ComplaintsforVeterinary Health Center

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business is refusing to release my pet's full medical history to a new vet provider. At first, they lied and said that it was a law that I had to sign a release form. I looked up the law and it showed that my signature was not required, just a verbal consent. Now they finally sent the medical records but are refusing to send any lab work that I paid for an doctors notes made by the office, which according to the law, those items are included as "medical records" and are required to be released as requested. They are claiming that I have a $10 fee owed for a missed appointment over 6 months ago, however, I don't recall agreeing to those fees and I have visited this vet since that alleged missed appointment that they claim inquired a fee, with no mention of such fee. Now they are holding my pet's records hostage over $10. Please help me resolve this matter to get my pets FULL detailed medical history that I paid for.

  Business response

  02/16/2024

  This is an unfortunate situation. The short answer is ALL the records have been forwarded to Ms. ****** new Veterinary Clinic.
  
  With respect to Ms. ****** recollection, there are two issues that contributed to the path that led us here.
  1)      The initial balance on her account was for a missed appointment. The fee was assessed, per our policy, for a missed appointment for her pet, ******. It was assessed on 11/7/2023, not 6/8/23. According to our records, she did not have a subsequent appointment with our office.   After conferring with management regarding a new appointment we called her back and agreed to waive the fee. She indicated she was going to a new clinic and wanted her records transferred. We informed her that we were sending a release form for the records release, again, per our policy. 
  

  She responded that she researched the law and indicated that it said consent could be via a verbal consent. While this is not in accordance with our policy based on guidance from professional organizations and our legal team, we agreed, in an effort to mitigate the issue.

  
  2)     When advised that we forwarded the records to Ms. ****** new clinic on 2/12/24, including a set of xrays that were overlooked during the initial transmission, she challenged my staff in a very aggressive way. She was upset about records prior to 2017. 
  

  We informed her that all of our records had been forwarded. The records she was challenging were from a clinic in ********* prior to ************** becoming a client of Veterinary Health Center. We archived these previous records from her former clinic after her initial appointment in 2018.
  

  Ms. ****** correspondence became more threatening and unreasonable. Once again, after consulting with management, our staff retrieved the archived records and forwarded them to Ms. ****** new clinic in an effort to mitigate the issue. We informed ************** that ALL records were forwarded including the records prior to her becoming a client. We also  informed ************** that we consider the matter closed and instructed her not to contact our office again to shield our staff from her escalating behavior.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  02/16/2024

  This response is absolutely unacceptable.  The staff member informed me by phone that the appointment that I missed was from June 2023.  Now knowing that the appointment they were referring to was for ****** on 11/07/2023, I am even more disturbed by the nature of this fee.  I called their office on the morning of 11/07 right around the time that they opened, sobbing because ****** was spewing blood from her nose and needed immediate attention.  They told me that they could not see her until 4:30 that afternoon, when I questioned that and told them that she likely needed to be **********, as she was physically suffering, they said that I should call another Vet.  Which, I called another vet and was able to get my beloved pet ****** cared for within the hour.  Unfortunately, ****** was laid to rest during that appointment with the other vet.  And, I informed the office staff at Veterinary Health center that I had secured a different appointment and would no longer need their late afternoon appointment.  It is extremely disturbing that they would charge me $10 for this, as my pet had died this day and I informed them of this.  

  Furthermore, I did not become "aggressive" as they said.  I told the staff member on the phone that I was not paying their $10 fee.  If they did not process my request to forward the records, I would file *********s.  I gave them every opportunity to do their job and warned them of my next steps if they did not comply.  I never once made threats to them or acted in a "threatening" way.  They processed my request by only sending invoices, they omitted doctor's notes, X rays, and any lab work/results as I was informed by my new vet. It was not until I filed a BBB and Lara ********* did they comply, I was told several times that they were not releasing my pets medical record until I paid them $10.  Furthermore, this fee was never disclosed at any time when I started at this practice.   At this point I asked them again to send the records as I requested and I told them I was going to pursue *********s if they did not comply, since what they were doing was literally breaking the law.   They then told me to stop contacting the practice.  I did not accept that response and again told them to send them.  Then I proceeded to file *********s, as I warned them for not complying with the law.  

  It is absolutely disgraceful that they would try and charge me a $10 fee for a missed appointment that I told them I would miss because my dog was put to sleep that day.  They should be ashamed, and I will be consistently sharing my experience with the practice on my social medial platforms and through bad reviews.   A Simple apology for their behavior would have been the way to go.  Instead, they proceed to act as if I am in the wrong and have completely created an even further distaste with me through their response to BBB.   This place should be shut down.  They don't care about their patients at all, they just want money.  Disgraceful. 

  Customer response

  02/16/2024

  I have attached the email where the practice told me the fee was from 06/08/2023.    I have also attached the entire email correspondence.  I would love to know where in this correspondence did I become Threatening or aggressive?  I feel that I was acting within legal and reasonable guidelines.  This place is a joke.  

  Customer response

  02/20/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to ********* ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my *********.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  

  This response is absolutely unacceptable.  The staff member informed me by phone that the appointment that I missed was from June 2023.  Now knowing that the appointment they were referring to was for ****** on 11/07/2023, I am even more disturbed by the nature of this fee.  I called their office on the morning of 11/07 right around the time that they opened, sobbing because ****** was spewing blood from her nose and needed immediate attention.  They told me that they could not see her until 4:30 that afternoon, when I questioned that and told them that she likely needed to be **********, as she was physically suffering, they said that I should call another Vet.  Which, I called another vet and was able to get my beloved pet ****** cared for within the hour.  Unfortunately, ****** was laid to rest during that appointment with the other vet.  And, I informed the office staff at Veterinary Health center that I had secured a different appointment and would no longer need their late afternoon appointment.  It is extremely disturbing that they would charge me $10 for this, as my pet had died this day and I informed them of this.  

  Furthermore, I did not become "aggressive" as they said.  I told the staff member on the phone that I was not paying their $10 fee.  If they did not process my request to forward the records, I would file *********s.  I gave them every opportunity to do their job and warned them of my next steps if they did not comply.  I never once made threats to them or acted in a "threatening" way.  They processed my request by only sending invoices, they omitted doctor's notes, X rays, and any lab work/results as I was informed by my new vet. It was not until I filed a BBB and Lara ********* did they comply, I was told several times that they were not releasing my pets medical record until I paid them $10.  Furthermore, this fee was never disclosed at any time when I started at this practice.   At this point I asked them again to send the records as I requested and I told them I was going to pursue *********s if they did not comply, since what they were doing was literally breaking the law.   They then told me to stop contacting the practice.  I did not accept that response and again told them to send them.  Then I proceeded to file *********s, as I warned them for not complying with the law.  

  It is absolutely disgraceful that they would try and charge me a $10 fee for a missed appointment that I told them I would miss because my dog was put to sleep that day.  They should be ashamed, and I will be consistently sharing my experience with the practice on my social medial platforms and through bad reviews.   A Simple apology for their behavior would have been the way to go.  Instead, they proceed to act as if I am in the wrong and have completely created an even further distaste with me through their response to BBB.   This place should be shut down.  They don't care about their patients at all, they just want money.  Disgraceful. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

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