Vet Turnaround Time

[ester]

I've never had a vets mobile and wouldn't expect to.
vet did give mum direct mobile and permission to call while dealing with mare's colic, but I wouldn't keep the number/expect to be able to use it after the emergency situ.

I'd def be frustrated in your situ OP, I like to get things into the 'done pile' in my head

 

[Michen]

It’s an interesting topic though Gamebird and I think a balance has to be struck. Most of us work “out of hours” to a degree whether it’s contracted or not and there definitely needs to be a shift on expectations within all industries. In terms of the OP though needing a vet answer re a diagnostic (I think) I still wouldn’t have an issue with texting my vet that sort of admin Q that the office can’t answer if the notes haven’t been correctly written etc.

 

[mariew]

Actually my last two vets wouldn't do the claims form and I had to do them myself which was not a bother

 

[Michen]

Actually my last two vets wouldn't do the claims form and I had to do them myself which was not a bother

Whst about where the vet has to fill in their bits through? All of mine have needed vet input. I do everything else then send it over then they add their bit

 

[teddypops]

Actually my last two vets wouldn't do the claims form and I had to do them myself which was not a bother

They have to do the vet section, complete with signature and practice stamp.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I never have had his direct mobile number, I'm not sure anyone has apart from the real 'old' clients who have been with him 15 year or so. I didn't realise this was the done thing?

I have the money waiting should they really push the point, but I would expect that should they agree they will deal directly with insurers in the beginning then they will need to do the leg work should they want to be paid within their terms. They could quite easily have been as my insurers have been brilliant thus far. If I knew it would be a lengthy complicated claim then I would do as I have done before, and paid up front.

My vets won't take direct calls on their mobiles unless it was prearranged. It is certainly.not the done thing around here.

Claims tend to get sent off in a week or two ., but then they do have some office staff as well as several vets on their books.

 

[mariew]

Whst about where the vet has to fill in their bits through? All of mine have needed vet input. I do everything else then send it over then they add their bit

Yes that's what I meant. That bit has always been really fast turnaround though.

 

[Tiddlypom]

OOH my vets use a telephone answering service. The client calls the main practice number, the call is taken by a third party who takes all your details and then forwards them on to the vet on call.

It's efficient and does help filter out trivial stuff.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

We have a policy of 10 days turnaround for insurance forms, but I prefer to get that under a week wherever possible. I'd contact your vets' practice manager via email and express how frustrated you are. That's not really acceptable.

I'm not sure who that is although I will find out. The practice is a vet hospital so has a few staff including a lady who deals with insurance, a mobile x-ray van & staff, an accounts team and 5+ vets I believe. So not a small local affair, which I would be more understanding of. I sent a 'it has now been over a month' email yesterday and will follow it up with a call today. If nothing by the end of the week then I will deal with the practice manager.

They are good about organising bute for pick up, or dropping off anti-bi's on the way home from the days work (the vet lives 30 second away from the yard driveway) or follow up appointments.. it just seems the paperwork part is lacking.

Glad that it's in agreement that this is a bit ridiculous in terms of time frame. I am like @ester and I hate having things outstanding. I am a to-do list ticker for sure.

 

[ihatework]

I have the mobile numbers of the 2 main ortho vets and the 2 main stud vets from the practice I use. I don’t use them unless immediately before/after a consult for specific stuff. My vets are great, always available and they call me. One of these vets is even a livery at my yard!

Prescriptions, call outs, forms and any other random stuff is ALWAYS via the office. I’m on first name terms with a couple of the administrators.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Prescriptions, call outs, forms and any other random stuff is ALWAYS via the office. I’m on first name terms with a couple of the administrators.

Haha, being an all-too-frequent user of the service means that I'm on first name terms with the whole team from admin, vet nurses to vets !

 

[HashRouge]

I have the mobile numbers of the 2 main ortho vets and the 2 main stud vets from the practice I use. I don’t use them unless immediately before/after a consult for specific stuff. My vets are great, always available and they call me. One of these vets is even a livery at my yard!

