How do I say...? When clients decline wellness diagnostics

Q: Clients who previously said yes to wellness diagnostics are accepting fewer tests or declining them altogether. How can my team improve adherence?

A: You are not alone. Diagnostics top the list of services most often refused.¹

Only 12% of clients accept diagnostics during wellness appointments—leaving pets with undiagnosed diseases, missed treatments, and families who believe everything is fine when this is not the case.²

Risks are rising fast. Heartworm and tick-borne diseases are expanding beyond historical hot spots into communities that were once low risk.³ When I spoke at an event in Nebraska last month, a hospital manager told me they diagnosed a heartworm-positive cat—a case that shook their whole team. Here is how to improve wellness diagnostic adherence:

Send preappointment education with confirmations

Tailor information based on the patient’s species and age. An adult canine wellness appointment confirmation would include information on local tick-borne disease and heartworm prevalence to communicate the need for testing. A senior feline wellness appointment confirmation would share the benefits of an early-detection screen of blood work and urinalysis.

Clients who understand the need for preventive diagnostics before appointments are better equipped for shared decision-making. Their increased understanding results in higher adherence and better long-term prevention.⁴

Set affordable fees

Create 2 tiers of diagnostic fees: preventive screening and sick-patient testing. Set fees for sick-patient workups 25% higher than preventive screening. Keeping wellness diagnostics affordable will improve adherence and appeal to cost-conscious clients.

Sick-patient testing is slightly higher because it requires the veterinarian to evaluate results, diagnose the condition, identify treatment options, and discuss lab results and treatments with clients. More doctor time merits a higher fee. Although you may perform the same test for wellness and sick-patient visits, they have different lab codes for pricing and reminder purposes.

Write a team script.

Clear, consistent messages can increase adherence, build client trust, and lead to better patient outcomes. Let us use Lyme disease as an example. Follow the framework of 3 talking points: how pets get Lyme disease, why testing matters, and how to prevent it.

Say, “Lyme disease is transmitted to humans and animals through the bite of infected ticks. Symptoms may include lameness, swollen lymph nodes, joint swelling, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Lyme disease can cause serious kidney complications. In Monroe County, Pennsylvania, 1 in 8 dogs is testing positive,5 and our doctors diagnose multiple dogs every week. Our annual test screens for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and heartworm—4 diseases. We also advise vaccinating your dog for Lyme disease annually and giving year-round parasite protection. Shall we perform the heartworm/tick screen, or do you want to talk with the doctor?”

Send diagnostic reminders

To differentiate lab codes, use “screen” for preventive diagnostics and “test” for sick-pet workups. An early-detection screen of blood work and urinalysis will have an annual reminder, whereas a sick-patient test will not. Distinct lab codes also let you measure adherence. Run a report on the number of active senior dogs and how many senior canine early- detection screens you performed.

Your diagnostic conversations matter more than ever. When diagnostics are skipped, pets stay vulnerable, and practices lose the chance to protect them.

Reference

1. Nolen RS. Veterinarians report increasing price sensitivity, decreasing visits. American Veterinary Medical Association. February 13, 2026. Accessed August 7, 2026. https://www.avma.org/news/veterinarians-reportincreasing-price-sensitivity-decreasing-visits
2. Mazelsky J. IDEXX Laboratories presentation. Presented at: Raymond James 46th Annual Institutional Investors Conference; March 3, 2025; Orlando, FL. Accessed August 7, 2026. https://www.idexx.com/ files/2025-03-03-raymond-james-46th.pdf
3. 2026 annual pet parasite forecasts. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Accessed August 7, 2026. https:// capcvet.org/articles/2026-annual-pet-parasite-forecasts/
4. Bhattad PB, Pacifico L. Empowering patients: promoting patient education and health literacy. Cureus. 2022;14(7):e27336. doi:10.7759/cureus.27336 5. Parasite prevalence maps. Companion Animal Parasite Council. Accessed August 11, 2026. https://capcvet. org/maps/#/2026/all-year/lyme-disease/dog/united-states/pennsylvania/2289-monroe-county