ComplaintsforAnza Animal Clinic

• Initial Complaint

  04/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  About 6 weeks ago: This place is a scam and they committed fraud. I have taken my cats here several times and seen all the vets but I still have not gotten a diagnosis for my kitten’s chronic health issues. I recently got an abdominal ultrasound done at ANZA and was quoted 3 times by the vet and the receptionists that it would cost $350. This is a ton of money for me but I booked the appointment and my partner brought my cat in for the appointment. When we picked up my cat, they asked for $700. I told the vet techs that I was quoted $350 and they said I signed a plan of care with an estimate of the total cost when I dropped off my cat. My partner and I told them that we never received this document. The vet tech pulled out a signed copy of the plan of care with my name on it and a signature. The signature was not mine and we had never seen the form before. A secretary at ANZA forgot to go over the plan of care with my partner or I and get the paperwork signed, so they FORGED the signature!!! The vet tech supervisor was extremely rude and did not believe us. They would not let us leave without paying the services they provided (ultrasound, fees, and anesthesia). They wanted to charge us $200 for having the ultrasound interpreted. In the end, we paid $472, without the radiologist report! The vet did not give us any information about the ultrasound and said that our cat probably has FIP, a deadly disease. After having the ultrasound interpreted by a family member and reaching out to an FIP support group, it seems that my cat does not have the signs of FIP. After spending almost 2k at ANZA we still have no answers.

  Business response

  04/25/2023

  Please see the above attachments. 

  I am writing on behalf of Anza Animal Clinic ("the hospital") regarding the complaint filed by

  Ms. A***** ******* for services received on behalf of her cat, R***, on January 20, 2023.

  R*** V****** presented to the hospital on January 20, 2023, for a scheduled diagnostic ultrasound visit. The hospital has an established protocol for surgery check-in (see attached "Surgery Check-in Protocol"). On the day in question, Ms. V******'s partner ("the client") brought R*** in for her scheduled appointment. The technician on the case reviewed the treatment plan with the client and confirmed approval on the associated charges. We agree that Ms. V****** did not sign the treatment plan, her partner did. Unfortunately, a squiggly line was used as the signature making it difficult to prove (see attached signed treatment plan). Additionally, we have included a personal statement from the technician that reviewed the treatment plan with the client prior to R***'s drop-off.

  Ms. V****** claims that we quoted $350 for the ultrasound - we are unsure who Ms. V****** has spoken with in the hospital regarding the cost associated with an ultrasound, but the hospital invoice (see attached) reflects that $350 is indeed the cost of the ultrasound. Unfortunately, sedation is often required for a diagnostic ultrasound to be performed and is often decided on a patient-by-patient basis depending on tolerance for positioning during the ultrasound and ability for the ultrasonographer to properly assess everything necessary for an accurate diagnostic report. When the treatment plan was reviewed with the client at drop off, sedation was included in case R*** required it, which she did. This hospital is an

  American Animal Hospital Association ("AAHA") certified hospital and would not complete a procedure without prior client approval.

  The hospital did not commit fraud as the client signed the treatment plan prior to services being rendered, but we have offered a settlement to Ms. V****** to resolve this issue (see attached "signed offer letter" and "release"). The hospital will not be offering a refund for the cost of the ultrasound as Ms. V****** was fully aware of that cost (as she has repeatedly proven in her complaints and statements), and we expect payment for services rendered.

  We understand that Ms. V****** is frustrated that she still has no answers for what R*** is suffering from, but the practice of medicine does not often give us quick, easy answers. Doctors and hospitals need to take a step-by-step approach to cases and rule out potential causes for a pet's illness which requires various diagnostics and, depending on the underlying cause, can become quite expensive.

   

   

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