APPOINTMENTS:
At Paso Petcare, our doctors are available by scheduled appointment. Walk-ins will be accommodated if time allows and emergencies may be referred to the emergency hospital if it is determined to be in the best interest of the pet. For all appointments, you as the legal owner/guardian (at least 18 years old) or your designated 3rd party (at least 18 years old) must be present with your pet for a treatment plan to be determined, and before any services are provided. To ensure that you and your pet receive the best care and attention, we do not double book appointments; therefore we do request minimum notice of one full business day to change or cancel an appointment and two full business days to change or cancel a scheduled anesthetic or surgical procedure. We reserve the right to bill your account for the time reserved for your pet’s appointment.
CHOICE OF DOCTORS:
In our hospital we believe that continuity of care, consistency in communication, and your comfort with the doctor providing care to your pet are very important, so we will always ask if you have a preference and make every effort to schedule you with your doctor of choice. If your first choice of doctor cannot see you at a given time, we will offer you the first available appointment consistent with your pet’s medical needs.
EMERGENCY CARE:
Our doctors and hospital can provide emergency care during our regular business hours as scheduling permits and dependent on the extent of your pet’s medical needs. If it is in the best interest of a pet and/or in more critical cases, after hours and on holidays, we refer to The Atascadero Pet Hospital and Emergency Center. Their doctors work closely with our doctors and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are conveniently located about 10 miles south of our hospital at:
9575 El Camino Real in Atascadero and their phone number is 805-466-3880.
PRESCRIPTIONS:
In accordance with California Law all prescriptions require a valid VETERINARIAN-CLIENT-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP and we cannot fill prescriptions from other providers. When our doctors initiate a prescription for your pet, our standard practice is to fill it through our in-house pharmacy for your convenience and so that we can begin immediate treatment. We try to stock most of the medications commonly used in veterinary medicine; however, if you prefer – or in those cases requiring more specialized drug therapies – a written script will be generated for fulfillment through an outside pharmacy. Paso Petcare maintains strong working relationships with pharmacies in our area that have proven and acceptable standards of quality and service. If you prefer to fill a prescription through a pharmacy with which we do not have a relationship, we will provide a written script that may be filled at any pharmacy of your choosing. It will be your responsibility to send the original written prescription to the pharmacy – we do not fax or call it in.
Requests for prescription refills should be made 48 hours in advance to ensure the medication is available and to allow time for its preparation. In instances where lab tests or exams are required before additional medication can be dispensed, it is recommended that appointments be made and refills requested at least one week in advance. We do have a minimum prescription fee that is applicable even if we can only dispense a small amount to cover until an exam and/or lab test can be done. No prescriptions will be filled or scripted unless your pet’s annual exam is current and one of our doctors has seen your pet for the specific condition requiring the medication within the allowable time frame required by law and/or our hospital policy.
MEDICAL RECORDS:
At Paso Petcare we pride ourselves on keeping clear, complete records of everything that transpires during your pet’s visit. Upon your request, we will gladly provide you with a copy of the medical records and/or release records and x-rays generated at our facility to other veterinary offices or specialists for consultations, second opinions and/or treatment elsewhere as needed to best meet your pet’s medical needs.
PRIVACY:
The trust of our clients is our most valuable asset, so we maintain all information about you and your pets in a secure environment and our staff members are trained to protect the confidentiality of your personal information. In accordance with CA law SB-490, no information for you or your pets can be collected or released without authorization from you as the legal owner/guardian. We collect and use private personal information that is necessary to provide the best care for our patients. This is the information that you provide to us on the Client and Patient forms, as well as medical information and records from other veterinarians related to the care of your pets. We may also collect financial information in the form of credit cards, your Driver’s License Number, and your birthdate as needed for payment, identification and/or as required by law. We do NOT sell or provide private personal information to any other person(s) without your consent unless required to do so by law (or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to conform to the law) or to respond to claims or comply with legal inquiries.
FINANCIAL:
Payment Options – At Paso Petcare payment is due in full at the time services are rendered. As a small business we are not able to finance our services, and to minimize administrative and operating costs, we do not bill. For your convenience we accept payment as cash, or Debit Card, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Cards must be imprinted with your name, the signature must match that name, and proper identification must be presented upon request.
We know you can budget for your pet’s wellness visits, but we understand that when your pet suffers an unexpected illness, there are unexpected expenses as well, so we also accept Care Credit. This is a medically-oriented revolving credit line that gives you a choice between Standard Terms for purchases up to $199.00, 6-Months No Interest if Paid In Full for minimum purchases of $200.00, or a Fixed Payment Promotional Financing Option for minimum purchases of $1000.00. It takes just 5 minutes and you can either apply over the phone for immediate approval or online at: www.CareCredit.com
Estimates are provided for all anesthetic, surgical or advanced diagnostic procedures – and a deposit may be required in advance, with the balance due at time of release. Upon request, we will be happy to provide estimates for any treatment plan and encourage you to feel free to discuss costs with the doctor at any time before services are provided. An ESTIMATE for services is an itemization of the EXPECTED treatment plan, but it is important to be aware that it may be necessary to modify a treatment plan as a case progresses and such changes may result in a change in the estimated total. Before any significant deviation in expected costs or treatments occurs, we will always try to update you; however, if you cannot be reached within a reasonable time frame, we will proceed with services deemed medically appropriate to resolve the problem for which your pet is being treated.
Insurance for Your Pet is another popular option for your pet’s veterinary expenses. There are multiple pet insurance companies offering plans in the United States and each company varies in the wellness care, illness and accident coverage options. Helpful sites for overviews and/or comparisons are:
www.ConsumersAdvocate.org
www.PetInsuranceQuotes.com
You can also click on the links below to visit the individual websites for the following pet insurance providers: