ADVERTORIAL
New Hope for
Debt Control in Private Practice
Dr Daniela Spaeth ( BVSc ) and Dr Graeme Harman ( BVSc ),
Accumulating debt and writing-off hard earned profits year after year seems to be an ubiquitous problem within our veterinary profession . In fact , after discussing this matter with vets all over the country , it seems there is no single private veterinary practice which can claim a " debt-free " status .
Infuriating battles with clients who continuously refuse payment rob us of the joy and fulfilment we should experience practicing our unique and often clinically very rewarding profession . In short , these debt accumulations add to our increasing lack of empathy and understanding , which our patients really deserve . It also adds to our daily stress load and to a growing incidence of depression and apathy towards our profession into which we once entered with passion and dedication .
A case in point is Mr ' Chop ', an unregistered Pitbull breeder , who occasionally needs help afterhours when one of his bitches experiences complications while in labour . He has built up a history of calling out various vets in the ' Kaalvlakte ' district in the middle of the night to help him out with whatever procedure might be necessary . Because payment collection in the middle of the night is often a difficulty he has built up accounts with 5 different veterinary clinics in the district . These accounts later remain unpaid . On top of this , Mr ' Chop ' has sent out a lawyer ' s letter to certain vets threatening to sue for the loss of puppies not born alive . While this does illustrate an extreme case of an individual client causing a group of veterinarians much trouble , there are certainly many other vets that can come up with similar cases of clients abusing the veterinarian ' s hard work and refusing payment . How do we go about avoiding this kind of stress and frustration that has severe negative effects on our personal and professional lives ?
Finally , a new software system , called UmbrellaThorn Data , has been developed specifically to deal with this problematic aspect of being a vet in private practice . It works on a history of bad payments logged by various practices in a given area .
It functions in accordance with the South-African Consumers Act and the Guidelines of the South-African Veterinary Council . In particular it pertains to the ' Rules relating to the practicing of Veterinary Professionals stipulated in the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act of 1982 and its Amendments '.
( Refer in particular to the Amendment of 2015 page 12 , Article 4 . ( General principles ), paragraph 3 . c ) Professional Care and d ) Confidentiality )
c ) Professional care : To give due importance to the welfare of the patient : The veterinary professional may , as far as it is within his / her professional ability , not refuse or discontinue treatment to an animal without valid reason ; valid reasons include but are not limited to : dangerous animals , verbal abuse , physical violence , and history of non-payment by the owner . Where there are financial constraints , the only treatment that a veterinary professional will ever be obliged to offer at a discounted rate or free of charge , for the sake of animal welfare , is euthanasia .
( d ) Confidentiality : To respect the confidentiality of information acquired as a result of professional services and the relationships emanating therefrom , and , therefore , not disclose any such information to third parties without proper and specific authority , unless there is a legal or professional right or duty to disclose , nor use the information for the personal advantage of the veterinary professional or third parties . vet360
Issue 02 | APRIL 2017 | 6