Practice news.

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Important information regarding prescribing medication

From 1st September 2023 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS, our regulatory governing body) has introduced new legislation regarding the prescribing of veterinary prescription only medicines (known as POM-Vs).

The new legislation requires veterinary surgeons to carry out a physical examination of the pet every time any antimicrobial medication (antibiotics, antifungals & antivirals) is needed. This means it cannot be dispensed on a repeat basis. This includes most topical preparations such as ear drops, eye drops and skin treatments such as creams and shampoos.

For parasite treatments (flea, tick & worm treatments)our plan is during an annual consult/booster appointment to write a 12 month prescription on your pet's notes - meaning within that 12 month period we can prescribe the required medication without an examination.

Essentially, we cannot prescribe these products retrospectively. Even if we have seen your pet within the last 12 months, if they don’t have an active parasiticide prescription then we will need to see them to fulfil this. If the need arises to change products during this 12 month period, a further consultation will be required.

As of 1 August 2023 we have implemented a "Missed Appointment Policy"

Our goal is to provide quality, indivualised medical care in a friendly and caring manner.  "No-shows", late shows and late cancellations inconvenience those who require access to veterinary care.

A veterinary/client relationship is built on mutual trust and respect, as such we strive to be on time for your scheduled appointments and ask that you give us the courtesy of a call when you are unable to keep your appointment.  Below our missed appointment policy is outlined:

CANCELLATION OF AN APPOINTMENT

In order to be respectful of the medical needs of other patients please be courteous and call reception promptly if you are unable to attend your appointment, this allows us to re-allocate your slot to a patient in need of treatment.  If necessary to cancel we ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance - although we understand and appreciate that is not always possible.  Appointments are in high demand and your early cancellation will allow another patient to access timely veterinary care.

HOW TO CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT

To cancel your appointment please call 01674 672358.  If our reception team are unable to answer please leave a message (stating your name, pet's name and date/time of appointment) on our voicemail.  If you would like to re-schedule please leave your contact number and we will return your call as soon as possible.

LATE ARRIVAL POLICY

We make every effort to be on time for all our appointments, unfortunately, when even one patient arrives late it can throw off the entire schedule for that day.  In addition,  rushing or "squeezing in" an appointment shortchanges the patient's care and contributes to decreased quality of care.  Therefore a client that arrives 15 minutes + late to their scheduled appointment will be rescheduled.  We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

APPOINTMENT NO SHOW POLICY

A "no show" is classed as a client who misses their appointment without cancelling it.  A failure to attend a scheduled appointment will be recorded on your pet's records and you will be notified by SMS or letter of your missed appointment and of our pliccy.

A 2nd no-show will result in the client being charged £10.

A 3rd no-show will result in the client being charged the full consult fee.  At this point clients will also be required to pre-pay a consultation fee the next time an appointment is made.

A 4th no-show within one year will result in your discharge from the practice.

OPERATION NO SHOW POLICY

A no show for scheduled surgery is a client who missed a surgery appointment without providing 24 hours notice of cancellation.  A missed appointment fee of £50 will be charged. 

We appreciate your patience and understanding - as always we understand that life can get in the way and people can genuinely forget to attend their appointment, we hope having a policy in place will help us manage the situation effectively.

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INSURANCE CLAIMS - ADMINISTRATION FEE.

From 1 April 2023 the way we process insurance claims is changing, we have held off for as long as possible in implementing an administration fee for processing claims, but due to the ever increasing number of insured clients and the time it takes staff to process each claim it is no longer sustainable for us to do this free of charge.

For NEW CLAIMS there will be an administration fee of £10 and for CONTINUATION CLAIMS there will be a £5 charge added to each claim we submit.  These charges are not covered by most insurers so we ask that they are paid at the time of asking us to submit a claim.

For claims under £300 we will ask for payment from you and then your insurer company reimburses you directly – this is called an Indirect Claim.

For claims over £300 we can submit the claim and ask your insurance company to reimburse us directly, this is called a Direct Claim. Please note that you will be liable for any excess and % contribution applicable to your policy, if the insurer declines to settle the claim it is your responsibility to settle the account in full within 30 days.

Exceptions to this charge are for patients receiving ONGOING monthly injections - ie Cytopoint/Solensia/Librela.

Indirect Claims

When your insurance company reimburses you directly.

What we need from you:

• Full payment of your invoice(s) before your claim can be processed, including administration fee
• A claim form (or online claim) signed (or initiated) by the policyholder
• Sections of the claim form which the policyholder is required to complete must be filled out correctly
• A completed claim form for each condition you wish to claim for
• If your insurer asks you to complete your claim online the process can differ between insurers, however most will send us a link via email asking for the information required.

What we will do:

• Complete and sign the claim form
• Aim to send it promptly to the insurer by post or electronically where possible
• Attach the clinical history, along with copy invoices (you do not need to keep receipts)
• Provide any information requested in a timely manner, for example lab results, radiographs etc.

Direct Claims

When your insurance company reimburses us.

What we need from you:

• Payment of the applicable administration fee
• The claim form signed and dated by the policyholder in the relevant sections, stating that payment is to be made to the practice. We ask that a claim form by completed at the time of treatment
• Sections of the claim form which the policyholder is required to complete must be filled out correctly
• A completed claim form/online claim initiated for each condition you wish to claim for
• Payment for any non-insured work at the time of treatment
• Covering letter/certificate of your policy when processing the initial claim, this should show the policy limit, excess amount, start date and any exclusion(s) which may exist on the policy – this can be emailed to us golfvetgroup@yahoo.com

What we will do:

• Complete and sign the claim form
• Aim to send it promptly to the insurer by post or electronically where possible
• Attach the full clinical history and invoices along with each claim form
• Provide any information requested by the insurer during the processing of the claim.

By offering a direct claim we are not creating a contract between ourselves your vet and the insurer,  Any disputes regarding the claim(s) will remain your responsibility and whilst we will do our best to assist we are not required to investigate for you or deal with queries.   We will of course help when possible, but most insurers will only speak to the policyholder.