Pet insurance and your practice

Not all of you are recommending pet insurance to clients, but most of you wish your clients had it. Some of you skeptics out there think pet insurance will turn into a mess like human healthcare. Others think it'll result in additional paperwork or someone dictating how you practice medicine. But have you considered the potential benefits? Pet insurance can ease the bite an expensive procedure takes out of a client's wallet if a pet develops a major medical condition. It helps ensure that you get paid for the services you provide. And, perhaps most importantly, pets are more likely to get optimal care, keeping them happy and healthy.

Doctors' views on pet insurance (illustrations by Marci Roth).

If you're a true believer regarding pet insurance, you need to be sure clients are hearing your message about it. That means the whole practice team needs to be educated on the topic so they can talk about it consistently. So start with the basics, research a few plans, and consider providing pet insurance as an employee perk. That way team members become familiar with pet insurance and feel more comfortable discussing it with clients.

Also, hold a team CE session. According to a VetMedTeam.com survey, 56 percent of team members say they haven't received enough training to understand pet insurance and educate clients about it. Once everyone in your practice is comfortable with how pet insurance works, they'll be much more confident in their recommendations to clients.

Team members' views on pet insurance.