Terms and Conditions
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your animal to Broome Veterinary Hospital, 8 Jewel Street, Broome WA 6725
This details our Company Terms and Conditions. Some aspects of the Terms may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation or clarification if required. We reserve the right to alter these terms and conditions of business.
Fees
All fees, diet foods and drug charges are subject to GST at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials, consumables and diet foods used.
You will receive a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction with us.
Methods of payment
You may settle the account using:
· CASH
· CREDIT/DEBIT CARD –MasterCard, Visa, American Express
· Direct Bank Transfer. Our details can be found on the invoice or estimate.
· Online Payment through our website
We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often an animal’s illness will not follow a conventional course.
Settlement terms
Bills are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs/diet foods.
All Accounts
Should a bill not be settled within 30 days, then a reminder will be sent. After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency. Any Credit Card payment not honoured and any Cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the principal sum.
Inability to pay
If, for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with the practice manager.
Please note that instalments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned by the practice manager or director.
We do not routinely offer discounts apart from the exceptions below:
Pension Card holders are entitled to 10% off Services only.
For companion animals we will discount vaccination fees for litters of puppies and kittens belonging to the same client that are vaccinated at the same time.
We strongly support the principle of insuring your animal against unexpected illness or accidents. We are not a representative for any insurance companies and therefore cannot recommend or advice on which to use. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim the fees from your Insurance Company. Where an owner has elected to obtain insurance to assist in the payment of veterinary bills, special conditions pertain:
We have no knowledge of the basis, terms and conditions of provision of insurance for an animal. Clients must therefore take care to know and understand these clearly through discussion as required with their chosen insurance company.
We comply with AVA guidelines in respect of completing claims forms. Any disputes arising from slow settlement of claims should be expressly directed to the clients’ chosen insurance company.
In any matter where an insurance company requests information in respect of claims settlement, we reserve the right to charge the owner accordingly and on each occasion.
Prescriptions
Prescriptions are available from this company at an additional cost. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from us OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from a pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under his or her care. The veterinary surgeon may only prescribe the minimum amount of product needed for the treatment course. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal. The general policy of this company is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every six (6) months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. A consultation fee will be charged.
Please be aware that Veterinary Surgeons are not permitted to fill out a prescription written out by another Veterinary Surgeon or Medical Practitioner.
Dispensing of these prescriptions breaches the Poisons Act 1964.
Only a Registered Pharmacist may fill out a prescription on behalf of a Veterinary Surgeon or Medical Practitioner.
Ownership of radiographs and similar records
The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph remains with the company.
We keep your personal information for accounting and record purposes. We will not divulge your details to other agencies except for debt collection purposes. We will use the data that we have on file to contact you with information beneficial to your animal’s health, for example vaccination reminders, drug recall information, other products which may be relevant, and newsletters. If you DO NOT want us to send you such information, please advise the practice in writing.
We will ask for the client’s authorisation to share clinical records if they are requested by a third party i.e. another veterinary clinic.