cheaper veterinarian is "cutting corners."

First, overhead can vary quite a bit in different regions. And some veterinary hospitals focus on high volume, low cost while others cater to clients who want more services and are willing to pay for it. Also realize that 2 procedures that might seem the same can be quite different. For example, you can spay a cat with a cursory preanesthetic exam, injectable anesthesia and minimal monitoring or you can do a complete history and physical exam, pre-anesthetic lab work, multi-modality anesthesia with careful peri-anesthetic monitoring and so on. The end result is usually the same -- a kitty that won't get pregnant -- but the second approach is usually going to cost more than the first.

You need to decide what type of practice you're comfortable with. And if you have any financial concerns, always ask first. They should be able to provide an estimate for any diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
 
I was trying to think of something to add to this, but I think others, especially Bill59, have said it best. If it's of any comfort, $113 for a visit with behavior advice, nutrition advice, vaccines and a parasite check sounds a little bit low to me (I used to live in Chicago and San Francisco, both high cost areas).
 
WTF? 😱 We charge $30 for an office call consult. For vaccinations only, the fee is $17 dollars plus $15 dollars for an additional pet if there are more than 3pets at the visit, plus the cost of the vaccine. A feline distemper is $17and rabies is $12- so your visit would be $46 for one cat.
Suprisingly, people complain about this! I had no idea that other vets charge as much as some of you say. This is in a moderatley rural area in Michigan, however. Our town has about 2,220 people with an average yearly income of $41,000. People wouldn't pay the prices some of you mention! We are an hour and a half out from Chicago, so we get sooo many city people coming through for the low prices!
 
NYC - $75 just to walk through the door - and we checked around with prices - we're right in the middle of the price range.

And if there's an emergency in the city - I believe it's $150 to go to Madison Ave, and about $200 to go to the Animal Medical Center.

In central PA the emergency clinic is $80 to be seen.
 
brightness said:
WTF? 😱 We charge $30 for an office call consult. For vaccinations only, the fee is $17 dollars plus $15 dollars for an additional pet if there are more than 3pets at the visit, plus the cost of the vaccine. A feline distemper is $17and rabies is $12- so your visit would be $46 for one cat.
Suprisingly, people complain about this! I had no idea that other vets charge as much as some of you say. This is in a moderatley rural area in Michigan, however. Our town has about 2,220 people with an average yearly income of $41,000. People wouldn't pay the prices some of you mention! We are an hour and a half out from Chicago, so we get sooo many city people coming through for the low prices!
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Don't forget that Julie is a surgical resident so is either at a teaching hospital or a large specialty hospital so her consult will be much higher than a general practitioner.
 
chris03333 said:
Don't forget that Julie is a surgical resident so is either at a teaching hospital or a large specialty hospital so her consult will be much higher than a general practitioner.
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Absolutley. At the Purdue North Central, which is about 30 minutes away from my house, the emergency clinic is $200 just to walk in. Also, I know the demographics/income of the area make a huge difference, too.
 
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I'd rather pay a higher consultation fee than have the vet try to make up for a low fee by charging more for medicine. The consultation fee is paying for the expertise of the vet. I wish more clients would remember that it took at least 4 years of hard work for their vet to acquire enough knowledge to treat their pet so they deserve to charge a consultation fee.

However the other day I was charged $29 dollars for a bag of lactated ringer's, the tubing for one bag and 10 needles. That is a rip off. I love my vet but it makes me angry that she charges more for medicine like that. I felt bad asking her for a prescription to buy online, but it's $5 a bag online and my cat goes through a bag a week. With the tubing and needles, online it costs me about $50 a month to keep her hydrated and happy but if I bought the stuff from the vet it would be $120 a month.

I assume she charges more for medicine because people will complain about high consultation fees. I just think this is a bad idea because it will drive her clients to buy online like I do. What do you do in your practice?
 
krodriguez said:
I assume she charges more for medicine because people will complain about high consultation fees.
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Well there's other reasons too. The cost for a relatively small hospital to buy drugs and supplies is a lot higher than for a large pharmacy. Someone like WalMart or an online pharmacy can negotiate for lower prices and they have a very efficient shipping supply system, inventory control, etc.

Also their margins will be low because they're competing on price, whereas if a veterinarian isn't getting about 50-100% markup on a drug, it's probably not worth stocking the drug.

Finally, the WalMarts will sell some drugs at a loss just to get you in the store, where they figure you'll probably also pick up a liter of Diet Coke, a box of tampons and 2 packs of Marlboro Lights.

so...

That is a rip off.
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Just because you can find it cheaper does not mean the veterinarian is ripping you off.

I just think this is a bad idea because it will drive her clients to buy online like I do. What do you do in your practice?
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I don't mind if they want to have a prescription filled elsewhere. In fact for really expensive drugs, I encourage the client to shop around because I know they can get it cheaper than from our pharmacy and cost is always a consideration in treating our patients.

Actually we can't compete for cheap generics either and if they're controlled it's not worth having to do the paperwork. But some clients would rather get their meds now than have to make a second stop at a pharmacy or order online just to save a few dollars.
 
Bill59 said:
Well there's other reasons too. The cost for a relatively small hospital to buy drugs and supplies is a lot higher than for a large pharmacy. Someone like WalMart or an online pharmacy can negotiate for lower prices and they have a very efficient shipping supply system, inventory control, etc.
.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't think of that. I agree I shouldn't have said it was a rip off, it was a bad choice of words. I really like my vet and I don't want to believe she is trying to rip me off. I was just surprised because when I originally got the prescription she was selling me the fluids etc for 15 dollars so I asked for an online source. I bought from her again recently because I was going to run out before my next order arrived and it was 29. I guess this is where the frustration with clients comes in when they complain about medicine or fees being too high since we don't really have a clue why things are so expensive. Just out of curiousity what do most vets think of the online pharmacies? Mine was really nice about giving me the name of one that a friend of hers uses. But is it hard balancing clients who want prescriptions right away and those like me who complain about the cost?
 
krodriguez said:
Just out of curiousity what do most vets think of the online pharmacies?
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As long as they conduct themselves professionally like any pharmacy should most veterinarians don't have a major problem with them. I think some vets have been reluctant to give up some of the revenue from some of the big sellers, like heartworm, flea, and tick products and a lot of them will match prices if you ask. But for most drugs I don't think it's a major issue anymore.

Unfortunately there are some on-line pharmacies that have a reputation for less than ethical conduct. We don't need to mention names <cough>PetMed</cough> but when certain places fill unauthorized prescription, engage in fraudulent activities, and are fined by various state boards for these things, veterinarians are going to have a problem with them.

In fact, there may have been a thread here awhile back on this very topic.
 
Bill59 said:
Unfortunately there are some on-line pharmacies that have a reputation for less than ethical conduct. We don't need to mention names <cough>PetMed</cough> but when certain places fill unauthorized prescription, engage in fraudulent activities, and are fined by various state boards for these things, veterinarians are going to have a problem with them.

In fact, there may have been a thread here awhile back on this very topic.
Click to expand...

I will have to find that thread it should be interesting. As for the online pharmacies. I usually get stuff for my cat on KV vet which as far as I know has been good. They wouldn't let me buy anything until my vet faxed them a prescription. The other one you mentioned however said I needed a prescription, which I had from my vet, but in the end never asked for it. They seemed happy enough to send the frontline and heartguard after I clicked on a button saying I had a prescription. I guess that was validation enough for them.....
 
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