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House Call Veterinarian Survey Results
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The following is a summary of responses to an online survey of housecall veterinarians collected during 2010. Forty-one (41) people responded.
Question / Percent (Number)
Which best describes you?
I work primarily as a house call or mobile veterinarian. 90.2% (37)
I work primarily out of a fixed practice, which offers house or farm calls as one of its services.9.8% (4)
Please check the description most closely matching your vehicle.
Car: Sedan, station wagon, van, or SUV with homemade or commercially made storage 56.1% (23)
Pickup truck with some sort of storage in the bed, homemade or commercially made 14.6% (6)
Mobile veterinary unit (has inside facility for procedures) 29.3% (12)
Your practice is best described as:
Companion animal practice 85.4% (35)
Mixed practice 14.6% (6)
Equine or large animal practice 0.0% (0)
Please provide the following data
Days per week worked. Range 4.61 to 6
No. of clients seen on a typical work day. Range 5.11 to 15
Hours worked per day. Range 8.03 to 15
Your service area - Radius, in miles, from your home office/base. Range 28.54 to 100
Total number of active clients (Active = seen at least once in the past year.) Average, 631.6. Range, 20 to 2000
One comment: Note more clients seen in the spring/summer than fall/winter (2-3 avg/day in f/w vs. 5-6 avg in s/s); 220 active clients and growing, business started in Jun ‘08
With regard to your house call (trip) fee, do you (fill out any/all that apply; do not include your exam fee) Percent (Number)
Charge a flat or minimum fee per visit 80.5% (33)
Charge a mileage fee 26.8% (11)
Charge a trip fee based on time 17.1% (7)
Please enter the amount you charge for each item above
$48.00 and 1.50/mi. Over 10 miles
$55 flat/min fee / visit
Housecall fee runs $50 to $65 and does not include an exam fee. Minimum total fee of $125 per visit.
$55-$80 depending on zip codes that range is about 5 mile increments
25 flat fee
130 flat / min fee/visit
120/hour for to and return trip (predicted time, not subject to change)
$50
$1.90/mi both ways
Under 15 miles- 27, 15-20 miles 35, etc.
85 flat/min fee/visit
100 flat/min fee/visit
50 flat/min fee/visit
.75/mile
30 flat/min fee/visit
I charge a housecall/first exam fee based on what town the client is in, so it varies
$10 per 5 mile distance from base
45 min charge then 1$ per mile round trip
$2.50/mile, $30 minimum
Exam $45plus travel fee $10 to 30
$54 flat/min fee per visit
Minimum 25.00; ranges typically 35.00-120.00
$25 house call (in car) w/i 25 mile radius, then plus $0.50/mile. In mobile van $45 call in 25mile radius, then plus $0.50 per mile.
$32, $42, $52 flat/min fee per visit
34-48 flat /min fee per visit
$30-$35-$40 depending on distance. Most calls are within 15 mile radius and are $30.
Our house call fee is based on distance from our home. Our neighbors pay $10.00, nearby is $25.00, further out is $35.00, then $45.00, and the highest is $55.00
48$ travel fee
Build trip fee into exam fee, starting at $50. Our practice area is very small so we can afford to do that
$30/housecall trip w/in 10 mi radius, $2/mile if beyond 10 mi radius
$55; $75.75 for out of area
$65 within 10 miles; 1.5 per mile outside of 50
$225 for a 90 minute visit; $0.50 per mile
$41 flat fee
$80 flat fee
$65 in town, $85 on the outskirts, $125>20 km away from our main hospital
25.00 flat for wellness visit
nothing if services rendered
55.00 housecall fee
30.00 per 20 min
With regard to your exam fee, do you… Percent (Number)
Charge a flat fee per patient 48.8% (20)
Charge a flat fee per patient, with modifications for litter/multiple pets 41.5% (17)
Charge an hourly fee 4.9% (2)
Combine a minimum/flat fee with an hourly fee 4.9% (2)
If you have an arrangement with one or more practices to work on your patients at their facility, do you Percent (Number)
I don’t have any arrangement 69.2% (27)
Pay the practice a flat fee, per hour or day 2.6% (1)
Pay the practice a set fee based on each specific service 7.7% (3)
Pay the practice a percentage of what is charged to the client for each specific service 20.5% (8)
Enter amounts of any fixed percentage or flat fee
60% to the standing practice
20%
50%
0%
50%
$65/hr
The clinic is paid 1/3 of our fees from only the services that are performed at their facility.
One practice does all the work and then charges me with a 20% discount. Others let me perform the procedure and I pay 40% of original charge.
I work part-time at a practice which I am able to refer to myself. I am paid a salary there and my clients pay the hospital fees for any work done there, they do not pay me for those services.
Practice takes over the care of the case, then return care of patient to me.
Actually I own a 4000sq foot 8 man practice and a house call practice which employs the same vets for in clinic and house calls, so I don’t really pay the hospital any fee for using it as I own both practices
I do not use a base clinic
We are also a full-service hospital.
