If I had to review solely on the mostly kind behavior of the staff, I would give it 5 stars for…read moretheir compassion, love for animals, and being brutally overworked and I suspect equally underpaid. I am not reviewing them nor faulting them for "drinking the corporate Kool-aid". My review is for hosp policies that leave the consumer, who is already traumatized because their beloved child had to go to the ONLY ER in the area, hostages of their practices, "back handed compliment" of a consumers bill of rights:
This is from the "American Association of Veterinary State Boards":
"- Informed Consent & Treatment Options: You have the right to know your pet's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment alternatives, along with the risks and benefits of each. You may accept, decline, or seek second opinions on any recommended care.
- Transparent Pricing & Estimates: You have the right to receive an accurate written estimate for care, to know the costs of veterinary services...
- Access to Medical Records: You have the right to copies or summaries of your pet's medical records upon request.
- Prescription Freedom: Veterinarians must provide you with a written prescription upon request, allowing you to purchase pet medications from a pharmacy of your choice rather than directly from the clinic.
- Professional Qualifications: You have the right to expect your veterinarian and technicians to meet the legal education and experience qualifications...".
YES the absolutely tell you the cost of EVERYTHING. Actually its close to $300 just to walk through the door. Got it. Cost of medical care for your pet + cover the initial triage. Cool. Triage is necessary to understand the course of action. Access to medical records - WE PAID for them, but thank you AAVSB. I'm old... and old enough to know this isn't the 1950s-80s where docs went unquestioned... Carrying on.
Informed conscent blah blah. THIS is where the wheels fell off the bus. This is NOT my first rodeo. I have my share of Vet care and Vet ER care. In my experience, younger vets have a lot of student debt, and they were taught to try everything on the menu, AND they drink corporate pushy kool-aid to sell services like water bottles in a desert concert. Step 1 for this visit = BLOODWORK. AND PLEASE INFORM ME OF AN APPROXIMATE time for the results to be back based on the traffic flow for the night. I don't need to be sold on 50 other things.
When you have been to Tufts in Grafton for urgent vet care - the bar is high. Sorry guys, but I hold you to that standard... So after hearing the CYA laundry list of all the things I KNEW were irrelevant until bloodwork came back, I was passing out. NO. Do the bloodwork, tell me how long to wait for that, and keep me POSTED. Keep us all posted. Since the hospital is going through much needed renovations, figure out a better comms flow!
Their CYA poster in the waiting room? Send it for rewording, and POST the consumer bill of rights. Condescending, pretty much reminding us low lives, that this is urgent care and triage is necessary so that they can take care of the most urgent cases first, thus you will be waiting while your pet is in a cage somewhere you can't see them. I don't think anyone objects to having the more urgent/critical/dying patients be seen and tended to first. YES, it's urgent care. YES- you should take care of the life threatening cases. NO, you don't have a RIGHT to hold people hostage without better comms, NO, you shouldn't keep a pet hostage because you're afraid of walk away without paying. FIGURE out a better process that works not only for you and the consumer. If you are going to TELL us how to behave, also tell us what to expect from YOU.
I'm going to assume that there will be more space and rooms in the reno for you to stay with your pet through process where it makes sense - for our sanity and pet's comfort. If you are worried about people who will just get up an leave, FIGURE IT OUT Mr and MRS BOARD of directors, top of the heap manager... This reflects on YOU, not the people who cared on Lulu. I'm sure they treated her like the princess she and all the others are. Their hands are tied because your ops leave a lot to the imagination. Of course you want your bigger chunk of the $$. We get that. Thanks for treating our time like it doesn't matter and over extending your staff. Because when I get a call close to midnight because the doc over prescribed the med, you KNOW she was overwhelmed. (THANK GOD SHE CAUGHT IT)
This is what to expect folks. Don't blame the staff. Expect them to be sweet, tired, love animals, know their job, underpaid but show up to care for your baby. Whatever operational hiccups comes from incompetent leadership that can't figure out a better way because they take advantage of being the only gig closer, is not their fault. Thank them. They do try their best. Leadership? TO BE SEEN.
Would I go back? Because of the loving staff? yes. The ops? Worth a 2 hour drive to Grafton...