Vet Medication Charges

[stormie]

The only people who may be able to get some stuff at cost + 10% is staff with a staff discount (and may not get it for everything)

The 10% is a notional figure I put forward as a contrast to the 100% plus that the industry operates on. There are examples of 300% mark up.

Is this excessive? When you visit a vet you are not in a position to "shop around" for the best price as the drugs are only given after the diagnosis.

I guess if its purely money that's important to you, and not the quality of the service you are getting, then by all means shop around. Some clinics might have a lower dispensing fee on their drugs to others, but they will make up this price somewhere else - maybe in the consult fee, or the cost of the drugs.

By all means shop around, but I doubt many vets will be loyal to you in return. Our good clients trust us. And they appreciate the time it takes us to count up pills and type up labels for them. And they don't balk at the costs of these drugs because they trust that we are looking after them. They know they can call us at anytime and speak to the vets over the phone and essentially get a free consult. They're loyal to us, and we're loyal to them.

[Danois]

That pretty much sums it up stormie. There is no way a comparison can be made of a GP to a Vet - if nothing else GPs have an easier job surely - their patients talk! My vet is also a heck of a lot more accessible than my GP

Chemists get the benefit of being about to buy in bulk say 100 packets of Drug X but the vets only need to buy 5 packets of Drug X so do not get the same dispensations for bulk orders.

[Red Fox]

I agree that the vet needs to have a higher mark-up than 10% to cover their costs. They're not a GP, there's no Medicare.

I do think that people should be given the option of purchasing their animals drugs through a script at the chemist though when medication is going to expensive and long term. Many people are not aware that this can be done.

[witheverythingiam]

When receiving a bill I would like to be charged for the consultation and the cost of medications/drugs plus a small mark up of around 10% to cover expenses.

You're funny! Do you expect the same thing at the supermarket, the newsagent, and the petrol bowser also? Oh and what about your local Doctor?

Priceless!

-WithEverythingIAm

[stormie]

I agree that the vet needs to have a higher mark-up than 10% to cover their costs. They're not a GP, there's no Medicare.

I do think that people should be given the option of purchasing their animals drugs through a script at the chemist though when medication is going to expensive and long term. Many people are not aware that this can be done.

I'm not sure if this has changed, but I believe the vet surgeons board had guidelines that said a vet only had the privilege of writing scripts when there was no suitable veterinary alternative. It doesn't seem to be enforced a lot, and I'm not sure whether it was just their preference or whether it was law, but for this reason, you may find not all vets are willing to do this, and it may come back to haunt them down the track...

[witheverythingiam]

There's only been 1 instance where I've needed to get a script for my cats, and that was because the Vets didn't sell it themselves. I was more than happy to pay the $16.50 fee for them to write the script out for me, as I don't expect them to work for nothing.

Oh and when I worked as a Vet Nurse, we paid cost + 10% (GST), so as if a customer would get it at that price. Mark up started at 40%, and didn't go over 100%. Dispensing fee didn't go over $7 either.

-WithEverythingIAm

[Rappie]

I'm not sure if this has changed, but I believe the vet surgeons board had guidelines that said a vet only had the privilege of writing scripts when there was no suitable veterinary alternative. It doesn't seem to be enforced a lot, and I'm not sure whether it was just their preference or whether it was law, but for this reason, you may find not all vets are willing to do this, and it may come back to haunt them down the track...

Nothing has changed there

Prescriptions for human drugs should only be made where there is no veterinary equivalent and where their use is well accepted in veterinary medicine. A lot of those drugs I will dispense to patients in small quantities, but I wont write a prescription for them to be bought from the chemist. Prime example of this is drugs such as tramadol and diazepam. You also wont find me writing a prescription for Mobic (meloxicam) any time soon. It's not worth my registration.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Rappie

[Staff'n'Toller]

I don't call a markup a hidden cost poodle3801, you pay the GST which legally has to be passed on, markup and a dispensing fee.

You just don't have the benefit of the PBS for animals- luckily when you have a script made up for yourself the government is paying a contribution for you!! It's obvious you've never had to pay for a medication not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme- otherwise you'd understand.

