My vet charges $50 a vial for Adequan. I can get it for $37 at Mountain Vet Supply.
My vet refuses to provide a prescription for the medication and only “allows” me to get it through her office. Is this ethical? I am a medical provider and certainly don’t/can’t dictate where my human patients get their prescriptions filled.
Has anyone dealt with this problem?
Does she just charge you $50 for the vial, or does she also bill for the farm call and injections?
$50 for the vial. No farm call or injections. I can do that myself.
Hmmmm, sounds like you need another vet. I don’t think she has any ethical reason for refusing to comply, but that may be her right to do so. Most doctors don’t stock prescriptions. Of course vets do and the mark-up can be considerable. Did she give you a reason for not being willing to write you a script?
I actually spoke to her office assistant who said they have concerns about quality and control issues. But I am buying from somewhere reputable and it’s not a generic or compounded drug.
I am going to speak to her directly. I have already spent a lot on this horse’s lameness issues…had him injected and examined more than once and she suggested the Adequan…so it’s not like I am trying to bypass her but I would save $90 if I get it mail order and that’s a lot!
Even medical facilities that have their own pharmacies don’t force patients to use them! And I don’t charge my patients to call in or fax prescriptions, either.
If my understanding is correct, it’s her right to refuse, but also your right to find another vet because of it. Her argument for not giving you the script is indeed specious because as you know, there are MANY reputable suppliers for these types of meds. I fired a vet last year over the same issue. He was charging me ridiculous prices for his meds and his service fees were pricey enough as it is. Most reputable and caring vets will write you a requested script and would be more interested in keeping your business.
If the concerns were over you injecting Adequan itself, I’d understand the vet’s problem. Quality and control of the Adequan under question by the vet, I don’t know. Sounds to me like you need to have a talk with the vet directly, and go from there.
I would call that greedy, and I’m not happy with the way vets gouge clients on medicine and supplies.
My vet clinic will write a prescription but charges $10, even for medicine they don’t stock. It’s still cheaper than paying the inflated prices they charge.
[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;2252011]
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My vet clinic will write a prescription but charges $10, even for medicine they don’t stock. [/QUOTE]
That is so crazy! Can you imagine if I told patients I was going to charge them 10 bucks every time they asked me to call in a prescription! I would be rich!!
I cannot believe they even do that with meds they don’t stock.
My vet is very nice…I am going to talk to her tomorrow.
Veterinarians are ethically bound to provide a written prescription upon request and to document the data in the pet’s medical record. The veterinarian may ethically charge a fee for writing the prescription and that prescription writing fee can be whatever the veterinarian chooses. The bottom line is that the client does not have to obtain or purchase the pet medication from the examining veterinarian. Keep in mind that the veterinarian is not required to call, fax or correspond with the pet owner’s supplier; but is ethically obligated to provide a written prescription so that the client can obtain the medication at a supplier of their choosing.
According to NJ law
“A licensed veterinarian, in the course of professional practice and an exiting veterinarian-client-patient relationship, shall, upon request, provide a written prescription to a client who does not wish to purchase a prescription item directly from the licensed veterinarian.”
You should see if NY has a similar law. In NJ it is under the Division of Consumer Affairs under veterinary regulations.
Not crazy, if you figure in the time and effort needed to pull the recodrs, check that a valid C-P-V relationship exists, that the Rx is necessary/appropriate, and enter the info in the record, then call it in.
While I agree with you, I’m not sure that this is legallythe case in all states.
Not crazy, if you figure in the time and effort needed to pull the recodrs, check that a valid C-P-V relationship exists, that the Rx is necessary/appropriate, and enter the info in the record, then call it in.
Sorry, but I can’t agree with this in many situations. My small animal vet charges $50 for writing a prescription. As a pharmacist I’ve never, ever heard of an MD charging to write a prescription, and only recently of vets charging for same. If you have the animal in the clinic, or the vet out on a farm call, they do the exam, say the animal has to go on such and such a medication and you ask for a prescription, they should write it out or call it in for free. Most drug companies supply prescription pads for docs. I’m sure they do or will supply them for vets. I don’t get this ‘tradition’ of acting as vet and pharmacist, all in one and charging you up the ying yang for a piece of paper with their signature on it to buy the meds someplace else. My small animal vet doesn’t even fill out the prescription labels correctly. They are required to state the species on the label. They let their receptionist refill scripts they are not familiar with. I’ve had the receptionist try to correct me on a dosage. HA!!! I check everything I get from them.
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;2252131]
Not crazy, if you figure in the time and effort needed to pull the recodrs, check that a valid C-P-V relationship exists, that the Rx is necessary/appropriate, and enter the info in the record, then call it in.[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I have to disagree here. I write, call in and fax prescriptions daily as well as talk to patients on the phone and DO NOT charge. This is part of the ongoing care I provide my patients…I have already spent a lot of money and the adequan is this vet’s recommendation. IMO she shouldn’t charge me to write a prescription, whether in person at a visit or at a later time.
I only have her office staff’s say-so that she won’t write the script. I hope that when I talk to her the story will be different.
My guess is that this would be regarded as an excessive fee by the board of registration, were a client to bring a complaint.
Check with your state laws and try to file a complaint. I don’t agree with what he’s doing.
IMHO I’d also change vets.
In the context of a farm call, sure.
In the context of someone calling the office to ask for an Rx, I don’t think it’s out of the question to charge for the time involved in what I described.
Most drug companies supply prescription pads for docs. I’m sure they do or will supply them for vets.
Been in practice for 20 years. Haven’t seen one or been offered one yet.
I don’t get this ‘tradition’ of acting as vet and pharmacist,
all in one and charging you up the ying yang for a piece of paper with their signature on it to buy the meds someplace else.
Yannow what? Last time I walked into a pharmacy with an Rx for generic TMP/SMZ for my own horse (as I was out of it), the pharmacy assistant took a bottle of the same brand of generic I use off the shelf, filled the Rx,
made a big deal of how they were giving me a “professional discount”, and then charged me over 50% MORE than I charge my clients for the stuff.
So I think your assumptions about excessive charges are suspect, to say the least.
Vets who try to shanghai clients into buying meds only from them aside, when you expect someone to have a drug sitting on the shelf waiting for you, you need to pay for the convenience. Certainly the pharmacy that I got TMP/SMZ from orders it in far higher volume than I do, and pays less for it than I do, yet it charges more than I do.
Maybe some people are actually selling drugs for a profit? What a concept…
My small animal vet had the same policy - no prescriptions. They stated concerns about how the medications had been handled and not knowing if any detrimental effects had come of it. We’re talking heartguard and frontline here, nothing complicated. They charged a good deal more than a lot of catalog prices and even refused to match prices. I no longer am a client of said office.
My current vet encourages purchasing meds from her when at all possible, but will write scripts for no charge. She will also gladly match any price you can find anywhere for the same product. I usually just show her the catalog that carries the item and she gives it to me for their price. Maybe that’s something you could try with your vet?
My vet also treats my dogs and cats (LOVE them) and when I had to get a doggie Rx refilled - heartworm meds, I think - I found it cheaper online. I asked the vet’s office to write a prescription and they said they couldn’t/wouldn’t do it, but that they would meet the price I was offered online. You might see if your vet will do that. Did I mention that I love my vets? :yes:
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