Terms and Conditions of Service
Our goal is to provide the highest standard of veterinary care for your pets while ensuring transparency and clarity in our services.
These Terms and Conditions outline the policies and procedures governing our relationship with you as a valued client. By using our services, you agree to abide by the terms set forth below, which cover appointments, payments, treatment plans, and other important aspects of your pet’s care.
Please read these terms carefully, and if you have any questions, our team is happy to assist you.
Contents
Fees and Payment Terms and Conditions
- We will always endeavor to give and agree a price estimate before providing any Veterinary treatment. If we feel that any additional treatment is needed, above that of the original estimate, then this will be discussed with you and a revised estimate agreed before we continue any further treatment.
- In the event of an emergency, veterinary services may be provided as necessary, in the professional judgment of our staff acting in the best interest of your pet under our care. In such cases a price estimate would be given to you at the earliest opportunity.
- The price payable for any services provided by the practice will be charged in accordance with our standard rates and charges at that time. However, we will honour the price of any previous estimates given for 28 days from the estimate date. All of our Fees are subject to VAT.
- Time of Payment of services is dependent on the type of services provided:
4.1. Out Patients (where your animal is not left with us) – Full payment of consultation and any treatment/medication provided must be made at the end of your appointment.
4.2 Inpatients (Medical – where your pet is admitted to the hospital for medical treatment) – 100% of the estimate given for the initial 24hrs treatment must be paid on admit. In the event any additional treatment is needed, we will contact you to give an updated estimate and agree to the updated treatment plan. If your pet needs to stay with us subsequent days, then you will be updated with an estimate for ongoing hospitalisation and treatment. In the event your pet is hospitalised for an extended period then we reserve the right to request payment installments towards the ongoing cost of treatment. Any remaining payment must be paid at the time of discharge.
4.3 Inpatients (Surgical – where your pet is admitted to the hospital for a surgical procedure) – 50% off the estimate must be paid at the time of admit. If any additional treatment is needed after your pet has been admitted, then you will be contacted and an estimate be given for such additional treatment.
4.4 Surgical procedures provided by external referral surgeons – 100% of the estimate given must be paid at least 72 hrs prior to your pet’s procedure. If no payment is received, then the procedure will be cancelled with the external Referral Service. If your pet is insured and you wish to make a direct claim, then a pre-authorisation must be submitted and accepted before we will accept this as method of payment. Once your insurance company has authorised a pre-authorisation,then we would need to take a deposit of £600 72 hrs prior to the procedure to cover costs of any cancellation fees charged to us by the external referral service in the event the procedure is cancelled. This deposit would be refunded on the day of admit minus any insurance excess and/or admin fees that may be due from yourself.
4.5 Out of Hours Services – In the event you need to visit us during our Out of Hours Service our out of hours team will take payment for the initial Out of Hours consult Charge at time of booking or arrival at the practice before you are seen in consultation. If your pet is then admitted following the initial consultations, then the above terms set out in condition 4.2 and 4.3 (above) will apply.
4.6 Rehabilitation/Complimentary Services – Any rehabilitation services will need to be paid for at the time of booking, the booking will remain a provisional booking until the fees are paid fully. If no payment has been made 24hrs prior to the allotted time slot, then the appointment will be cancelled and offered to another patient. At least 24 hours cancellation notice will be required for all Rehabilitation bookings. A full refund will be given if the cancellation policy has been met.
5. Consent and payment
By consenting to treatment, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of payment as set out in this document unless prior agreements have been made. Where possible, and in most cases, you will be asked to sign a consent form agreeing to treatment and given an estimate. However, with inpatients, or in the event of an emergency, verbal consent may be appropriate.
In the case of verbal consent –
- In person, we will try our best to have another member of staff present as a witness
- Over the phone, all of our calls are recorded to give evidence of any agreements made.
6. Non payments
If any fees payable to us are not paid when due, then your account remains an outstanding debt and a debt collection process will begin.
