Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The owner of this business, *******************, is refusing to release the results of bloodwork which she ran on my dog on Saturday, May 20th, 2023. ***** has given various excuses for why she is refusing to release these results, but none of them matter as she is legally required by law to release all medical records relating to my dog according to ***. Admin. Code ******, which I am attaching to this report.*****'s most recent excuse for not releasing the records is that she did not input the test results into my dog's medical records, because said tests "were not necessary for the care or treatment of {the dog}." If this bloodwork was not necessary for the care and treatment of my dog, ******************* should have never ordered that my dog's blood be drawn. However, because she did and it was, those results are legally a part of my dog's medical record, whether or not ***** properly added them to my dog's record, and I am entitled to receive copies of them. The bloodwork was run after ***** gave my dog Panoquell the day before, which I have since learned is an experimental drug, not fully approved by the **** Notes from the clinic indicate that the blood drawn on May 20th was drawn as a part of a "case study" that ***** is doing. The fact that ***** is working so hard to hide the results of bloodwork related to a case study on an experimental drug makes me very, very concerned about what said blood work reveals.To summarize, blood was drawn on May 20th, 2023. I know for a fact that a CPL ***** was run, which ***** claims came back "normal," but she has not provided proof of such. I also know that two additional tests were run on the same day, using the same blood sample, because her vet tech ********* told me such when I called for the test results. ***** has refused to even disclose what those tests were that she ran on my dog's blood, let alone the results of those two additional tests. I am entitled to the results of all three tests run on May 20th, 2023.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  I have provided this client with all the medical records for her pet, including all lab tests that were REQUIRED / NECESSARY for treatment of her pet and that she paid for.  The client verbally agreed to allow her pets blood to be drawn for my case study.  I have verbally told the client that all test results (paid for by me) were normal and the pet was responding perfectly to her treatment.  She has harassed my hospital staff with multiple calls and demands of results when the tests hadnt even been ran yet.  The pet was much improved and home when the client continually harassed us with several calls over a few hours.  

  
  The client was thoroughly educated on the product and even interrupted a professional conversation between a visiting doctor and I and demanded that I continue the conversation in the exam room with her.  I politely conceded to her request.  As I also conceded to multiple demands from the client to perform procedures and treatments outside of our hospital protocol to ease her anxiety and make sure the pet got the care she needed. Including, allowing the client to sleep in our exam room for hours while her pet got IV supportive care.  The client was refusing in hospital treatment if we did not allow this and many other demands. 
  
  I have nothing to hide and I'm very excited to share the amazing outcomes from this new product!  As soon as the client pays for them, she can have a full copy.

  If the tests I performed were REQUIRED for the health and wellbeing of this patient then the client would have been made to pay for them at the time of service.  As they were NOT REQUIRED as part of the patient's treatment, they were not ordered under her file and results not entered into her medical records.  The patients resolution of clinical symptoms was enough to say the treatment was working.  I personally chose to go above and beyond for the additional facts of the case to show other doctors how quickly this product works.  I have proof of many cases that have received the product with NO followup bloodwork. 

  THE ONLY REASON I have refused to supply the lab results (that I paid for) is because of the disrespect and unreasonable expectations of this client including the harassment of my staff and thereby interrupting the emergency care of other patients in my hospital.

  The client involved a family member with a law degree to make further demands.

  From Lawyer: A veterinarian may not withhold the release of veterinary medical records for nonpayment of a professional fee.  
  
  My response: Im not charging a professional fee for the release of records!  I sent them to your client with no fee attached. 
  
  
  From Lawyer: ******************************************* makes the health and safety of the animal of paramount importance.
  
  My response: This is a young dog which I treated and no longer has pancreatitis.  This has NOTHING to do with the health and safety of this animal. 
  
  My staff can testify, as well as our recorded videos from cameras, to the actions of the client in our hospital.  Constantly interrupting our workflow and taking care away from other critical patients. Interrupting professional conversations between another doctor and I during an interview process.  As well as letting her dog run around our lobby with no restraint after repeated requests not too AND a posted sign saying it was mandatory in our hospital.  She DEMANDED to stay in our hospital with her dog while hospitalized or she was going to refuse care for a very sick animal.  Do these sound like the actions of a completely reasonable person?  This client was shown the utmost respect and professionalism until she was disrespectful and made demands for something I graciously did to be a better doctor.  I have a zero tolerance policy for rudeness in my hospital and this is me standing my ground.

  This woman has posted a one star review for my establishment when her and her dog were given the absolute BEST care.  Now she is filing a complaint with the BBB to slander my reputation.  All for her to get something SHE DID NOT PAY FOR!  This woman took a stack of my business cards to leave at her local pet shop because she was so happy and satisfied with the care they received from us.  And now, because I won't give her something she hasn't paid for, she has decided to belittle name and my reputation. 
  
