When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Gerry Henry — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 11:36:21 GMT

On each and every occasion a procedure is contemplated.

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Bob Russell — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 11:09:59 GMT

I mention/recommend insurance regularly. I ask regularly if the PMS has a blank. Check the details are up to date. Ask if there may be large bills looming.

Does not worry me, does not embarrass me nor do I think owners suspect I am going to try to drain it!

I don't use it to judge what investigation should be done but will discuss it as part of the affordability

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Luca Poddighe — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 10:57:29 GMT

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]I admit this had happend to me as well. My worry is (probably not mine, the owner's) that insurers usually expect their client to claim within certain amount of time.[/quote]

Some will request to be informed within a certain amount of time from diagnosis, I suggest usually (especially if big costs may be involved) to get a pre-authorization letter from the insurance to know for sure they will cover.

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Francisco Gomez — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 17:41:01 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]

Do you ask if your client's pet is insured? and if you do, is there a defined point where you do it?

[/quote]

We have had cases of animals that have been put on long-term medication where the owner hasn't realised they can claim on their insurance, but at a later date one of our receptionists has noticed that the animal is insured, mentioned this to the owner, and they have been able to claim back several hundred pounds.

[/quote]

I admit this had happend to me as well. My worry is (probably not mine, the owner's) that insurers usually expect their client to claim within certain amount of time.

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Thomas Johnson — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 08:54:37 GMT

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]

Do you ask if your client's pet is insured? and if you do, is there a defined point where you do it?

[/quote]

When clients register an animal they are asked if it is insured, and it is noted in the animal's details. On our practice management system it is not flagged up in an immediately obvious way, so unless I have specifically looked I won't necessarily know if the animal is insured when I see it, and I generally don't look! If we have made previous claims there will be a comment in the clinical notes from when the claim was sent, so in these cases I will see it when I'm reading back through the history. There will be a large number of clients who have taken out insurance after they have registered, so unless they have then told us we won't have it recorded.

When I see an animal and decide it needs further investigations or treatment I will give my recommendations, discuss costs, and a lot of insured clients will mention at this point that they have pet insurance, if they don't I will ask them.

Re: When (if ever) should you enquire about pet insurance?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 01:10:29 GMT

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]Do you ask if your client's pet is insured?[/quote]

No.

(But it wasn't me who red-starred you.)