Category: Veterinary

Travelers Rest Animal Hospital makes quality veterinary care and services more accessible and affordable for thousands of pet-owning families.

February 7, 2022

As the only full service, accredited animal hospital in the beautiful mountain community of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, Travelers Rest Animal Hospital is leading the way in providing exceptional pet care. Recently nominated as the 2021 AHA’s Hospital of the Year coupled with their recent partnership with iCare Financial is why they’ve become beacons of their South Carolina community.

Started in 2004, Drs. Bryant and Kelley Phillips have made it their mission to give pet-owning families access to the best technology and the most experienced and compassionate team possible to care for their furry family members. But it is their rollout of a new payment plan through their financing partner, iCare that has generated a lot of buzz among their families.

“iCare has been a great addition to our hospital because it gives families, of all income levels, a new option to be able to pay for pet care. We’ve noticed an increase in referrals and overall customer satisfaction, since families know that we can provide a host of flexible payment options,” explains Shannon, Travelers Rest Animal Hospital’s Office Manager.

Offering a host of innovative services including, wellness and preventative care, dental care, orthopedic surgery, and advanced diagnostic techniques, it’s no wonder that Travelers Rest Animal Hospital has become the go-to for quality animal care.

The flexibility that iCare’s monthly payment plan offers to families is reducing their financial burden to receive quality pet medical services. This in turn has helped Travelers Rest Animal Hospital reach and care for even more pets in the community.

 

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Through iCare, patients can divide animal care costs into small monthly payments without having to undergo a credit check. iCare also offers comprehensive financing services for veterinary hospitals as iCare handles all payment collection and processing, lifting the administrative burden off of doctors and their teams.

iCare deposits payments to the practice within 2 business days and iCare guarantees payment, even if a patient defaults on their original installment arrangement.

 

With medical costs on the rise, many pet owners are being faced with the harsh and financial decision of either pursuing care for their pets or putting them to sleep to defray costs. A phenomenon referred to as “economic or financial euthanasia” leaves pet owners trying to manage their pet’s health with shrinking family incomes. According to the Humane Society, Americans own approximately 83 million dogs and 95 million cats, which account for more than $55 billion spent on food and medical care for their pets each year.¹

Yet, as veterinarian costs have increased, on average, by 10-12%², pet owners are often left few options, including waiving necessary medical care, giving their pet(s) up for adoption, or choosing to put them to sleep – often for common, easily treatable ailments. In fact, 2 out of every 3 pets are euthanized every week solely due to economic reasons.³ And, among the senior population and with families living on fixed incomes, medical experts suggest that this deadly statistic may be much higher.

As the number of animals in shelters continues to rise and with the limited space and funding available to these shelters, nearly 3-4 million animals are euthanized each year.⁴ This is a very sad reality considering over 90% of those put to death could have been adopted, had the shelters had more time or resources to find suitable foster families.

The veterinary industry has made great strides in leveraging technology to make previously costly procedures easier to administer and less costly for pet owners. However, despite these advancements in the field, the average veterinarian appointment still costs a pet owner at least $250 per animal, even for routine care.⁵ Without creative and affordable financing options for pet owners, the rates of economic euthanasia will likely increase well into the future.

iCare Financial – Flexible, Proven Veterinary Financing for Pet Owners

To meet the financial challenges of pet owners, leading veterinary service providers are using innovative programs like iCare Financial to lower the financial cost of burden of veterinary care. Unlike other medical financing programs, iCare enables pet owners to gain instant access to monthly financing – all without a credit check. With 0% interest charged to pet owners, iCare guarantee all financing plans to the practice with no recourse. This eliminates the medical provider’s need to dedicate resources to pursue collections accounts and ensures a steady flow of income for the veterinary practice. As a seamless companion and supplement program to current financing programs, iCare can be used in conjunction with CareCredit or any other 3^rd party financing services.

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¹ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-spent-a-record-56-billion-on-pets-last-year/
² https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/07/economic-euthanasia-pets-increases/7790733/
³ https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/animal-doctor-risks-in-sidestepping-the-pet-insurance-safety-net/2017/04/28/0048aade-2a11-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html?noredirect=on
⁴ https://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-2017/how-much-should-you-spend-to-save-sick-pet.html
⁵ https://blog.petplus.com/pet-tips/vet-visit-costs/

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Economic Euthanasia is an American Tragedy

If you want to give pet owners a proven and affordable option
to keep their four-legged family member healthy, then contact us today to learn how iCare can increase your office’s revenue while getting your patients the care they deserve.