This can include referring the debt to our debt collection agency if no agreement can be made, and will incur further costs.
7. Insured Clients/Patients
7.1 All claims that are new to Aldgate Veterinary Practice are subject to a one-off administration fee of £25 per condition. This is charged prior to submission of the first claim for a condition, and covers all subsequent continuation claims for that condition, as well as any other insurance work that may arise in relation to it. There is a 5% discount with our Pet Health Plan, reducing the fee to £23.75; it will show on your invoice as ‘Complete and Send Insurance Fee’.
Payment should be made in full at the time of treatment unless prior arrangements for a direct claim have been made. In order for us to claim back the costs of Veterinary Fees from your insurer, it is your responsibility to provide us with the necessary claim form or online claims link. Please check with your policy provider regarding how you should make a claim. The policyholder must complete and sign the relevant sections of a claim form.
We will submit a full clinical history and all relevant invoices to your insurer on your behalf. They will then deduct standard charges such as your policy excess and co payment (if applicable) as well as any items not covered by your policy, such as food. Please refer to your policy documents for details of what is or is not covered by your policy.
Claims payments are at the discretion of your insurance provider. A claim may be declined for many reasons. If we feel that this decision is incorrect, we may query this with your provider and request that they reassess the claim. However, their decision is held in accordance with your policy terms and is beyond our control.
Your insurer may contact you for additional information; it is your responsibility to provide any information requested by them that is required to proceed with your claim. Likewise, we will provide any necessary information requested from us in a timely fashion.
It is your responsibility to inform us of any changes to your policy details, personal details or insurance cover, and also to update your insurance provider should your details change. Claims will not be processed by insurers if the details held on their records do not match ours.
7.2 Direct claims (payment directly to the practice)
Direct claims are approved prior to treatment only and are at the discretion of the practice. They are considered on an individual basis. If a direct claim has not been authorised, payment must be made in full at the time of treatment.
In order for us to authorise a direct claim, you must provide us with:
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- Policy number
- Excess
- Co-payment (if applicable)
- Inception date of the policy
- Policy limit and any inner limits
- Any exclusions on the policy
Direct claims for dental procedures will only be approved in cases where we can submit a pre-authorisation to your insurer prior to treatment, due to restrictions and limits that are often applied to dental cover. This must be done in advance of the procedure and allow enough time for it to be assessed and a response received from your insurer. We require a minimum of 5 working days to facilitate this. Where this is not requested with enough notice, payment must be made in full at the time of treatment.
Not all insurers offer a pre-authorisation service. In these cases, payment for dental procedures must be made in full at the time of treatment. We can then submit a claim to be paid back to the policyholder if requested . These details can be found on your insurance certificate and in your policy documents. We can also contact your insurance provider to obtain these details, which is often quicker.
Please contact your insurance provider to give permission for them to speak to us to discuss your claim and policy details. They will make a note of it on your account. This must be done BEFORE we can authorise a direct claim. Once we have these details, we will check your policy against your pet’s medical history to ascertain whether the condition being claimed for is likely to be covered under the terms of your policy. We will contact you to advise whether or not we are able to authorise it. If a direct claim is approved, the policy excess, co-payment (if applicable) and administration fee must be paid at the time of treatment if not already paid.
A claims form must be provided at the time of treatment if necessary, or a claim must have been started online or over the phone with your insurer depending on your company’s claims process.
Any deductions made by your insurance company are payable by you. We will send you an invoice for these deductions which must be paid within 7 days.
We reserve the right to decline a direct claim, or to elect not to claim directly from some insurers in some circumstances.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ALDGATE VETERINARY PRACTICE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CLAIM WILL BE PAID. CLAIMS CAN BE DECLINED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS; IF YOUR INSURANCE PROVIDER DECLINES YOUR CLAIM, YOU ARE LIABLE TO PAY THE FULL COST OF TREATMENT WITHIN 7 DAYS.
Use of our insurance service implies agreement to the terms and conditions set out above. Please contact us if you have any queries.