Prescriptions, call outs, forms and any other random stuff is ALWAYS via the office. I’m on first name terms with a couple of the administrators.

Yes this, 100% (sorry, I know this thread is a bit off topic!). I have had the mobile number of several vets before but would only use it if it was a direct query about very recent/ upcoming treatment that needed to be dealt with by that specific vet. I got the impression that's what the number is given out for, rather than a "ring me about any old random query". Otherwise, I always go via the office. I'm not sure it is really fair to ring vets on their mobile during the work day - they are likely to be out, dealing with other people's horses, and potentially handling upsetting/ difficult situations. Far better to ring the office, surely? Also, I would imagine a lot of vets would prefer that their clients contact the office as a first port of call, even if they don't make it obvious (probably because they're far too polite!). There are a huge number of professions which work like this - I don't expect to be able to just ring my doctor or dentist on their mobile, I would always go via reception. Ditto, as a teacher, parents absolutely cannot contact me by mobile!

On to the OP's situation - I do think that is a bit out of order and I'd keep up with the gentle nagging until it finally gets sorted!

 

[Michen]

I just don’t see an issue with ringing a vet direct for something only the vet can answer aka this has happened, should you come look, please can you prescribe me some bute and this is why I need it (different with repeats obviously), can you confirm what the exact diagnosis is for me to write on insurance blah blah blah. If my vet rang my house phone and I rang the practice every time we wanted to speak to eachother we’d play phone tag all day. Similarly my vet will often call me into the evening to chat to me about something, I have no issue with him doing that either if he wants to call me then.

I also can’t imagine having horses and NOT being on first name terms with the office staff ?

Booking appointments you know you need, asking for x rays to be sent, all the admin stuff that the vet wouldn’t do themselves goes to the office surely?

But for me, a “I think we need to steroid Bog, what do you think” query is always going to go straight to my vets mobile rather than me ringing the practice and asking them to ask him to ring me.

HR am curious though if not fair to ring your vet to discuss something during the working day- when should you ring them..? At the very end when they are wanting to clock off and relax?

 

[milliepops]

I always go via the office for a query like that. as above the vet I want to speak to (if it's an ongoing case) might be dealing with someone else or otherwise inconvenienced, driving or having 5 mins for lunch ( ) and if it's a new thing that has happened then I rarely see the same vet as last time unless I specify who I want to see, which I only do for non-urgent lameness. I have had probably 10 + different vets out for different episodes, I wouldn't know who to ring!

 

[KEK]

Interesting. I don't know any vets that give out their mobile numbers to clients, I certainly don't. Smallies, though not equine. Equally I don't ring up my GP or have asked for her mobile.
Over here, finally our insurance paperwork is (mostly) able to be done online and the nurses do it, all except petplan who seem to think they are special. It's great because it was a massive time suck, we used to all be doing them daily and they took ages, having to search through histories to find when conditon 1st presented, etc.

 

[Michen]

I always go via the office for a query like that. as above the vet I want to speak to (if it's an ongoing case) might be dealing with someone else or otherwise inconvenienced, driving or having 5 mins for lunch ( ) and if it's a new thing that has happened then I rarely see the same vet as last time unless I specify who I want to see, which I only do for non-urgent lameness. I have had probably 10 + different vets out for different episodes, I wouldn't know who to ring!

That sounds very different to my set up. I never see another vet, unless it’s an emergency. There’s only two equine vets at the practice and even now I’ve never had the other vet out (think I’ve only ever had one emergency call in the last few years). Though she’s brill when I’ve met her in passing at practice!

If my vet is busy he just calls me back when he’s not, if I’m busy when he calls I just call him back when I’m not. Just like most of my other customer/business working relationships.

