Talking to Clients About Treatment Plans and Fees

Discussing fees can be one of the most uncomfortable and frustrating client interactions for the veterinary healthcare team. Often team members fear clients won’t agree to treatment or will become angry about associated costs. One reason veterinary practices approach talking to clients about treatment plans and fees with trepidation is that employees haven’t been adequately trained to present plans.

Increase Compliance with Treatment Plan Recommendations

Compliance with treatment recommendations has been evaluated by the veterinary industry and there appears to be consensus that pet owners don’t always understand the value of our services. To better communicate value, healthcare teams must first understand the client’s perspective regarding how they evaluate their need for veterinary medical services.

Understand Client’s Service Knowledge and Involvement
When deciding whether to purchase a veterinary product or agree to a veterinary service recommendation, clients base their decision on what is referred to as “product knowledge” and “product involvement”. Product knowledge is the amount of information a client has acquired about a particular product or service. The extent of knowledge influences the client’s evaluation of a veterinary service and their willingness to purchase the service. A client familiar with heartworm preventative is likely to quickly agree to purchase this product. Conversely, a client deciding about hospitalizing their critically ill pet may have never faced this situation. They may be reluctant to agree to care and need time to understand their options and the benefits of treatment. Product involvement refers to the perceived importance or value of a service for a client. Factors that influence pet owners’ service involvement include attachment to their pet, service knowledge, age of the pet, marketing influences, social interactions and whether the recommendation is for a wellness or an emergency service.
When healthcare teams adequately convey the value of services, they heighten a client’s service knowledge and involvement which helps to increase treatment compliance.

Communicate the Value of Veterinary Services
The next step to communicate value to clients is to make sure all staff members understand and agree with the value of the hospital’s services. A technician that doesn’t believe in premium nutrition isn’t likely to convey the value of feeding a senior diet. Likewise, a newly hired technician unfamiliar with laser surgery may not be comfortable discussing the benefits of this procedure. Staff meetings are an excellent time to discuss the value of your services and make sure everyone can communicate details about medical services and the associated benefits in language that clients can easily understand. [...]