Veterinary practice is a special calling, not for the faint of heart. With ongoing staffing challenges, outdated service models, dropping compliance rates1, and loss of revenue from e-scripts and big-box companies, more veterinarians than ever are finding themselves searching for an innovative solution to bridge the gap between budget-conscious pet parents with pets who need care and burnt-out pet healthcare professionals. Let’s address some common concerns hospitals have about offering a payment solution and why PetCentric Health’s solution may differ from solutions that have come before.
🐾 “I’m afraid adding a subscription plan will place an extra burden on my staff.”
PetCentric Health subscription care plans lift a burden from veterinary support staff. Our plans have a few key simple components for success for veterinary hospitals.
- Keeping it simple. A PetCentric Health offering is the very best recommendation of care for each type of pet and their age groups at any given partner hospital. Getting rid of tiers and keeping it simple helps everyone know that they’re getting the best recommended care on their plan.
- Vet’s voice reigns. The plans are completely customizable by the veterinarian. They are the expert of care in their geographic location, so it’s a veterinarian’s plan, powered by PetCentric Health.
- A plan for the unplanned. Our unique pet Flexible Spend Allowance allows pet parents on plan to use in-hospital credit within their pet parent web app for unexpected sick care or specialty costs in-hospital with no reimbursement. Just release funds through the web app and go.
- Process efficiency. Invoicing clients is as easy as adding a discount code or payment type to your existing process. Our intuitive user interface is simple to use, keeps each pet’s records safely in one place, and reduces paper clutter. With PetCentric’s thoughtfully crafted inclusive plans, there’s no up-selling necessary. PetCentric takes on administrative and accounting process efficiencies, such as customer service support, marketing, and missed payment reconciliations. Your staff can enjoy positive interactions with pet parents without worrying about the health and wellness of their furry friends.
🐾 “I can’t afford to lose money on fees and discounts.”
We designed our care plans to increase financial health for veterinary practices. PetCentric Health’s subscription-based model raises compliance rates by making preventative care an affordable part of each pet parent’s planned budget, inclusive of annual medications, often lost to big online pharma companies outside the hospital’s purview. This results in increased revenue per client, even if services are being offered at a variable price. Not only will PetCentric assume the credit risk for the wellness payment plans, but there are no ongoing fees for veterinary providers using our programs.
PetCentric Health reduces the time and money lost on e-script writing. Structured payments, scheduled preventative care, and available integrated in-house pharmacy plans add up to create a financial environment that benefits both the veterinary practice and pet parents alike.
🐾 “I don’t like having to sell my patients on things, like insurance.”
It’s important to understand that PetCentric Health plans are not insurance plans. The one-time sale of a care plan eliminates upsell challenges you might experience, while still achieving ideal compliance for the pet patient.
- Care plans can benefit all patients, regardless of breed, age, or condition. PetCentric Health plans include a year’s worth of preventative care for pets of all ages and backgrounds. The inclusion of a flexible spend allowance helps to cover occasional unexpected visits or emergencies that may arise outside the normal scope of wellness care.
- Care plans uniquely drive compliance in preventative care. This results in increased early disease detection and improved health outcomes over time. Veterinary staff can avoid promoting add-ons and up-charges, and pet parents can have peace of mind knowing that their pet’s care has already been planned and paid for.
- Care plans are designed to benefit you, the vet, financially. PetCentric Health assists with marketing strategies for promoting care plans, including providing specially designed marketing materials and public relations programs. Rather than selling a product, PetCentric Health seeks to be the bridge that creates a partnership between veterinarians and pet parents in order to provide pets with the highest level of continuing care.
While care plans are a wonderful replacement for preventative coverage, insurance will always be an important part of major medical care.
🐾 “Monthly payments might intimidate clients who struggle to pay.”
Subscription-based care plans like PetCentric Health are budget friendly and integrate well into the average pet parent’s existing financial structure. With over fifty percent of all pets belonging to Millennials and Gen Z2, pet parents will often feel more comfortable budgeting via subscription plans than they would with traditional billing methods. As opposed to the relative uncertainty of insurance fees and unexpected events, wellness plans give both pet parents and care providers assurance that pets will receive the care they need. Additionally, with most credit card interest rates reaching up to 30% interest on rolling balances, pet parents get to experience a significantly higher rate of every dollar they spend going to their actual pet’s health, creating healthier pet parents themselves for the long-term.
🐾 “I’ve already had a bad experience with a wellness provider.”
Simply put, PetCentric Health is not like other wellness providers. PetCentric takes a partner approach to wellness, sharing a mutual commitment to quality healthcare for pets while valuing the individual needs and success of both care providers and pet parents. Our mission is rooted in increasing access to comprehensive preventative care for pets that will also help our business partners thrive. We, a female-founded and independent company, focus on providing exceptional customer experiences, primarily to independent vets and hospitals. We support holistic care that allows for non-traditional wellness recommendations and practices. Both veterinarians and pet parents can build relationships and enjoy discounts through access to our Market Hub, gaining access to preferred partners like Embark genetic testing and ASPCA Poison Control Hotline, often married into the subscription plan itself. Pet parents receive their preferential phone line directly to ASPCA’s experts with no additional fee outside their subscription. With ASPCA poised to hit its five-millionth case in 2024, the ASPCA APCC has the experience and know-how to support pet patients—any hour of the day and every day of the year.3
Whether you are a veterinary care health team member or a pet parent (or both), Pet Centric Health’s solution seamlessly brings together the mutual desire to see beloved animals receive the care they need without leaving either party in financial or emotional distress. As pet healthcare continues on its trajectory to follow human healthcare trends in terms of digital charting, app-based payments, and paperless communication, considering an innovative subscription care plan is a valuable investment in the future while being practical and relevant for today.
To read more about PetCentric Health see website: www.petcentrichealth.com or reach out to [email protected]
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1 Associated Veterinary Partners
1 National Library of Medicine, Canadian Veterinary Journal
2 FortuneBusiness Insights and APPA
2 Animal Poison Control Center
3 FortuneBusiness Insights and APPA
3 Animal Poison Control Center