Preventive care plays a crucial role in maintaining a pet’s health and limiting potential issues. However, your clients might be feeling the heat because the cost of preventive care can add up quickly. Removing financial barriers not only helps pets get the care they need, but also helps your business thrive.
Our hospital teams work diligently to educate pet parents on the importance of preventative care, while also informing them of the financing options available to them. Through the acceptance of CareCredit at the majority of our CVP hospitals, we are able to extend valuable support to our patients, granting them access to essential care, while providing the convenience of affordable monthly payment options.
By providing a veterinary financing solution, such as the CareCredit pet and healthcare credit card, you, too, can help more pet owners gain access to care on any budget.
Educate patients about the savings that come with year-round preventive pet care
Despite pet owners’ best intentions, several challenges often make it difficult to prioritize pet preventive care. One significant challenge is the perception that veterinary care is costly and the perceived value when their pet seems to be doing well.
What we have found, however, is that it tends to cost patients more when preventative visits are not part of the equation. Owners that take their pets to the veterinarian yearly for a wellness exam and invest in preventative care save, on average, over $600 per pet. When pets are provided with consistent preventative care, CVP hospitals see an average spend of $1,971 over a pet’s lifetime. This is in comparison to when pets are only treated for acute care, which results in an average cost of $2,657 over a pet’s lifetime.
Just like in human healthcare, investing in preventive care for pets can help your patients avoid unnecessary pain and illness as well as the high costs associated with treating advanced stages of diseases.
By helping your clients understand the benefits for both their pet and their pocket, you are likely to see an increase in preventive treatment.
Remove barriers to pet care and create a path towards wellness
Almost seven out of 10 pet owners consider their pets members of the family, according to the Synchrony Lifetime of Care study, so it stands to reason that most pet parents want to give their pets the best care. Unfortunately, cost can get in the way. The study reports that one in four pet owners are stressed by a bill of $250 or less. In addition, a survey across our 130+ hospitals found that one of the main drivers for a client to seek care at a different hospital was cost.
Offering budget-friendly monthly payments can help clients invest in and protect their pets’ health, and help your practice maintain a loyal and repeat patient-base. CareCredit offers patients 0% interest for a set period of time depending on your clients’ needs, in addition to flexible 6, 12, 18 and 24 month financing plans, resulting in low monthly payments.
Patients can implement CareCredit for a variety of preventative and medical treatments, including:
- Annual check-ups
- Dental Prophylaxis and Oral Surgery
- Parasites
- Dermatology
- Medication
- Diagnostics
- Vaccinations
- Microchipping
- Pet food and nutrition
- Surgery
- Emergency/Urgent Care
By alleviating budgetary concerns and constraints, you can assist clients in proactively scheduling routine visits. With such financial support, pet owners can ensure their beloved companions receive the essential preventive measures and medical attention they need to stay healthy.
Amplify the financing options available at your veterinary clinic
To ensure your clients are informed to make the most of available financing options, effective promotion becomes crucial. You will want to leverage your audience channels to ensure that patients know they have options when it comes to affording pet care. To assist you in this endeavor, when you partner with CareCredit, you are equipped with ready-to-use client communication resources, designed to facilitate your efforts, and enhance client awareness.
We put good use to the digital assets available from CareCredit across our CVP hospitals. A few tips include:
- Social media posts: Use pre-written copy to create engaging posts. Consider highlighting financing options in your posts and stressing the importance of preventative treatment for pets.
- Web banners: Place pre-written flexible financing banners on your website and drive clients to the CareCredit Payment Calculator so they can understand their monthly payment options.
- Client emails: Add a blurb about CareCredit to your pet owner emails, or download pre-written email copy to help make the job easier on your team.
Merge preventative pet care and technology with online access to financing
In order to meet the digital demands of pet owners, CareCredit allows your clients to apply anytime, anywhere from their own device. They are immediately able to see if they pre-qualify (with no impact to their credit score), get a decision in minutes and, if approved, there is no wait to have access to begin using their account. Each practice has a customized link and QR code so clients can simply click or scan to start the process.
Financing is a private matter and clients are more likely to explore these options in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. In addition, this easy-access approach saves time for pet owners and your team.
Learn to effectively communicate with clients about affordable pet care
What you say to clients—right down to specific words and phrases—matters. A lot. That’s according to the study Language That Works, Changing the Way We Talk About Veterinary Care, which was spearheaded by the AVMA and supported by CareCredit. The study revealed pet owners’ first association with veterinary care is “money,” but they typically don’t budget for veterinary care and may not be aware of payment options.
Pet parents often appreciate when their veterinary team tackles the financial conversation head on and offers “options” to help them pay for high quality care that they deserve. Help your team members confidently engage in these conversations with resources in the Language That Works eBook. Be sure to implement a consistent way to speak with every client about financing options, so every client gets the same chance to make budget-friendly payments.
CVP is committed to educating our clients, providing cost-saving solutions, and bringing more awareness on how we can overcome and remove financial barriers to pet care.
If you have questions about how our team is utilizing CareCredit, submit the form below and we’d be happy to follow up.