Undoubtedly, veterinarians are a key part of life for many Americans. In 2013 alone, veterinary care accounted for $14.37 billion dollars spent on pet care. However, that doesn’t mean that vets are getting rich off of what they do. Far from it, in fact. Many veterinarians in this day and age are finding it difficult to stay afloat. This isn’t because pet owners are taking poor care of their animals. Nor is it because they can’t afford the services offered by veterinarians. In fact, sometimes the opposite is the issue. Veterinarians are not in this for the money, but rather for the love of animals. Nor are they monitored by the same oversight that doctors who treat humans experience. That is, when it comes to paying for human medical bills, insurance companies are often involved. This can result in a kind of regulation of fees in human medicine. Veterinarians do not have nearly as many patients with insurance; when pet owners do have pet insurance, it usually involves reimbursement, and doesn’t have to be “accepted” by the vet in the way human health insurance does. As such, vets perform medical services similar to those performed on humans for much less money, and out of the goodness of their hearts sometimes don’t make enough money to stay “in business”.
Why Do Vets Have Money Problems?
First of all, it’s important to stress that not all vets are experiencing cash flow problems! But it is something that many vets experience. It’s estimated that 62% of vets don’t use financial strategies to run their businesses, with many not using reviewing key metrics on a regular basis. Furthermore, vets come out of school with nearly as much debt as those who go to school to become “human doctors”. The American Veterinary Medical Association indicated that about 90% of vets left veterinary school with significant debt. So while combatting debt, veterinarians are at the same time dealing with high costs and the issue of charging fees to pet owners that are profitable but fair. Veterinarians aren’t always comfortable with the idea of turning away an animal because its owner can’t pay for its medical fees, and with good reason. Many vets experience financial problems simply because they’re trying to do the right thing. Yet doing the right thing doesn’t mean that things like veterinary equipment cost any less — at least, not when they’re brand new.
Used Medical Equipment Sales: An Option For Vets?
Some vets will immediately balk at the idea of used medical equipment sales — but they shouldn’t. For one thing, used medical equipment sales offer a variety of different types of medical equipment. A veterinarian wouldn’t have to buy all of their equipment used; simply the types they are comfortable with. Even that could save a significant amount of money. A used veterinary exam table is obviously not a product used for invasive purposes, but nonetheless is necessary and important. Through used medical equipment sales, a veterinarian can get his or her hands on equipment like this for a fraction of what a brand new piece would cost. This allows the vet to save money without hiking up their fees to a ridiculous degree. Thus, the same level of quality care can be provided to all patients. Furthermore, used medical equipment doesn’t necessarily have to show signs of wear and tear. Often the used equipment sold by such dealers is refurbished. As such there is no aesthetic sign of use, and certainly the equipment remains high quality and capable of excellent performance.
Veterinarians shouldn’t have to worry about their livelihoods. Nor should they have to leave patients uncared-for due to rising costs. Buying used and refurbished medical equipment is one way to cut costs without cutting quality care.