Improving Outcomes for Clients with Financial Limitations

Cases limited by client finances are a daily occurrence for many small animal practitioners. As pets are considered part of the family by their owners, conversations between pet owners and the veterinary team can become emotionally charged, especially when finances are limited and decisions about care become life or death. These cases and the discussions that go with them can create moral distress and contribute to burnout for many veterinarians. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In the real world of clinical practice, the gold standard care that has historically been the focus of veterinary education is not feasible for all clients. This poses a particular challenge for veterinarians who are just entering clinical practice. All veterinarians must develop comfort in approaching cases incrementally and learn strategies to work along a spectrum of care to help the greatest number of clients and patients. Early career veterinarians in particular must develop the confidence to offer a variety of options based on available evidence based medicine, client limitations, and the health and welfare of each patient.

Once comfort is gained in the clinical approach to cases along the spectrum of care, veterinarians must be able to communicate available options to owners with confidence and empathy. Developing a comfort with discussing finances in a compassionate way is essential to forging a partnership with the client and improving patient outcomes.

This lecture will explore the concepts of spectrum of care and incremental care in the context of client financial limitations and provide tools that can be used in financial conversations to maximize patient outcomes in clinical practice. Mastering these skills can improve early career wellbeing by minimizing situations of moral distress.