  And let this be a NOTICE OF TERMINATION for any future care for this client in my hospital.  There are other emergency hospitals in a reasonable distance from our facility for this client to obtain veterinary services.

  Respectfully,

  **********************, DVM, Practice Owner

  NB Animal Urgent Care

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/06/2023

  Complaint: 20145376
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because the business did not produce the medical records they are legally required to produce. As noted in the office visit summary, attached when I filed the initial complaint and attached again for clarity, the blood draw on May 20th is entered in my dog's medical records, and therefore this procedure absolutely IS a part of her medical records. Therefore, the results of lab work from said blood draw should have been entered as well. The fact that ***** did not input the results in my dog's medical record does not make them not a part of my dog's legal medical record. It simply means ***** has failed to properly document lab work that she ran on my dog, within my dog's medical record, as required by law. All procedures done on an animal, including tests and results of said tests, are a part of an animal's legal medical record, and the law states that a veterinarian cannot withhold said medical records for non-payment.
  
  Furthermore, I at no time consented to a medical procedure being done on my dog that was NOT required for her care and treatment. The first time I heard that this blood draw was NOT for the care and treatment of my dog was when ***** emailed me with that as an excuse for why she was refusing to produce the results of the blood draw / lab work. Had I been told, "The patient's resolution of clinical symptoms was enough to say the treatment was working" on May 20th, I would have refused the blood draw. Both ***** and ********* could be reasonably expected to know this, as every single thing I did while there was to ensure that my dog experienced the *least* amount of trauma possible, including laying on the floor with her for hours while she was hooked up to an IV. I would have NEVER subjected my dog to a painful blood draw so that ***** could show off to other doctors "how quickly this product works." If the absence of clinical symptoms was all that was needed to prove the product was working, then why was my dogs blood drawn?
  
  
  As ***** has now admitted that this blood draw was not for the care or treatment of my dog, there is absolutely no reason it would make sense for me to pay her for the lab work, which she already ran. ***** has admitted she did this for her own interests, at her own expense. Sharing the results of lab work she already ran, for her own purposes, costs her nothing. While ***** has asserted that the reason that she is refusing to produce these results is because of my "disrespect and unreasonable expectations," my hunch as to why she is refusing to produce the results is because of another issue at play, that I did not include in my initial report, as it was resolved (or so I thought). 
  
  
  NB Animal Clinic overcharged me by $1,000 for Panoquell, one of the drugs used to treat my dog (the one shes trying to show other doctors works so quickly). When I went to check out and saw they had charged me $500 x 3, for a total of $1,500 (on top of thousands in other expenses), I asked the receptionist, ********* if this was an error, as it seemed excessive. Rather than going to check with the practice manager or owner, ******** simply told me it was correct and that each injection was $500. I could see that they were busy at that time, so rather than demanding to speak with someone above her, I simply paid the bill and left. Two days later, when I went back for my dog's last injection of Panoquell, I spoke with other pet owners in the waiting room, whose dogs were also being treated with Panoquell, and I learned they had only paid $500 (total) for three injections of the exact same drug for their dogs, which were nearly the exact same size as my dog. When I confronted ***** about this via email, she became incredibly hostile. Had I not run into these other pet owners and found out they were charged $1,000 less for the same treatment, I'm not sure I would have ever had the proof needed to show that I was over-charged by $1,000, nor do I know if I would have ever received a refund for this egregious "billing error." ***** did refund me the $1,000 that she over-charged me after I informed her that I had proof she charged other clients less. However, she took an entire week to refund me, and issued a check, that she required I drive to her office to pick up, wasting my time and gas, rather than immediately refunding my credit card that I used to pay. 
  
  
  All of this to say, for many, many reasons things went sideways with this business. Prior to contacting the BBB, I tried to assume the best, politely requesting records, both over the phone and via email for two weeks. When ***** refused to produce my dogs full and complete medical records, including the results of the lab work ran on May 20th (as noted in my dogs legal medical records), I did get an attorney involved. Before taking further legal action, I decided to enlist the help of the BBB to try to get this resolved.
  
  
  Thank you for your help in resolving this matter,
  
  
  *************************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  Yes, *******, that is one more example of your rudeness.  Instead of saying, "Hi ***********, would you mind reviewing my bill and making sure the charges were correct for Selah?", you decided to accuse me of insurance fraud!  

  I will no longer be responding to ANY form of communication with this woman.  She has wasted enough of my valuable time.  If ******* requires any further response from me, it will be through my own lawyer.  DOCTOR **********************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

  Complaint: 20145376
  
  I am rejecting this response because ***** has still not produced the medical records she is legally required to produce, specifically the results from the blood draw notated in my dog's legal medical record on May 20th. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************