Internet Pharmacies and Shooting Yourself in the Foot First, put your smiley face on. This is about explanation and not condemnation. Second, remember tough love is the only real love. I saw a client and her dog today for a skin recheck. In truth, I am fond of this client and during the exam we even amicably joked back and forth a number of times. Her dog had had chronic skin allergies that I had been managing in a very cost effective way for quite some time, but about a month ago, it became necessary to change the game plan and try a stronger medication. This medication also happened to be significantly more expensive than the previous one. She had given the new drug over the last month and had just come back for a recheck assessment. The dog looked great and she was very happy about the success of the trial. We decided to continue the medication indefinitely as needed. Then almost as an after thought, she also asked me to take a quick look at a little bump her dog had on his side. The little lump turned out to be a small cyst that I lanced with a needle (FNA), and nothing more. So, I am getting ready to say we will go ahead and order another months worth of the skin medication for you, when she smiles and preemptively requests for me to write her a script because she knows she can get it cheaper online. I smile back and say Sure. We have a prescription writing fee that we charge once a year for writing such scripts, but I will fill it out and my receptionist will give it to you when she checks you out. We part on good terms without any animosity or hostility whatsoever. The client then pays her bill, receives the script from my receptionist, and leaves to go about the rest of her day. What she didnt see, what I cant explain to her, is the catastrophic (my term of emphasis) chain reaction that she creates through her assumptions. 1) She assumes neither I nor my employees NEED the revenue that she has now willfully donated to a non-local-community corporation after taking it from my pocket. We are all underpaid. 2) She apparently assumes the price that I was charging was unfair, not that the corporation price is unreasonably low and creating monopolistic adverse market conditions that are unreasonable. 3) She assumes she is saving money. No way. No how. Cant happen. I may not have charged her for the FNA of the cyst or even needed to charge her for a recheck exam IF...IF I knew she would continue to buy the medication from me long term. In other words, the revenue could balance out for both of us. But now, I have to charge her a script fee ($8.75), a recheck exam fee ($48.00), and a FNA fee ($30.00) beyond any shadow of doubt. We are a true small business that must have realistic revenue to function and thrive...essentially, so we can be the best at our jobs for you and your pet. We must and will make our revenue one way or the other. This client paid me $86.75 in pure profit that I could have let slip IF she had just continued to order those new meds from me. Her decision (and others of the same similar nature) is the primary factor pushing up the price of veterinary medicine for you and everyone else......not me...not the true small business veterinarian of the community. It wasnt my choice. This clients action doesnt allow me to make the choice that could be much more mutually beneficial for both of us. Sincerely and with good intent, Dr Cribb
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:57:53 +0000
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