If I’m unable to take calls because I’m with other clients or on calls or on the move I simply don’t answer or silence my phone or even flight mode it. Job done

 

[milliepops]

yeah I'm registered with a referral clinic, there are more than 20 of them. I ask for the lameness guru if i think it's something i need a real specialist on (my ?wobblers and Kira's SDFT which was almost undetectable). There's usually a fairish wait if you want a particular vet so for anything else I take who I am given, they are all excellent and communicate well between them if there's any scope for different approaches so I don't mind mixing it up.

 

[SEL]

Do you not just speak to the vet himself? I just call his mobile with any Q's.

Both the practice I use now and the one I used to use have asked that clients DON'T call the vets on their mobiles but go via reception on the main land line. Its mainly because they were getting tied up in admin (please can I have another box of bute etc) rather than having the line free for emergencies, the office getting in touch etc etc.

I did call mine once when my horse came off the lorry after a procedure at the vets and it was obvious she had tied up. I didn't need a visit (tying up travelling is sadly usual) but I did need to know what I could or couldn't give her for pain relief because I had no idea what she'd already had. The vet was helpful but underwhelmed that I'd rung.

Maybe that's the difference between small and big practices? Both the equine practices around here are large and you can't always request a specific vet for routine work.

But they do fill in insurance forms quickly because their admin team do the bulk of the work for the vets.

 

[Michen]

yeah I'm registered with a referral clinic, there are more than 20 of them. I ask for the lameness guru if i think it's something i need a real specialist on (my ?wobblers and Kira's SDFT which was almost undetectable). There's usually a fairish wait if you want a particular vet so for anything else I take who I am given, they are all excellent and communicate well between them if there's any scope for different approaches so I don't mind mixing it up.

Ah gotcha. Completely different to my situ then. We have a very casual relationship (is that the right terminology!), e.g if he knows I need a visit over the next few days he will often text when he gets a gap to say I can be with you in 30 if any good, if I'm in between work calls etc then I just pop up to the yard and meet him there. Sometimes he will come in out of hours but I know he's on call and may get cut short and have to go and come back another time, that's fine too.

I couldn't have got through the last couple of years without such a great relationship with my (one!) vet, it would have made it so much more stressful. It's such an important relationship to me because he knows me very well, my horses, what their norms are and aren't, yard set up and that in turn helps shape whatever treatment plans we do or don't come up with. Obviously he'd refer for anything that was out of his remit but he also regularly discusses things with a couple of surgeons (main one being Jessica Kidd), and feeds back to me what's been said.

Can completely see the advantages of having 20 odd vets though, so much joint experience and different focuses!

 

[tiga71]

I have the same vet as OP and they were the same with me. Just had to keep chasing.

 

[HashRouge]

HR am curious though if not fair to ring your vet to discuss something during the working day- when should you ring them..? At the very end when they are wanting to clock off and relax?

Well I would always ring the office and leave a message asking the vet to ring back when they could. I wouldn't be ringing them on their mobile to get them to prescribe me bute when they're probably in the middle of treating someone else's horse. My vets are very good at call backs. I think the only time I would use the vet's mobile instead would be if they'd given it to me in relation to an ongoing case. Vets do the sort of job where it is often not convenient to answer the phone - I would imagine it is easier for them when things are done via the office, but perhaps that is just me.

Mind you, I think our situations are very different - I currently have two elderly retired horses and, bar one episode of illness for the oldest earlier this year, have only had vets out for routine vaccinations in the last five years. So no chance to build up such a close relationship with the vets and I can't imagine any reason where it would be easier for me to ring their mobile than ring the office. I also think maybe you're quite lucky in having what sounds like a one-man type vet operation? So you get to know the vet a lot better as that's who you always see. Most of us I think are talking about bigger practices, where you might get different vets out each time unless you specifically request one. I do have my favourite vet, who I would request if it came to things like PTS. I also have his mobile number (from when my mare was ill this year), but it would never occur to me to ring him on his mobile about general queries rather than go via the office.