My pets have been patients of Chews Landing Veterinary Hospital for many years (even before the practice changed ownership), and I have spent alot of money for pet care at this practice! On April 7th, I took my 14 year-old cat to his annual check-up with Dr. Rubincam, who ordered a senior feline bloodwork panel ($200). The results showed high-normal Thyroid T4, so we decided to order a follow-up Free T4 test (ON THE REMAINING BLOOD SAMPLE THE LAB ALREADY HAD) just to confirm hyperthyroidism before beginning treatment. I USUALLY DO NOT QUESTION ANY SERVICE CHARGES ASSESSED BY THIS PRACTICE, SINCE I FEEL THAT THEIR SERVICES ARE NECESSARY FOR MY PETS' CONTINUED GOOD HEALTH. But when the office called me the following Monday to order the test, I questioned why the charge for a SINGLE Free T4 test was $238, when charges for the ENTIRE visit (including the exam, medical waste disposal and bloodwork panel consisting of MULTIPLE tests) TOTALED $268. Gwen in the office told me that the lab charged $238 for the test and provided me with the lab's name (Antech) to contact for a detailed breakdown of the cost. I called Antech's Billing Department, which transferred me to Sara in Client Services who asked me for Chews Landing's phone number so she could research the charge. After providing it, Sara informed me that Antech's charge for a Feline Free T4 test was $33.57! Any additional amounts were charged by the vet. When I called Gwen back to relay this information, all she could tell me was that $238 was what Chews Landing charged, and she refused to give me a detailed breakdown of the cost. I requested Gwen to leave a message for Dr. Rubincam to call me before moving forward. Gwen then tried to pressure me to proceed with the test, stating that the lab could not retain the blood sample much longer. I told her I would call her back after speaking with Dr. Rubincam. When I still had not heard from Dr. Rubincam 3 days later, I requested Liz at the front desk to relay another message to him when I dropped off my cat's stool and urine samples the morning of April 16th. That afternoon, I received a call from Office Manager Suzanna who abruptly accused me of impersonating Chews Landing Vet to obtain the Free T4 cost information from Antech! I tried to explain to Suzanna that I had merely provided Chews' phone number to Antech to get the information, but she continued to rudely talk over me and informed me that my pets were being immediately dropped as patients of the practice! This is NO WAY TO TREAT WELL-PAYING, LONG-TERM CLIENTS OF A VETERINARY MEDICAL PRACTICE SIMPLY FOR QUESTIONING A SERVICE CHARGE, and Suzanna's crude demeanor and complete lack of professionalism just proves that she is CLEARLY in the wrong job! If you are considering Chews Landing Veterinary Hospital for your pets' medical care, my advice is to STEER CLEAR. If you are a current patient, I advise you to find another practice ASAP, and in the meantime, REVIEW ALL CHARGES CAREFULLY AND QUESTION ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT! It appears that Chews Landing Veterinary Hospital is overcharging patients and when questioned, they will just drop you as a patient instead of providing a reasonable, professional explanation.
