Payment
Information on payment, insurance and submitting insurance claims
Insured Pets
We encourage you to contact your insurance provider prior to your appointment to get an understanding of your pet's individual insurance cover, policy exclusions or any treatment your insurers may cap coverage of. This is also a good opportunity to advise your insurers that your pet has been referred to Veterinary Specialists Scotland.
Some insurance companies require a pre-authorisation prior to treatment, or you may wish the reassurance that a pre-authorisation is in place. We will complete these for you and there is no additional fee for doing so.
We are happy to submit direct claims (see below) if your pet is insured with certain insurance companies. A direct claim is where we submit the claim to your insurer and settlement is then made directly to Veterinary Specialists Scotland.
If there is an outstanding amount left on the account after the insurance company have paid, it is your responsibility to make a final payment directly to us.
Our financial contract is with you, and not the insurer, so please be aware that you are liable for any fees not settled by the insurance company (e.g. policy excesses or excluded conditions or where the level of cover has been exceeded).
Referral Vet Network (RSA)
Some pet insurance companies that are underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA) are part of a referral vet network and direct their policy holders to use specific referral centres which are signed up to this scheme. If clients do not use a preferred centre, they may be penalised by £200 in relation to a pet’s first appointment at a non preferred referral centre.
If a direct claim of over £250 is processed with Veterinary Specialists Scotland and the insurer deducts a £200 referral fee from your settlement, then it is our policy to refund this to your account. In the case of a non-direct claim of over £250 you will need to submit evidence of the referral deduction via [email protected] for a refund to be applied your account.
For treatment under £250, payment is expected at the time of your appointment and an in-direct claim can be submitted to your insurers on your behalf. It is our policy for claims of under £250 that we do not refund the £200 referral fee if your insurers deduct this from your claim.
Submitting a Direct Claim
Use of this service must be requested at the time of booking your initial appointment to allow us to confirm that your insurance company is one that we have approved for direct claims. If we are submitting a direct claim with your insurance company you will be asked to;
- Provide a valid policy schedule detailing the level of cover, and any deductions for which you are liable or any exclusions
- Supply us with a signed paper insurance claim form or your insurer's alternative i.e you may have to activate a claim directly with your insurers, please contact your insurers for advice if you are unsure
- Ensure your insurer has permission to speak to us directly about your claim
- On the day of your appointment , pay a minimum deposit of £250 to cover any amounts your insurers may deduct from your claim plus a £40 insurance administration fee. You may have to pay more than this depending on your policy cover
- Sign a direct claim agreement
We charge a £40 administration fee for this service, which is in addition to the deposit.
Submitting a Non Direct Claim
If your pet is insured with a company that we do not deal directly with, we will ask you to:
- Make payment in full for the treatment your pet has received if not admitted to the hospital
- If we admit your pet to the hospital, we will require a deposit of 50% of the upper estimate with the balance payable when your pet leaves the hospital
- Supply us with a signed paper insurance claim form or your insurers alternative i.e. you may have to activate a claim directly with your insurers (please contact your insurers for advice if you are unsure)
We will then send the completed claim form to your insurance company when all reports and results are finalised, for them to make payment directly to you.
We charge a £40 administration fee for this service, which will be included in the deposit.
Non-insured Pets
If your pet is not insured we will require payment for the consultation fee and any medication given after your appointment. If we admit your pet to the hospital, we will require a deposit of 50% of the upper estimate of the cost of treatment. The remainder of the balance is payable when your pet is due to go home.
Methods of Payment
Payment is expected in full when your pet goes home. We accept debit cards, most major credit cards, cash and electronic transfer (our bank account details are available upon request). Due to COVID-19, our current preference is card payment.
Please note that we do not accept notes over £50.00, or personal cheques.
Refunds
If your account is in credit following settlement from the insurance company, we will refund you the balance.