Check all the procedures that you routinely perform (do not include procedures done at a [standing] practice (Percent Number)
Routine wellness care (e.g., vaccinations, deworming) 97.6% (40)
Examination / diagnosis (Including physical, history, taking blood/urine samples, BP checks, etc.) 95.1% (39)
Euthanasia 97.6% (40)
Behavior consultation 75.6% (31)
Minor surgical procedures (e.g., abscess lance/clean, lump removal) 73.2% (30)
Hospice/palliative care 65.9% (27)
Emergency care 41.5% (17)
Imaging (e.g., radiography, ultrasonography) 39.0% (16)
Elective routine surgical procedures (e.g., spay & neuter) 36.6% (15)
Dental care under anesthesia 34.1% (14)
Rehabilitative care (includes ‘physical therapy,’ massage, etc.) 14.6% (6)
Major surgical procedures (e.g., fracture repair) 4.9% (2)
Other (please specify) 17.1% (7)
Acupuncture 1
Large animal castrations, obstetrics 1
Chiropractic acupuncture 1
Minor Medical Cases 1
Laser therapy 1
Cardiology 1
Dietary Counseling, weight management, flea and tick control, AKC CGC evaluations, microchipping 1 each
Which of the following people do you pay to assist you?
(Part-time / Full-time)
None 12 /15
Household help 4 / 1
Office help 3 / 3
Phone service 3 / 3
General assistant (performs technician & receptionist/office duties) 11 / 5
Technician assistant 5 / 5
Credentialed technician 5 / 3
Other (please specify) 4
Again, we are also a full-service hospital. The staff who go on housecalls are rotated.
Very seldom hire a tech for specific in home procedures
My husband (technically not paid) since it is only the 2 of us, is a licensed tech.
4 other vets in my practice share the load
What computer software program(s) do you use? none (7)
Avimark (4)
Avimark, Fuji
Britton’s Wise Computers, Inc. (BWCI)
ClienTrax
Complete clinic
Cornerstone
Custom Excel templates
Doty
DVM Manager (3)
DVMax
EMRvet
Freshbooks.com
Idexx cornerstone
Impromed; impromed mobile, xcharge, ms suite
Infinity by Impromed
InterVet
my own designed programs.
My Software - DataBase Pro;My Software – My Invoices and Estimates;QuickBooks palm desktop organizer
Quick Books and Microsoft Office
QuickBooks (3)
Quickbooks, word, excel
Vetech Advantage
Via by Elinc
MS word for drugs on patients on multiple meds
How long have you been a house call or mobile veterinarian?
2-5 yr (4); 6-15 yr (16); > 15 yr (21)
How long have you been a veterinarian?
0-1 yr (5) ; 2-5 yr (14); 6-15 yr (13); >15 yr (8)
Housecall Survey Comments
We started as 100% housecall in 1998, and gradually transitioned to a more traditional hospital then to 24/7 advanced care (8 veterinarians at the moment).Housecalls now represent a very small percentage of our business but we still do them.
It does not say ‘full time’ or ‘exclusive’ housecall/mobile vet so I filled it out, although most of my work is not mobile. About 10%
I live in a very isolated, small, mountain town and completely enjoy my clients....this has been a great end of career choice for me.
I don’t think you should distinguish “mobile” veterinary practice as being only those with “an indoor facility on wheels” - I am a mixed animal practitioner and call myself “mobile” (after all, when I see horses, cattle, and small ruminants, I am NOT a “house-call” vet), but I operate out of a pick-up with a vet box insert. Essentially all vets began as “mobile” vets and did not necessarily have facilities on wheels.
I’ve had a part-time mobile practice for 3+ years. We purchased a used converted RV Vet van 9 months ago and have been up and running full time for just over 6 months.
I have a surgical suite in my home which I transport patients to and from, for hospitalizations and routine surgeries. I refer orthopedic and more complicated surgeries to specialty centers.
I do housecalls part-time along with part-time work in a hospital which explains the low numbers of hours worked and clients seen per day. As my children get older and spend more time at school, I plan to devote more time to house call work. Right now this works for both me and my patients.
Graduated may 2004, started practice 5/09
Some of this is based on how I used to practice 1998 until 2003.I have since parked my truck by my office and have a land based practice from which I will occasionally perform housecalls.
Under number of clients per day, two is an average, but on a week to week it appears to be “feast or famine”. This is true of many practices in the area, though. Florida’s economy is depressing at this time.
I have been doing this for 19 years and ours is the only successful long term mobile practice in the area. In my province (British Columbia) it is required that a house call practice be affiliated with a standing clinic. Others have tried and failed at house call in this area I suspect because they were not willing to hustle or did not provide good, prompt service or emergency service. I think having multiple vets on house calls from one practice also spreads the load. Our house call practice nets about 36% return on investment and is extremely popular. Why more multiperson practices don’t offer this amazes me. We constantly get new clients and keep them from other practices because we are willing to do house calls, when other vets won’t walk across the street to do a house call.
Running ragged, need accounting, management, and business solutions.
I love my independence as a house call veterinarian!
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