We literally have to keep tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs on the shelf, and we do have shrinkage- that is drugs that go past their expiry date and need to be thrown out- no-one reimburses us for that!

[wire]

Just to add to this discussion....our GP (mate) told us that on some occasions he gets patients who are looking for meds for their animals. Generally he susses them out but the bottom line is that they cannot afford the vet costs and to see him is free to them (bulk billing) and PBS for the meds.

[poodle3081]

When receiving a bill I would like to be charged for the consultation and the cost of medications/drugs plus a small mark up of around 10% to cover expenses.

You're funny! Do you expect the same thing at the supermarket, the newsagent, and the petrol bowser also? Oh and what about your local Doctor?

Priceless!

-WithEverythingIAm

Not sure what your point is?? When you visit a vet you are not in a position to shop around; it is not discretionary spending. Competition will bring prices down in the market place as people have the opportunity to compare prices. When take your pet to the Vet you have no idea what will be prescribe following the diagnosis, then what do you do ask the Vet for the list of drugs, leave without paying and visit another Vet for a quote?

[puggy_puggy]

When you visit a vet you are not in a position to shop around; it is not discretionary spending. Competition will bring prices down in the market place as people have the opportunity to compare prices. When take your pet to the Vet you have no idea what will be prescribe following the diagnosis, then what do you do ask the Vet for the list of drugs, leave without paying and visit another Vet for a quote?

You can always refuse the medication a vet prescribes.

Perhaps you should be a little less ignorant and educate yourself a little via the internet and books and you would have an idea of what your vet is going to prescribe. I usually walk into the vets consult knowing what is wrong and what meds are needed.

I feel so sorry for vets. They are the equivalant to human doctors but get much less respect and people are always bagging them out for how much they charge.

Yes there are some vets that do overcharge but the majority do not.

If you are not happy with the prices your vet charges go somewhere else.

[poodle3081]

When you visit a vet you are not in a position to shop around; it is not discretionary spending. Competition will bring prices down in the market place as people have the opportunity to compare prices. When take your pet to the Vet you have no idea what will be prescribe following the diagnosis, then what do you do ask the Vet for the list of drugs, leave without paying and visit another Vet for a quote?

You can always refuse the medication a vet prescribes.

Perhaps you should be a little less ignorant and educate yourself a little via the internet and books and you would have an idea of what your vet is going to prescribe. I usually walk into the vets consult knowing what is wrong and what meds are needed.

I feel so sorry for vets. They are the equivalant to human doctors but get much less respect and people are always bagging them out for how much they charge.

Yes there are some vets that do overcharge but the majority do not.

If you are not happy with the prices your vet charges go somewhere else.

I have been involved in a profession that deals with pet owners and started this thread in response to a number of concerns relayed to me. I was hoping to gain a better insight into the general perception of vet charges both by those in the profession and the end users.

I am not sure how you can reply with such a judgmental statement about me from the limited information provided.

[Danois]

I usually walk into the vets consult knowing what is wrong and what meds are needed.

And vets just love diagnosis by google....

[puggy_puggy]

I usually walk into the vets consult knowing what is wrong and what meds are needed.

And vets just love diagnosis by google....

Can't say I use google. Just as I would hope you had knowledge of your breed I do of mine that has been gained from years of being a dog owner and involved in rescue.

[stormie]

When you visit a vet you are not in a position to shop around; it is not discretionary spending. Competition will bring prices down in the market place as people have the opportunity to compare prices. When take your pet to the Vet you have no idea what will be prescribe following the diagnosis, then what do you do ask the Vet for the list of drugs, leave without paying and visit another Vet for a quote?

You can always refuse the medication a vet prescribes.

Perhaps you should be a little less ignorant and educate yourself a little via the internet and books and you would have an idea of what your vet is going to prescribe. I usually walk into the vets consult knowing what is wrong and what meds are needed.

I feel so sorry for vets. They are the equivalant to human doctors but get much less respect and people are always bagging them out for how much they charge.

