FREE EYE EXAMINATION AND WELLNESS REPORT
Pilot Program in USA Limited to Program Certified Assistance Dogs
Partners with program certified dogs will be able to participate in the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists pilot program, a National Service Dog Eye Examination Day on May 12, 2008. Such dogs will receive a free complete eye examination to screen for ocular health with one of 180 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists in the United States and some areas of Canada.
In addition to the eye exam, the assistance dog can receive a preventative health diagnosis and blood panel. Sponsored by Pet Health Systems, this additional program will be implemented by your primary care veterinarian following the May 12 eye screening.
If interested, please register at www.ACVOeyeexam.org after April 1, 2008. Complete the general information on the form which will be supplied to the veterinary ophthalmologist you select. Then, contact the participating clinic of your choice from the list provided to schedule an appointment. Most clinics will be participating on May 12th, others may have additional days designated for the program. You can learn more about the program by visiting the website, www.ACVOeyeexam.org.
The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists has established this program as a way of repaying a debt to guide, hearing and service dogs dedicated to the well being of their disabled partners. While it is commendable this organization is making this outreach effort to ensure the health and well being of canine assistants, we are disappointed owner trained teams belonging to IAADP cannot participate this year. We are advocating this policy be re-considered next year.
Ed Eames, President
IAADP
Veterinary Teaching Hospital Fee Structure for Disabled Clients Partnered with Guide, Hearing and Service Dogs
Prepared by Ed Eames, Ph.D., President - Updated May 2002
The following material on fee structure at veterinary teaching hospitals in the United States was obtained from interviews conducted with representatives of the 26 small animal veterinary teaching hospitals. As president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, I was asked by the IAADP board to conduct this survey.
One of IAADP's fundamental missions is to help maintain the partnership between disabled person and assistance dog when the relationship is threatened by high veterinary care costs beyond the financial means of the disabled partner. As part of this mission, IAADP has become involved in a program sponsored by five animal health care community corporations to provide financial aid in selected cases where the disabled partner is unable to meet the high cost of veterinary intervention and the proposed intervention can maintain the working quality of the canine assistant. The five corporations financing the Veterinary Care Partnership are: Bayer Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Nestle Purina, The Iams Foundation and Nutramax Laboratories. However, IAADP is looking beyond this program as part of its Partners Support System and calls on veterinary teaching hospitals to join in the effort to maintain the health and well-being of assistance dog teams.
With an unemployment rate estimated at 70% and a welfare- dependency rate of more than 40%, the disabled community represents the most impoverished segment of American society. Although actual figures are not available, a reasonable assumption is that the estimated 20,000 disabled individuals working with guide, hearing and service dogs reflect the general characteristics of the larger disability community. Therefore, it is essential to move toward fee structure policies at veterinary teaching hospitals that will help diminish the financial stress created by high bills.
Some IAADP members have been forced to break the bond because of their inability to pay the costs of diagnostic tests, surgery, radiology and pharmaceuticals needed to treat chronic conditions. Veterinary teaching hospitals are institutions to which many clients are referred in order to provide the most up-to-date and experienced specialty veterinary services. Therefore, these are the institutions to which general practitioners will refer their disabled clients when their canine assistants require specialty care. These are also the circumstances in which high bills are incurred because of intensive diagnostic procedures and treatment protocols.
Many VTH directors with whom I have spoken in the course of obtaining information are sympathetic to the needs of the disabled community, but also note the mandate to balance the mission of a teaching hospital with the demands of running a business venture. This undoubtedly is a continuing source of stress. Some indicate that providing fee reductions for assistance dogs would create even more of a problem in meeting the business side of the operation. Some also indicate there are many other client segments seeking fee reductions.
The primary response to these issues is that assistance dogs, in contrast with companion animals, provide a vital service to their disabled partners. They help offset the impact of the disability on the daily lives of their human partners. Guide dogs help safely guide blind people through traffic, crowds and other situations; hearing dogs help alert deaf people to unheard sounds in the environment, such as a telephone ring, smoke alarm and doorbell; service dogs help people with disabilities other than blindness or deafness by picking up dropped or requested items, pulling wheelchairs, opening doors, or providing assistance during a medical crisis etc. These working canine assistants are an essential element in maintaining the independence, safety and improved quality of life for the 20,000 Americans with disabilities who have sought this partnership. In many ways, assistance dogs symbolize the highest calling to which, in the eyes of the public, a dog can aspire.
