So much has been going on at Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital. By now, our clients have all received the e
mail telling them that the practice was purchased in January by Banfield
Veterinary Group. This brought about few
changes that were visible to pet owners until just this month. The biggest change, was our ability to stay
open with all staff on payroll through the first wave of the Covid-19
pandemic. While this year has been
stressful, we have maintained a safe environment for our pet parents and our
staff. Going forward, this will be our
top priority. We cannot continue to
provide care for pets if we are sick or forced to close down.
The biggest change to operations since our return to a
single team with full staffing, occurred last Monday. That is when we went live with our new
practice management software. This has
been a real challenge as on-site training was not available due to pandemic
travel restrictions. Banfield management
did it’s best to help us remotely, but I must say, the experience was very
stressful for the staff, and our initial efficiency was quite poor. Fortunately, the team is rising to the task
and we are getting a handle on the program. That’s important, because there are
some great opportunities to lower some of the barriers to veterinary care for
our patients.
The first is our portal that allows real time, online
appointment scheduling. By following the link here, you can actually schedule certain types of appointments without
dialing your phone. Surgery and
anesthetic procedures cannot be scheduled, but wellness exams, sick
appointments, and drop off appointments are available on line. There is even an app on line that you can
install on your phone that lets you access the scheduler, your pet’s records,
and information about Optimum Wellness Plans.
(OWP).
These plans are a real savings for pet owners. All preventive
care is included in the OWP. Two
comprehensive exams, screening blood work, heartworm and Feline Leukemia/FIV
testing, vaccines, and unlimited office calls. They are divided into
puppy/kitten plans and adult pet plans.
They can be further customized to include annual dental cleanings,
spay/neuter procedures, and screening radiographs. The plans allow you budget for pet wellness
care with monthly payments. The beauty
is that on the date of enrollment, you can often get $300 -$400 worth of care
and only make the first monthly payment and a one time enrollment fee. All wellness plans also include 24/7 access
to Banfield’s telemedicine service as well as discounts on services and
products not included in the OWP.
The pets that are the most obvious beneficiary of the OWP
are puppies and kittens, pets that have finished their puppy and kitten
vaccines but need to be spayed, or pets that need a dental cleaning some time
in the next year.
You can consult with an OWP specialist on line, or call our
office and speak with our staff. We are
still learning the ropes but we will be glad to help you figure out the best
OWP option for your situation. You don’t
have to enroll in advance, you can do it during your annual exam and walk out
with a much lower payment than you would if you paid for the services individually.
We’ll try to touch base once a week with one little tidbit
about OWP during Bella’s Monday Minute on Facebook. It’s a lot to digest but it is a powerful way
to assure that our furry friends are taken care of. An ounce of prevention is definitely worth a
pound of cure.
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