Yes there are some vets that do overcharge but the majority do not.

If you are not happy with the prices your vet charges go somewhere else.

I have been involved in a profession that deals with pet owners and started this thread in response to a number of concerns relayed to me. I was hoping to gain a better insight into the general perception of vet charges both by those in the profession and the end users.

I am not sure how you can reply with such a judgmental statement about me from the limited information provided.

And people in the vet profession are trying to give you some insight but you are choosing to ignore it.

When we buy our stock, it comes with a RRP. Most vets will charge around this price so even if you did shop around, you're unlikely to find a vet who charges much less for medication. The main differences in the costs of medications between vets would be the dispensing fee.

I still don't quite understand why you are targeting vets over any other industry? Can you explain why you think vets shouldn't make money from their profession? Do you complain to your local butcher about the mark-up?

Why do people seem to think vets shouldn't be able to make a living from what they do? Did you know they are one of the lowest paid professions? People seem to think they should do all their work for cheap because they love animals. Well, my mechanic loves cars, hence why he's a mechanic, but he certainly doesn't fix my car for cheap or give me parts for cheap when my car is sick.

If you think it's unfair, all I can suggest you do, is go to uni, and get yourself a vet degree. Then you can diagnose your animals yourself and buy medications at cost price. You can also work 12hour days, weekends, do overtime without being paid, work public holidays, and deal with people who complain about the cost of your knowledge and services.

[poodle3081]

And people in the vet profession are trying to give you some insight but you are choosing to ignore it.

When we buy our stock, it comes with a RRP. Most vets will charge around this price so even if you did shop around, you're unlikely to find a vet who charges much less for medication. The main differences in the costs of medications between vets would be the dispensing fee.

I still don't quite understand why you are targeting vets over any other industry? Can you explain why you think vets shouldn't make money from their profession? Do you complain to your local butcher about the mark-up?

Why do people seem to think vets shouldn't be able to make a living from what they do? Did you know they are one of the lowest paid professions? People seem to think they should do all their work for cheap because they love animals. Well, my mechanic loves cars, hence why he's a mechanic, but he certainly doesn't fix my car for cheap or give me parts for cheap when my car is sick.

If you think it's unfair, all I can suggest you do, is go to uni, and get yourself a vet degree. Then you can diagnose your animals yourself and buy medications at cost price. You can also work 12hour days, weekends, do overtime without being paid, work public holidays, and deal with people who complain about the cost of your knowledge and services.

At no stage did I say Vet charges are unfair. What I did say is I disagree with the practice of marking up the price of the medications and thus hiding the true cost of the service. A butcher derives his entire income from the sale of meat and you have the choice of buying or not.

I am also not aware that vet wholesalers such as Lyppards have a RRP.

[puggy_puggy]

[stormie]

When we buy our stock order, we get invoiced for everything. On the invoice, there are lots of different prices. The list price, the list price plus GST, a few others, plus the RRP that has probably been put in place by the manufacturer.

By saying you don't agree with the mark-up on medications and suggesting that you have to get the medications after your consult is implying you don't think its fair.

You also didn't comment on another one of my comments about repeat medications. What about patients who come in for a consult and discover their dog or cat has arthritis and get put on meloxicam or carprofen? Those clients will come back every few months to buy more medication, without the need for a consult.

So how would you suggest we make a profit from that?

[Lab lady]

I have a concern of the hidden charges by vets in regard to medication charges. What is fair price or mark up of medications?

When receiving a bill I would like to be charged for the consultation and the cost of medications/drugs plus a small mark up of around 10% to cover expenses.

I have become a little confused about this tread

I don't seem to understand what you mean by hidden charges. Whenever i have received medication from the vet it is listed as a price and that's it, nothing seems to be hidden.

Everything you buy has a price which will include a markup, whether it be services from a tradesman or a pair of shoes, i don't see drugs from a vet or a pharmacy any different.

[stormie]

Exactly. I don't understand why they are being referred to as hidden costs. They are no more hidden than anything else you buy in the world.