Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! We’ve decided to start the year off by setting some goals – not New Year’s resolutions, but real steps our team can take to make 2021 a success. Here’s one you may want to also consider… increase the number of insured pets who come through our doors.
We know pet health insurance can be a tricky topic. In the past, complex claim forms, loopholes for coverage, and negative client reviews gave the insurance industry a bad reputation. But thanks to many changes, including increased competition among insurance providers, you can now be comfortable recommending pet insurance as a viable payment option.
Here are five simple reasons why a larger insured client base is good for your hospital:
- Data shows that insured pets visit the veterinarian more often. Because insured pet owners are more focused on their pet’s health than the cost of care, they’re more likely to schedule visits at the first sign of illness or injury. They’re also more compliant with aftercare instructions and follow-up visits.
- Insured clients can accept your optimal recommended diagnostics and treatment plans, without asking for a cheaper “Plan B,” or worse, economic euthanasia.
- More frequent visits plus more sophisticated, longer-term treatment equals higher revenue for your hospital.
- Better treatment often results in better outcomes for your patients – which means higher morale for your team and happier clients.
- Most plans are streamlined and simple for hospitals to deal with. Some require no claim forms, while others can pay your hospital directly – a big step up from the reimbursement model, which requires clients to pay costs up front.
We know what you’re thinking: You’re not an insurance salesperson, nor do you have time to learn the ins and outs of every policy. (Good news: you don’t need to!). Big changes can start with small steps. For easy ways to begin working pet insurance into conversations with your clients, here is a recent article from Today’s Veterinary Business.
The new year is a time for new beginnings. We hope you see us as your partner in pet care, available to your clients for emergency services 24/7, all 365 days a year. If you can make pet health insurance another partner, you’ll set your hospital and your team on the road to solid growth. We’d say that’s a worthy goal for any year.