Currently, 19 of the 26 VTHs have an official reduction policy in place. The latest VTHs to develop Policies are Auburn and Louisiana State University.
Some directors indicate that state laws prohibit fee reductions for any specified segment of the population. This, apparently, is not the case for several state-funded institutions which do offer discounted fees.
Before IAADP's educational and out-reach efforts, the majority of teaching hospitals either had no formal fee reduction policy for assistance dogs or offered an informal case by case support system. However, at this time 19 veterinary teaching hospitals, more than two-thirds, have developed formal or informal discount policies for assistance dog patients. These are: Auburn, Cornell, Iowa State, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Tufts, Tuskegee, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of Pennsylvania, University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and Washington State.
Listed below are the 26 VTH policies:
Auburn University
Waiving of all fees for examination, diagnosis surgery and hospitalization of assistance dogs.Colorado State University.
No policy.Cornell University
Up to 20% discount for services.Iowa State University
Provides 50% reduced fee structure for assistance dogs.Kansas State University
No policy. Has a policy of reduced fees for indigent clients. Each case is individually evaluated.Louisiana State University
Provides 40% reduction on all services, except pharmacy and central surgery supplies which is billed at cost plus 25%.Michigan State University
Provides 25% fee reduction across the board, for all services, if the disabled client indicates financial need.Mississippi State University
Provides a 50% reduction on fees for all working dogs, including assistance dogs.North Carolina State University
No policy.Ohio State University
Has an unofficial policy of providing a 20% reduction for all assistance dogs, same as that provided for faculty.Oklahoma State University
Current policy is fees at 10% above actual cost for assistance dogs.Purdue University
Assistance dogs receive a 50% reduction on all services and a 23% reduction on pharmaceuticals.Texas A&M University
No policy. Case by case basis.Tufts University
No charge for professional services, visits or consultations. Twenty percent discount for all other services. If additional reductions are needed, this will be done on a case by case basis.Tuskegee University
Provides whatever level of reduction is needed to medically treat the assistance dog.University of California, Davis
No policy. Has funds for indigent clients.University of Florida
No policy.University of Georgia
No policy. Has a pet care fund for indigent clients which is limited to $300 per case.University of Illinois
Provides 50% discount for all services and 20% discount for laboratory work on an assistance dog.University of Minnesota
Twenty percent reduction in the professional examination fee.University of Missouri
Provides a 25% discount on all charges for assistance dogs.University of Pennsylvania
No charge for clinic examinations. Has a 25% reduction on all services for assistance dogs, including pharmaceuticals.University of Tennessee
Has a 30% reduction for all assistance dogs.University of Wisconsin
Has a 20% reduction for assistance dogs. Also has a compassionate care fund.Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Has a 20% reduction in all fees in addition to the current procedure of waiving the exam fees.Washington State University
Provides 20% discount on fees generated for goods and service related to the care of service dogs seen or admitted to the facility. The discount will not apply to charges generated outside the Veterinary Teaching Hospital such as samples sent to other facilities for analysis. The discount will apply only if the bill is paid in full at the time service is rendered.Animal Medical Center, New York
No charge for guide dogs, fee reductions on a case by case basis for hearing and service dogs. Although not attached to a veterinary school, Animal Medical Center is a teaching facility and has the largest patient load in the country.Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association
Will provide $100 vouchers for preventative veterinary care (vaccines, heart worm, etc) for all assistance dog partners in the state. The program began in 2000 and it is estimated more than 80 assistance dog partners will be receiving these vouchers annually.National PetCare Centers
More than 70 veterinary hospitals belong to this group and they are offering a 20% discount on total billing for assistance dog partners.
More Good News on the Veterinary Front!
Pet's Choice, a family of community veterinary hospitals and specialty practices in the Northwest and Southwest, announced a policy providing fee reductions for disabled clients partnered with guide, hearing and service dogs. All Pet's Choice hospitals located in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas will offer a 20-percent discount on professional fees for services provided to assistance dogs.
In the state of Washington, a 10-percent discount has been established. These discounts do not include pharmaceuticals or retail products. For a list of Pet's Choice hospitals, check the IAADP web site (www.iaadp.org), the Pet's Choice web site (www.petschoice.com) or ask your veterinarian if he or she is a Pet's Choice doctor.
On behalf of IAADP, we want to thank Pet's Choice for implementing this enlightened policy. It is an indication of Pet's Choice's commitment to maintaining the special bond between disabled clients and their guide, hearing and service dogs.
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