Suffolk Veterinary Group requires that all charges incurred during a pet’s visit to our hospital be paid in full at the time of a pet’s discharge.
Our PetCare team will gladly prepare a written estimate for services, products, and/or procedures upon your request during your pet’s office visit. Because we believe that each pet is an individual and unique, there is no such thing as a “routine” cost for any procedure. Each estimate is tailored to fit your pet’s specific needs based upon your pet’s medical history, the veterinarian’s diagnosis, and recommendations during the exam. Predicting what your pet needs through a phone call, when one of our veterinarians have never examined your pet before, or has not seen them in over a month, simply cannot be done. Examinations and consultations are required prior to all major procedures to assess your pet’s overall well being, obtain an accurate weight, do any pre-anesthetic testing that is necessary, make sure existing medical conditions have been resolved or will not be adversely affected by the procedure, and to discuss any of your concerns.
We understand that sometimes veterinary costs may be unexpected, especially in emergency situations, which is why we have numerous payment options available.
PET INSURANCE
The doctors and PetCare team of Suffolk Veterinary Group highly encourage all of their clients to enroll their pets in some form of Pet Insurance. There is such a wide variety of companies and programs out there it is almost certain you will find the right one for your needs and budget. Bring your pet’s insurance claim form during your pet’s visit for the doctors to fill out. With Pet Insurance, payment is due up front, but after you submit your claim form to your pet insurance provider, you will be reimbursed based upon your policy specifications. Pet Insurance is not managed healthcare, which means the doctors are free to practice the highest quality of medicine and make the best recommendations for your pet’s treatment needs. Pet Insurance is particularly important for older pets with chronic medical conditions that require lots of veterinarian visits, in unexpected emergencies, and for chemotherapy treatments. If you have any questions, or are interested in enrollment, please stop by our hospital for more information.
CASH
Suffolk Veterinary Group accepts payment in the form of United States of America legal tender. Please understand that while you may prefer to pay in cash, we are unable to give estimates over the phone simply because our procedures and products are tailored to each pet’s individual and specific needs, which can only be determined at the time of the veterinarian’s examination. We will gladly temporarily house your pet at our hospital if you need to make a quick dash to the ATM.
CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS
Both personal and business checks, and money orders, are accepted by Suffolk Veterinary Group, and are deposited on the same day they are received. Checks can only be “post-dated” with approval from the Office Manager for the Friday of the week in which they were written, and will be deposited on that Friday regardless. All checks returned to us for Non-Sufficient Funds (AKA “bounced” checks) will be subjected to a $30.00 fee, and the client’s account will be placed in collections until paid in full.
CREDIT AND DEBIT CARDS
All the major credit cards of Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express can be processed by our front desk PetCare team to make payment for services.
CARECREDIT PAYMENT PLAN
Our office would like to invite you to apply for CareCredit, a payment plan for all of your pet's healthcare needs. With CareCredit, you can benefit from low minimum monthly payments, no interest promotional periods, extended payment plans, and immediately finance 100% of the treatment cost. This is an accepted form of payment at all the major specialty and emergency veterinary hospitals on Long Island, so getting your pet their referral doesn’t have to have financial limitations. CareCredit cannot be used for retail expenses, therefore if you are ever boarding your pet or employ a pet-sitter, you can go on vacation without any worry about your pet not receiving the best medical treatment should they have an emergency while you are away. You can apply for a CareCredit card during your pet’s visit, or on the web at www.carecredit.com.
BARTER
Suffolk Veterinary Group currently participates in International Monitary Systems (IMS) Barter Services. If you would like to sign your company up with IMS Barter Services, please contact their office at 631-240-6018, and say Suffolk Veterinary Group referred you. For more information as to what services are provided by Suffolk Veterinary Group through IMS Barter, please contact our Office Manager at (631) 696-2400 during regular business hours.
COLLECTIONS
Failure to make payment in full upon your pet’s discharge from our hospital will result in your account being sent to our collections department. As a result, your pet will be unable to receive services, products, prescription medications, health and rabies certificates, referrals to specialists, copies of the medical records, or faxes of medical records to other hospitals until such time as the account is paid in full. Monthly statements will be mailed to the address on file, and failure to pay your account in full by 120 days may result in your pet being unwelcome at our hospital in the future. All balances past due 30 days will be subjected to a monthly billing and service fee of $6.25 a month upon the entire amount due until the balance is paid in full.
We thank you for your understanding with these payment options, and we look forward to assisting you and your pet at your next visit!
